Can a Summer Sale be "Sustainable"? 

By Rebecca Morter, Founder & CEO of Lone Design Club

WE ARE CERTAINLY GOING TO TRY. It may sound hypocritical (I don't blame you for thinking so) however the current climate is putting a whole lot of pressure on all of us, particularly brands, factories and boutiques who are all struggling with the effects of COVID-19 on retail as a whole.

Image Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/world/global-waste/

Brands are faced with cancelled wholesale orders from their stockists, placed months and months ago, now sitting in their studios as many retailers have opted to pause orders and focus on getting by with what they have. Factories, who rely on orders placed by brands are finding many of these also cancelled. It's proven a vicious cycle with devastating effects across the industry.

Whilst we are not ones for traditional discounting, and have never wholly embraced the concept of a "sale", rather encouraging our designers to price items fairly based on their time spent and work put into each piece. However, after conversations with our designers and a deeper look into the industry situation, we do feel there is a time and place for everything and right now these brands need our support.

Commencing the 23rd of July, we will be launching a month-long pop up store in the heart of London's Covent Garden. This is where we will be hosting the Sustainable Summer Sale.

We will create this physical space for our designers to sell incredible archive pieces, one-offs, last chance to buy, end of line and all those pieces currently sitting by in their studios, discounted just for our LDC community. At LDC we value quality, ethics, stories, meanings and so much more. We want to ensure that no product goes to waste.

This isn’t simply to generate more business, rather, this sale can be positive, it can help to ensure that all the brands we support will continue to thrive. This is survival and this is change. Additionally, this store marks an opportunity to really help to educate our customers, designers and industry on the state of sustainability within the fashion world.  To achieve this we will be scheduling a vast range of events with the hope of ensuring that this is not a trend from the pandemic but that conscious consumerism will in fact, be here to stay.

Our customers will have access to sustainable initiatives such as the SWAPCHAIN program with Global Fashion Exchange, upcycling workshops, green material labs and open designer studio digital events, designed to support the message of diversity and sustainability. For too long fashion has demanded constant consumption, financial investment and waste, however the time has come to truly consider purchases and what it is worth investing in. We encourage our community to purchase and love unique, quality, conscious fashion. This is an opportunity to close the loop on the fashion cycle and encourage sustainable shopping practices. We know that overproduction is a huge issue in our beloved industry, however, through educating consumers and brands alike in how to improve their practices going forward, there can be change. 

The goal of the sale is to really create this awareness and to encourage circular fashion. We want to ensure that no product is wasted and that all items are made from safe and renewable sources. This sale will enable customers to nab a bargain while also helping our brands to remain conscious with their stock.These last few months have marked a shift in our society and now more than ever people are becoming increasingly more aware of their effect on the environment. This is the moment to really push for change. Brands are now starting to reflect on already small production drops and move to an even slower, more on-demand fashion model.

At LDC we understand that any sustainable change starts from within. We are reflecting on our company mission, doubling down on our sustainable values and making changes to our company manifesto to further support sustainability, ethics and diversity through our actions and content output.

So, if you want to be a champion of change make sure you continue to live and shop responsibly. To find out more about our sustainable store and summer sale that will be taking place from the 23rd of July till the 20th of August click here.

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