Writing For Fashion Brands

A person threw a shirt into a bin in Europe. Someone in Panipat inhaled the dust. Every year, nearly a million tonnes of discarded clothing from Europe arrive in Panipat, India's textile recycling capital. The garments are shredded and sent back into supply chains that power the world's growing appetite for "sustainable fashion." On paper, it's a success story. Brands reduce their environmental footprint. Consumers feel they're making better choices. I read an article about Khushbu, who works a 12-hour shift in one of these recycling units. She covers her face with a dupatta because masks are suffocating. Her husband's cough has become a part of life. Leaving isn't really an option. The work is steady. The bills don't stop. Meanwhile, 93% of families living around Panipat's recycling clusters report serious illnesses, including TB, COPD, and cancer. The city is also responsible for nearly 45% of Haryana's pollution load entering the Yamuna. I am upset because people fail to recognise a system where sustainability's benefits and costs are distributed very differently. One part of the world gets the credit for being greener. Another part of the world absorbs the pollution, the dust, and the health consequences. And we've agreed to call that progress. Circular fashion is an important solution. But if the true cost of that solution is hidden from the people celebrating it, then we're not solving the problem. We're relocating it. The consumer in Berlin isn't the villain. Their intentions are often genuine. I want to understand whether a system can be called sustainable when the people carrying its heaviest burden never had a say in the arrangement. Who is the circle actually working for?

Currently, 28% of United States is working fully remotely, an additional 22% is hybrid. Netherlands leads with 60% remote workers. In India, around 12.7% work entirely from home, and 28.2% are hybrid. These used to be regular shoppers, they bought clothes for cold offices, now they feel differently about work clothes and buy differently. Is your brand missing out on "Work from Home Fashion" marketing? This new demographic has well paying jobs and hence the ability to purchase new fashion as their needs change. Fashion companies need to embrace this shift in their customer's environment and purchasing decisions and build marketing campaigns appealing to this audience. What’s out of a remote workers wardrobe -  1. The formal work pants we used to wear, at times made of synthetic fabrics. 2. Blazers, I mean lets be honest it is a bit much to be wearing one on a call. 3. Shoes, most remote workers are barefoot. 4. Fewer coats and jackets than what was required in the daily commute. 5. Fewer bags and shoes, as there is lesser wear and tear due to daily commute.  6. All day long stay make up   What’s in a remote workers wardrobe - 1. Beautiful tops and shirts with interesting necklines. 2. Earrings to elevate any look 3. Necklaces make you look super ready even if you just woke up :) 4. Hair accessories 5. Rings 6. Mild make up  7. Leggings and more leggings 8. Shorts How to create marketing content that will appeal to this demographic? 1. Is it possible to show how this garment will look in a call, a fun PDP image swap for a bit. Amusing the customers with images that they will not forget. May be use AI do to this? 2. Focus on communicating comfort. 3. Focus on how it translates into workout, cocktail hour or a fashionable grocery run seamlessly. Here's a fashion campaign idea - "memorable, even on calls" Here is what a PDP for a work from home collection could look like - With a glimpse from my Caimera calls with Fashion companies, I mean how can I not be fashionable on my calls, I work in fashion. Tell me, how would you market to this demograph? #marketing #aimarketing #ai

