On occasion, fashion designer and clothier Katelyn Woodburn is accused of running a scam.
When a customer makes a purchase without reading the B次元官网网址渁boutB次元官网网址� section on her website or following her on social media, they might send an email a week or two later saying something like: B次元官网网址淲hereB次元官网网址檚 my order? It hasnB次元官网网址檛 even shipped yet? WhatB次元官网网址檚 going on?B次元官网网址� Woodburn recounted from her Vancouver studio.
B次元官网网址淲hich is a totally reasonable response,B次元官网网址� she added. Consumers are conditioned to expect instant gratification when it comes to clothes shopping, but thatB次元官网网址檚 not really how Woodburn does things.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檒l say, B次元官网网址極h, your shirt is being cut out. WeB次元官网网址檙e going to sew it tomorrow.B次元官网网址� I tell them the whole process of whatB次元官网网址檚 happening. And 100 per cent of the time, I get a response going, B次元官网网址極h my gosh, I didnB次元官网网址檛 even realize. This is so cool, no rush at all.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�
WoodburnB次元官网网址檚 company, Street & Saddle, is among the slow fashion houses bucking the broader trend to churn out cheap disposable clothes. Instead of ordering a large production run ahead of each season, they wait for an order before making the garment. They say this allows them to reduce waste, offer a wider size range and cut down on upfront costs.
Woodburn makes clothes that incorporate western flair and English tailoring: button-up shirts with stylized yokes, wide-leg cotton trousers with pleats for ease of movement and riding leggings with knee patches to keep the fabric from wearing through.
Most of her customers are equestrians, she said. The rest just appreciate the esthetic.
When she first opened shop nearly a decade ago, she worked with a local factory to make her garments, she said, but she didnB次元官网网址檛 have the money to order big production runs ahead of time.
By moving to made-to-order and shifting production in-house, B次元官网网址渨e were able to offer a wider range of styles and sizes and colours without having to invest a huge amount into the pre-production process,B次元官网网址� she said.
It also enabled her to expand her size range. She sells garments from size XXS, which is a 32-inch bust on her size chart, up to 5X, for a 57-inch bust. She also offers custom sizing.
These days, about two-thirds of her output is made-to-order. She also has wholesale clients B次元官网网址� mostly equestrian stores in the United States B次元官网网址� that order bigger production runs.
And when she gets an order like that, she and her staff will make a couple extra items that they can sell on their own website.
Jimil Ataman, an anthropologist of sustainable fashion who teaches at the University of Alberta, said the made-to-order model is part of a broader people- and planet-conscious movement that seeks to slow the pace of the fashion industry.
B次元官网网址淥ne of the things I think a lot of slow fashion brands bring to the equation is a deep love of clothes and fashion, and also a genuine interest in building alternative ways of making clothes and selling clothes,B次元官网网址� said Ataman.
B次元官网网址淭he designers are motivated by this idea that the contemporary fashion industry is not working. ItB次元官网网址檚 producing a lot of harm, the consequences of which are quite staggering if you consider the environmental (impact) and the human rights violations that are just rampant through the supply chain.B次元官网网址�
A report commissioned by Environment and Climate Change Canada estimated there were 1.3 million tonnes of apparel waste in Canada in 2021. The researchers from ChemInfo Inc. found that of the waste, almost 1.1 million tonnes were trashed and the rest were diverted for reuse or recycling into rags.
ThereB次元官网网址檚 no silver-bullet for the ills of the fashion industry, Ataman said. Some consumers want or need an item at the last minute and canB次元官网网址檛 wait the two-to-eight weeks required for a made-to-order piece.
But it does have its benefits.
B次元官网网址淭he made-to-order model does really help these brands who are very attentive to their pre-consumer waste,B次元官网网址� such as unsold stock, she said.
Ogechukwu Ajibe, who runs the eponymous made-to-order fashion brand Oge Ajibe, said minimizing the waste thatB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址渙verpopulating the worldB次元官网网址� is central to her mission.
B次元官网网址淚t makes no sense making something that I donB次元官网网址檛 know if people are going to buyB次元官网网址dding to the fabric, the clothing we already have. So it was a practice I started out of sustainability and slow fashion B次元官网网址� and also out of not having enough money to go into business,B次元官网网址� she said.
The Nigerian-Canadian designer operates out of Vancouver, where she makes long-lasting garments with simple, oversized silhouettes, often in bright colours. She prides herself on her pants, which are flowy and highly functional. TheyB次元官网网址檝e got big pockets, and are designed to fit through weight fluctuations.
Ajibe, whose sizes range from a 31-inch bust to a 61-inch bust, has found people are generally quite willing to wait for their clothes.
WhatB次元官网网址檚 trickier is price.
She wants people to buy fewer items and make purchases more mindfully: to spend money on garments that will last a long time and can be worn in many different ways.
B次元官网网址淚f you are going to spend roughly $200 in two months on fast fashion, buying clothes you can only wear once, thatB次元官网网址檚 crazy. Why not save that $200 and go buy pantsB次元官网网址hat will last you three years.B次元官网网址�
Much of her social media marketing centres on explaining the process of running a business like hers B次元官网网址� the work that goes into crafting each garment, from selecting fabrics to designing to cutting to sewing B次元官网网址� all of which contributes to the price.
Dirk De Waal, a fashion professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, said that sort of marketing can be powerful because it builds a stronger relationship between the consumer and the product.
B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 a lot of research around B次元官网网址榚motional durability,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淟ike, if you buy something and you have a deep emotional connection to itB次元官网网址ou will cherish that item much longer and you would almost care for it better than buying a fast fashion item.B次元官网网址�
If made-to-order brands can get that buy-in from their customers, it could reduce the amount of garments that people buy and then throw away.
But if customers buy less that means businesses will sell less. Company owners may have to rethink their ultimate goals.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a much larger question around, what does success mean?B次元官网网址� De Waal said. B次元官网网址淒o we have to scale? What does growth look like? B次元官网网址� Is it enough to have just one store, or do we have to have 50 stores?B次元官网网址�
Ajibe doesnB次元官网网址檛 believe in growth for growthB次元官网网址檚 sake. Fast fashion is the past, she said.
B次元官网网址淲e shouldnB次元官网网址檛 be going backwards; we should be going forwards,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淭he world needs healing when it comes to air pollution and fabric pollution.B次元官网网址�
