By 2030 the concept of brands promoting "SALES" will be over.
Fast fashion has been on the rise since the early 90s. The amount of clothing produced has tripled because of mainstream consumers' high demand for cheap, affordable, and fashionable clothing.
"an estimated 87% of the total fiber input used for clothing is landfilled or incinerated".
- woollygreen.com
Sales used to be a good thing; the word "SALE" ignites excitement in the eyes of the consumer and makes them feel like they beat the system. Unfortunately, these huge fast-fashion brands have "SALE"s because they produce more than needed. The clothes that didn't sell will end up in a landfill or, as brands say, "donated" to 3rd world countries that are over-swamped with fast-fashion clothing. These countries "recycle" the clothing into things they need, but the brutal truth is that most of it gets burned for fuel.
Another main issue is that many clothes can't be recycled in the first place; the more fabrics combined into one item, the more intricate it is to recycle the clothing. Unfortunately, this process has become routine at this point. As a result, the amount of waste produced is unfathomable, and consumers are starting to catch on to the corruption in the fast-fashion industry.
"Critics contend that fast fashion contributes to pollution, waste, and planned obsolescence, due to the cheap materials and manufacturing methods it uses. The poorly made garments don't age well, but they can't be recycled since they're predominantly (over 60%) made of synthetics. So when they're discarded, they molder in landfills for years."
- investopedia.com
The word "SALE" will be a clear indicator for consumers to know if a brand has carelessly overproduced without considering its implications. Companies have to start planning for their future marketing efforts and values, or else they will be excommunicated from the market, or people won't buy from them. Consumers will only buy sustainably produced clothing. Brands that will strategically plan for each season and create smaller amounts will stay in the lead because they take actual steps to prevent and reduce waste.
Our #1 goal as an e-commerce digital marketing agency is to increase sales, but we believe that the mindset behind how to go about increasing sales must change.
Brands must create exclusive amounts of each product per season to increase demand and sales. Slowly but surely, brands will understand there is no need for sales because consumers buy their products for the brand; the incentive is the brand, not the price. The marketing strategy must lead consumers to consume differently and brands to produce sustainably. Removing "SALE"s from fashion and only creating exclusive amounts will solve the problem of brands having to produce abnormal amounts of merchandise and will reduce the waste guaranteed. By normalizing not having sales, consumers' perceptions of fashion will begin to change.