For centuries, India has been a quiet powerhouse of craftsmanship - dyeing, weaving, embroidering, block-printing, and stitching stories into fabric long before the fashion world learned the word “sustainable.” Today, as the planet searches for answers in the chaos of fast fashion, the answers lie not in more innovation but in remembrance. 🧵 Indian craftsmanship is ancestral intelligence disguised in art.  It is climate-conscious, community-driven, culturally rich, and inherently circular. It doesn’t rely on machines or marketing. It relies on skill. Time. Soul. Memory. And in every thread, it carries sustainability not as a strategy, but as a way of life. This is why Indian craftsmanship is the real future of sustainable fashion: ✅ It empowers artisans and rural economies ✅ It uses low-waste, low-impact materials ✅ It celebrates slow, meaningful production ✅ It preserves diversity, heritage, and identity ✅ It resists the sameness of mass production ✅ It lasts emotionally, physically, and generationally While fast fashion profits from disposability, Indian craft honors durability. While trends come and go, our textiles endure. And while global runways chase novelty, India continues to weave truth. 🪡 If we want to build a fashion future that is ethical, climate-conscious, and truly luxurious - we must start by valuing the hands that have never stopped creating. Because every artisan is a climate warrior, a storyteller, a preserver of beauty in a world of speed and sameness. Let’s stop treating Indian craftsmanship as “ethnic” and start treating it as essential. Let’s not wear clothes that erase who we are. But clothes that remember. What colonialism tried to erase,
we now revive stitch by stitch, voice by voice. Wear your roots with pride. Handwoven > machine-made.
Because the planet deserves better. So do our people. Because the future of fashion is not in Paris.
It’s in Kutch, Benaras, Assam, Lucknow, Bhuj. It’s in Ajrakh, Patola, Chikankari, Zardozi, Ikat, Kalamkari and beyond. ✨ Tag an Indian brand, designer, or artisan you admire. Outfit by Jade By Monica and Karishma #sustainablefashion #india #indiancraftsmanship #artisanal #slowfashion #homegrown #handloom #madeinindia

What are the top stories in sustainable fashion this week? ⬇️ 1) Big news in material innovation - Circulose (formerly Renewcell) has partnered with Mango as their first 'Scaling Partner'. Circulose is a regenerated material made from 100% discarded textiles, enabling fashion brands to reduce their reliance on virgin fibres. The partnership will see Mango shift a share of their MMCFs (man-made cellulosic fibres) to be made with Circulose, reducing their environmental impact and transitioning towards a circular model. 2) In other material news, Better Cotton have announced their plans to become a regenerative agriculture standards over the next 12 months, to enhance their commitment to sustainability and community welfare in global cotton farming. 3) Colorifix (The Earthshot Prize 2023 finalist) have closed a series of B2 funding of $18M, led by the IKEA Group. Textile dyeing accounts for roughly 20% of global industrial water pollution, and most dyes are petrochemical-based. Colorifix use microbes and natures own colours to create sustainable dyes that reduce the fashion industry's use of water and harmful chemicals. 4) Crocs, Inc. are rolling out their takeback scheme to UK and Europe - after initially launching as a pilot in the US in 2023. The programme "Old Crocs, New Life" will soon be available in 5 countries - UK, Germany, France, Austria and the Netherlands. 5) Big news for SOJO, who announced yesterday in The Times Style Magazine that they will be launching 2 shops in London's Westfield Shopping Mall. Sojo launched in 2021 as the 'Uber' for tailoring - making tailoring and repairs accessible and aspirational, and partner with a wide portfolio of brands including Paul Smith, GANNI and ARKET, along with their on site tailors in Selfridges. 6) On Friday, the European Commission revealed its plans to withdraw the Green Claims Directive, just days before negotiations to finalise the proposed rules. The Green Claims Directive was originally introduced in March 2023, aimed at addressing the need for reliable and verified information for consumers, but the news highlights concerns that the rules could become a burden and 'over complex' for companies. A statement from Commission spokesperson, Maciej Berestecki said: "I can say that in the current context, indeed the Commission intends to withdraw the Green Claims proposal." Useful. Watch this space for more news as and when it happens... 👀 🔗 Links to articles in comments. Any more stories to add? Let me know in the comments below. Have a great week, Lydia ---- I'm Lydia, ex-global fashion buyer, now guiding the fashion industry towards a more sustainable future. Each week, I share the most important news shaping fashion's next chapter - from materials and innovation, to circularity and policy. Join 1,000+ fashion pros already subscribed to enkel Weekly Industry News at www.thisisenkel.com #sustainablefashion #enkel #circularfashion #fashionnews Image: Crocs

They told her wedding outfits were tradition, not transformation. She saw it differently. From management consulting to founding Circular Threads, Anoli Mehta built the UK’s fastest-growing platform for pre-loved South Asian clothing. Growing up in London, she struggled with cultural identity, fitting in versus celebrating heritage. That experience became the foundation for her vision: to make sustainability part of the story, not separate from it. Then came the challenge: South Asian fashion is wasteful, expensive, and often left in storage. But Anoli turned the problem into possibility. And that’s how Circular Threads was born: A business giving once-worn outfits another life, reshaping weddings, wardrobes, and the future of sustainable fashion. On this episode of Immigrants Building Companiess, we talk about: → How immigrant roots shaped her entrepreneurial drive → The painful truth about waste in South Asian fashion → Why brides and grooms are embracing the pre-loved movement → The future of sustainable weddings and circular fashion This isn’t just about clothes. It’s a story about heritage, identity, and building a business that challenges the way we think about culture and sustainability. 👇 Full episode in the comments: https://lnkd.in/dpdwf55i

