Marketing fashions with sustainability in mind

#recycle

Inditex, which owns Zara and other well-known fashion brands, now disassembles old apparel to remake into 'garments with a past'. Its Join Life label features clothing made in part from reclaimed materials and made using processes that are more earth-friendly.

The company also invites customers to bring old/unwanted clothes to selected stores for recycling. If you live in Spain, where Inditex is headquartered, you can have the courier who drops off your Zara purchases take your old clothes back for recycling--quite convenient!

Inditex and other fashion marketers are becoming more active in adopting sustainability and promoting this aspect of their products to customers, suppliers and partners.

H&M, the fast-fashion retailer based in Sweden, has set the ambitious goal of sustainably manufacturing all its fashions by 2030. 'H&M group is . . . pushing the development towards a shift to a circular model; where materials are maximised and waste is minimised', according to its 2017 Sustainability Report. It is investing in startups that search for ways to make fabrics and recycle materials without environmental harm. 'We need to speed the shift toward waste-free models [of business]', says H&M's CEO.

Watch for more sustainability activities as companies seek to conserve natural resources, reduce waste, help the planet and differentiate their brands in the competitive global marketplace.

See now, buy now meets consumer behaviour

Behind the scenes, 'see now, buy now' fashion requires major changes in everything from production to sourcing to distribution and channel decisions. Burberry pioneered the trend toward making fashions available 'from the runway', meaning selling new styles as the new collection is being introduced.

Instead of waiting months to be able to buy new styles, consumers can click or order in season, right now. It makes sense from a consumer behaviour perspective. Not surprisingly, this is the new marketing model for a growing number of fashion brands. Yet it's quite a challenge to support. 'A switch to this kind of operational model requires extremely intense collaboration between teams that would typically work in a relatively siloed approach', explains the chief brand officer for Tommy Hilfiger.

See now, buy now isn't just for high-end fashion marketing. Fast-fashion firms like H&M are also adopting this approach. H&M Studio recently introduced new styles for men and for women in a see now, buy now strategy. The intro took place in a pop-up space, livestreamed in virtual reality via the Swedish retailer's YouTube channel.

For retailers, see now, buy now is an opportunity to create and satisfy demand in a timely manner, rather than creating anticipation and potentially losing demand due to a long wait for product availability.

It's consumer-led and puts shopping into the same moment as fashion trends are being created. In other words, see now, buy now fits today's consumer behaviour, when paying with a swipe or a click is often the norm and brands ride the tide of social media for immediacy and buzz marketing.

H&M for Stars, Brides and Sustainability

Fast-fashion retailer H&M is polishing its sustainability and affordability image with high-profile marketing initiatives.

At left, a custom designed H&M evening gown made from 'more sustainable' materials, worn by Penelope Cruz to the Vanity Fair Oscar party following the Academy Awards last weekend. From April, consumers will be able to buy a similar gown--sustainably made--in H&M stores. H&M has other sustainable products, including a collection of clothing made from recycled materials.

Providing clean drinking water is another sustainability issue supported by H&M. Each year, the retailer donates 25% of the proceeds from a summer swimwear collection to the not-for-profit group WaterAid. The 2013 promotion was supported by social media posts on Pinterest and Facebook. Customers and employees vote to select the causes supported by H&M's Conscious Foundation, including education, clean water and women's issues. 

At right, H&M's new wedding dress, priced at £59.99. From March, consumers will be able to buy this graceful gown in H&M stores. Other retailers (including M&S, Peacocks and ASDA) have launched affordable wedding collections in the past. 

Will brides buy from H&M? Or is the publicity generated by a pretty dress at a pretty price an affordable way to attract customers to H&M stores to look at the dress--and then buy something else?

Save the planet by recycling old clothes

For sustainability reasons, Marks & Spencer and H&M are both inviting customers to donate old or unwanted clothing and receive a discount on new purchases. The stores (or their partners) handle behind-the-scenes logistics of getting old clothes to the next step in the recycling process.

From H&M, recycled polyester

This is part of a broader movement to keep usable materials away from landfills and make better use of the world's resources. Popular retailers like M&S (927,000 Facebook likes) and H&M (13 million Facebook likes) can make a real difference when they communicate this message and reward customers for participating.

• H&M, the Swedish fast-fashion retailer with a global presence, already markets products made from recycled materials, such as this top made from recycled polyester. Now H&M has a deal with Germany's I:Collect to collect shopper-donated clothing from the retailer's stores and repurpose the textiles for other uses. From February 2013, shoppers who donate will receive an H&M voucher.

From M&S, shwopping

• M&S has been partnering with the charity Oxfam to promote Shwopping: Shoppers drop off unwanted clothes at the retailer's branches and pick up a discount voucher. The latest twist is that employers are signing up to host drop boxes in their offices, to make it more convenient than ever for consumers to do something positive with their unwanted garments.