What’s the problem?

One of the biggest hurdles that causes the average customer to balk when considering the shift from fast-waste fashion to slow-sustainable wardrobes is the price points. If a person is used to buying t-shirts for $5, they need several practical reasons for why they should be paying 10x as much (or more) for another t-shirt.

From the designer’s perspective, the reason for the difference in price is obvious. But that is because the designer sees what goes into making a t-shirt, or any other piece of clothing. The customer only knows what THEY see – the t-shirt and the price. And while fashion publications will praise a company with sustainable practices, it’s SALES that keep the company in business.

This is where sustainable fashion copywriting comes in. Because I am looking at the sales dynamic from an outside perspective, I consider the outlook (and assumptions) of the designer AND the needs (and assumptions) of the customer.

From my viewpoint, the disconnect is obvious.

Give me an example…

The sustainable denim brand, B Sides, was born from the antique denim collection curated by two fashion industry veterans. Their jeans are classic, traditional 100% cotton, made in the USA from USA-source materials. And according to their website’s “About” page, they consider their jeans to be “at an accessible price.” Regular (non-sale) jeans from B Sides cost between $255 and $295.

Compare that to the jeans found on Temu, the massive direct-from-China factory warehouse app, where the average price for jeans is around $20-25. Literally 1/10th the cost of B Sides jeans.

Sustainable fashion designers tend to assume that customers already know why their products cost 10x as much as their fast-fashion counterparts. Or they think that ethical appeals on behalf of garment industry workers and the planet are sufficient.

However, the average potential customer is looking for a more pragmatic explanation – and won’t be making a purchase until they get one. This is particularly true in our current economic state, where most people do NOT have the luxury of frivolous spending. Expert fashion copywriting provides customers with clear explanations of what they are getting for every dollar that they spend.

So…what’s the difference?

In other words, what’s the justification for the MASSIVE difference in price?

The list is long and complex. I’d LOVE to do a deep-dive into all of the differences between a $20 pair of Temu jeans and the $295 Elissa Straight Jean from B Sides. However, the average customer doesn’t really give a damn about any of that.

There’s two angles to justification: one from the designer, one from the customer. You, the designer, have already built out your angle – it’s why you developed your sustainable brand in the first place.

The customer’s angle is the one that needs to be created; that’s what bridges the gap between the designer’s set price and the price a customer is willing to pay. My job as a slow fashion copywriter is to create the justification for potential customers to spend their money on sustainable products.

How do we do that?

Let’s compare to another product category: appliances. There are generally three price points– budget, mid-grade, and high-end.

“Budget” is for people who either don’t have a lot of money to spend OR are looking for “a deal.” Maybe they cannot afford anything better, but need a machine right now. Or they are always going to buy the cheapest they can find, regardless of how long it will last, because they see it as a bargain. These people won’t buy anything above the budget price point.

“Mid-Grade” is the price point for people who are OK with investing more money (and have the money TO invest) in order to get a machine that will last longer and work better. This is the “you get what you pay for” group – pragmatic purchasers who are looking for good construction, solid materials, decent features, and a user-friendly interface. People in this group will buy budget options if they fulfill the mid-grade quality requirements, and will occasionally splurge on a high-end appliance if they find it on sale.

“High-End” buyers don’t care about the cost. They want whatever the latest thing is, with whatever the newest features are. Bells? Yes. Whistles? Absolutely. They expect their purchase to last awhile, but it won’t ruin them financially if it needs repairs or replacing in the next 5-10 years. These customers rarely consider mid-grade or budget options, so they are unlikely to buy below this price point.

Any seller who is looking to increase their customer base, regardless of what price point their products fall into, MUST appeal to the mid-grade customer group – they are the ones willing to shift to the high-end or budget markets, if given solid reasons to do so. Good fashion copywriting outlines those reasons in a clear, concise, and convincing way.

But what about the jeans?

Thinking about the jeans comparison from the budget/mid-grade/high-end perspective, we can put the Temu jeans solidly into the budget category, and the B Sides jeans into the high-end category.

There are people who will only ever buy jeans from Temu and would think someone buying B Sides jeans is either crazy rich or just plain crazy. They are not our target audience.

Conversely, there are people who will only buy B Sides or similar high-end jeans and think anyone buying from Temu is wasting money on disposable fashion trash. Even though these people are looking to buy high-end, they are also not our target audience – they are ALREADY SOLD on the sustainable fashion concept and do not need further convincing.

Sustainable fashion copywriting focuses on the mid-grade fashion customer, the person who sees the value in long-lasting, well-made pieces. But for them to feel like they are investing a garment, they need to know that the QUALITY is equal to the COST. They need the JUSTIFICATION that strong sales copy provides.

TL; DR Summary

Well-written sustainable fashion sales copy convinces mid-grade-product customers that the increased VALUE of quality, durability, and details they get from slow fashion pieces JUSTIFIES the increased price. While a $25 pair of jeans from Temu will only last about a year before falling apart, a $250 pair of jeans from B Sides will last 10 years OR MORE. And wouldn’t you want to keep your favorite pair of jeans for as long as possible? I know I would.