Panipat once stood at the crossroads of empires. Today, it stands at the crossroads of global consumption. For the clothes the world throws away. I grew up in a world where clothes had long lives. A dress was worn for years. Altered. Passed down. Reused at home. Became quilts. Torn fabric became cleaning cloth. Nothing was casually discarded because every object carried value, memory, labor. Today we live in a very different world. The modern garment may begin as cotton grown in one country, spun into yarn in another, woven in a mill somewhere else, stitched in a factory in China or Bangladesh, packaged in plastic, shipped across oceans, bought during an online sale in Boston or London, worn a handful of times, discarded, sorted into global waste streams, and eventually arrive in places like Panipat. Just pause and think about that journey. The carbon footprint of a single piece of "cheap fashion" is no longer just about manufacturing. It is an entire planetary logistics network of consumption and disposal. Globalization did not merely create supply chains. It created waste chains. And somewhere in those chains are invisible human beings. Workers in Panipat spend their days sorting through mountains of discarded clothing from richer parts of the world — handling fabric dust, chemical residues, synthetic fibers, mold, and endless airborne particles released from shredding textiles. The world celebrates "recycling" as sustainability. But we rarely ask: Who performs this recycling? At what cost to their lungs, skin, and lives? Affluent societies get the convenience of excess consumption and the moral comfort of donating clothes into "recycling systems." Poorer communities inherit the physical burden of processing that excess. The indulgence of one part of the world becomes the occupational hazard of another. And yet, Panipat is not merely a victim in this story. It is also a symbol of extraordinary human adaptability. An entire local economy has evolved around recovering value from global waste — fibers shredded, respun, rewoven, and sent back into markets again. But there is something unsettling about this cycle. We have created products so cheap that repairing them feels irrational. So abundant that repeating outfits feels uncomfortable. So disposable that shipping waste across continents feels economically viable. Food abundance created waste and lifestyle disease. Information abundance created noise and anxiety. Fashion abundance created disposability at planetary scale. Perhaps the question is no longer whether we can recycle more. Perhaps the harder question is: Why have we normalized a system that produces this much waste in the first place? And what does it say about modern prosperity when entire cities survive by processing the leftovers of global overconsumption? #AbundanceSeries #Panipat #FastFashion #Sustainability #Consumerism #TextileWaste #CircularEconomy #India

Fashion can be a force for good. Across the continent, sustainable fashion initiatives are bridging the gap between traditional craftsmanship and modern eco-conscious practices, creating opportunities for local artisans to thrive on a global stage. This is about more than just fashion- it’s about empowerment, equity, and innovation. By supporting brands that value sustainability and fair trade, we’re not just buying products; we’re investing in communities, preserving cultural heritage, and advocating for a more just and environmentally responsible industry. The artisans behind these creations are not just producing garments. They’re weaving stories, preserving traditions, and driving change. It’s up to us as consumers, professionals, and advocates to amplify their voices and champion their work. If we want a fashion industry that truly benefits people and the planet, this is where it begins. We must commit to making choices that support sustainability, celebrate craftsmanship, and create meaningful impact. Several African fashion brands are leading the way in sustainable and ethical practices, seamlessly blending traditional craftsmanship with modern design. Here are some notable examples: • Tongoro: Founded by Sarah DIOUF in Senegal, Tongoro emphasizes local craftsmanship and community involvement, aiming to foster economic and social development for artisanal workers in Western Africa. • lemlem: Established by supermodel Liya Kebede, Lemlem is an artisan-focused brand offering beautiful, responsibly made women’s resort wear crafted entirely in Africa, with a core mission to preserve Ethiopia’s traditional art of weaving. • Studio 189: Co-founded by Rosario Dawson and Abrima E., this Ghana-based fashion and lifestyle brand produces African and African-inspired content and clothing, supporting local artisans and promoting ethical fashion. • NKWO: A Nigerian brand led by Nkwo Onwuka, is a pioneer in Nigeria’s sustainable fashion movement, emphasizing resource conservation and the creation of a “new African fabric” called DAKALA CLOTH, aiming to reduce textile waste. • MAXHOSA AFRICA: Founded by Laduma Ngxokolo, this South African brand is known for its modern knitwear inspired by traditional Xhosa beadwork, patterns, symbolism, and colors, keeping heritage intact while protecting the environment. • Christie Brown: A Ghanaian luxury fashion brand founded by Aisha Ayensu, Christie Brown fuses modern and traditional elements, including tailored blazers and intricately designed dresses, with a commitment to ethical production. • DIARRABLU: Established by Senegalese designer Diarra Bousso, Diarrablu focuses on sustainability by crafting products only upon receiving orders, showcasing pieces made from recycled materials and bold prints inspired by Senegalese heritage. Quality, heritage, sustainability. The way it should be! #africa #fashion #sustainableapparel

