In this post on the Comms Women platform, Mary Douglass Evans, a student at the University of Alabama, College of Communication and Information Sciences, analyses an article by Kyeongwon Kwon and Jaejin Lee on fashion and sustainability published in Corporate Communications: An International Journal (Emerald).
There is an old Greek Proverb that says, “A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit ”As members of the human race, it is our responsibility to encourage behaviors that have a lasting impact on the earth. Sustainability is a tool we can use to preserve the earth”.
The fashion industry is one of the leading causes of pollution. In today’s age, trends are constantly changing, and style is continuously evolving. There is a societal expectation to keep up with these trends, and because of this, industries such as fast fashion are booming.
Technology is a blessing and a curse. It has given us the ability to save lives, but it has also had serious mental implications on what we expect of ourselves through comparison. The internet is not going anywhere but one useful way we can use the internet is to keep our favorite fashion brands accountable through corporate social responsibility (CSR).
Researchers, K. Kwon and J. Lee, at Florida State University dove deep into the ways consumers are encouraging CSR and its effects on the brand image. Overall, they found consumers respond best to companies that disclose their CSR practices and share information with consumers. This benefits the brand’s image, cultivates a positive relationship between the company and its consumers, and encourages action from new consumers.
Social media has opened the door for companies to share these practices. Luxury and fast fashion have different social media goals regarding their brand image and target consumers; however, they are united with the same goal of CSR. Another key aspect of CSR practices is framing. Researchers found consumers respond best to visual content with earth tones and imagery. Life is all about balance so consumers also encourage brands to frame their sustainable practices organically; an aggressive advertisement approach could have a counterintuitive effect.
Thanks to these demands by consumers a space has opened in the market for an affordable company with a foundation of sustainability. One brand whose excelling in filling that gap is Quince. Quince was started by professionals who built a career in luxury brands and wanted to make that quality more accessible to the consumer. Their brand is founded on quality, sustainability, transparency, and affordability.
Life is about finding the balance between our forces. The world is constantly evolving, and Quince has taken a step forward in integrating sustainable practices into standard CSR practices.
To wrap it all up, people go things change but enforcing CSR is a great way to protect this planet we call home. Sustainability is an avenue for us to protect the earth. One small brand like Quince, founded on sustainability will blossom into inspiration for existing and future brands to integrate similar practices and push toward a better future.
Reference
Kwon, K. and Lee, J. (2021), “Corporate social responsibility advertising in social media: a content analysis of the fashion industry’s CSR advertising on Instagram”, Corporate Communications: An International Journal, Vol. 26 No. 4, pp. 700-715. https://doi.org/10.1108/CCIJ-01-2021-0016