Transparency

When it comes to a garment, knowing its history (where it was made, the materials is made of, by whom) is important to empower consumers to make their own responsible choices. That is why transparency is essential for a sustainable business.

The traditional label that accompanies a garment is no longer sufficient to contain all the information that a discerning consumer needs to receive, and many brands, big and small, are beginning to activate new systems of sharing information. Brands are deploying different strategies to provide consumers with more and more information, but when it comes to transparency there is no one-size-fits-all standard and everyone is free to choose what to tell.

A pioneer for his transparent approach was designer Bruno Pieters, who in the past tried to create a completely transparent and traceable brand, Honest By (unfortunately they closed in 2019): the brand used to publish manufacturers and composition of the garments and also information about prize composition: an itemized breakdown of the garment’s cost, including his wholesale and retail mark-up percentages.

Source: https://1granary.com/interviews/designers/bruno-pieters/

Another interesting example is that of Ganni, a popular Danish brand, which is not afraid to declare that it is not-entirely-sustainable yet but committed to constant improvement. With the slogan ‘it’s about progression not perfection’ the brand has a social channel parallel to that for the presentation of its collections where it conveys information about its production and the materials used, where it is possible to monitor this improvement.

Sharing this information creates in the customer a sense of trust in the brand, which appears as an organism in the process of transformation, of improvement, of which the customer feels part and support through his or her choices and not a flawless example of sustainability. Transparency is not just about communicating your sustainable processes, but also about being honest to your customers.

Womsh, brand of sustainable shoes made in Italy, is also a good example in terms of transparency. Within their code of ethics, a self-regulatory tool that reinforces the values and responsibilities that the brand has and wants to pursue, shared within its website, the brand has defined its pillars of sustainability, which include sharing the history of the product and specifically: what materials it is made of; where it was made; who made it; under what conditions these people worked; they were paid; how Womsh returns part of the profits generated to the environment and society.

Finally, certifications are essential to give credibility to the information you share with your customers. In chapter 3, dedicated to production and supply chain, we will go deeper on this topic with presenting all the most important certifications related to the fashion industry.