Sustainability Storytelling That Actually Works (And makes people want to book with you.) You’ve stopped overusing the word “sustainability.” ✅ You’re speaking to feelings and values. ✅ So what next? 📌 It’s time to build your story bank: tiny, real moments that spark connection and show your impact without sounding corporate or preachy. Here’s what great sustainability storytelling looks like: 🍀 Micro moments, not manifestos “Each towel is stitched by a local women’s collective that’s revived a lost weaving tradition.” Small stories, big meaning. 🍀 People over process “Meet Rosa, our gardener, who turned the back lot into a flourishing food forest.” Names, faces, and pride matter more than policies. 🍀 Emotion before education “Guests often tell us: ‘This place made me feel grounded again.’” Make them feel, then explain why. 🍀 Use before-and-after frames “This was once a plastic strewn beach. Now it’s our sunset yoga spot, cleaned weekly with guests.” Transformation is captivating. You don’t need a big budget to tell stories that inspire change. You just need to start noticing the beauty behind what you already do, and share it. Want help crafting stories like these? I’d love to help. Let’s make sustainability something people feel proud to be part of.

I’ve audited more fashion brands in the last 6 months than most people do in their entire career. Here's what I'd test immediately to fix weak second purchases: 1. Pull the product journey chart before touching a single flow Fashion is subjective. What customers repurchase varies wildly from brand to brand. The data will tell you, so pay attention to it. 2. Build color and design cross-sells into the email itself Show them the exact variant they could wear. An interactive carousel or GIF that showcases the same cut in different prints. Customers want to see it, not just read about it. 3. Ask whether anything has actually been done to drive second purchase yet If logical flows are already running and regular campaigns are going out, the constraint might be the catalogue. Short-term fix: test direct mail or a new channel. Long-term: the product roadmap needs a conversation. 4. Check whether your communication timing is anywhere close to accurate What's the modal time between orders for your customers? Are reminders going out when buyers are actually primed, or just on a generic 30-day timer? Set up a separate "missed repurchase window" segment. Trigger a new flow with different offers for those people. Stop giving away discounts. 5. Start collecting occasion data at the point of entry Add one question to your popup: “What are you buying this for? Wedding? Work? Weekend brunch?” If most people are buying for a one-time event, that explains your weak repurchase rate. 6. Move your post-purchase survey to the thank you page Email surveys get ignored. Thank you page surveys have something close to 100% open rate and a fraction of the friction. The trick is asking questions with actually actionable answer options. "Quality" and "durability" tell you nothing. "The fit ran small" tells you everything. 7. Audit your campaign engagement by segment Break it up: prospects vs. customers. Recently acquired vs. long-time. Fashion brands lose a lot of people after order one. Before you try to win them back, you need to know if they're even seeing you. Send this to a fashion brand who’d benefit from it.

I've been screenshot-hoarding emails for months. Not because I'm weird (okay, maybe a little). But because the best email education happens when you see what's actually working in real inboxes. We just dropped "Inbox Index: What Real Brands Are Sending (and Why It Works)" - A collection of 12 real email breakdowns you can actually learn from. What you get: ✅ Real emails from real brands (header to footer analysis) ✅ Visual teardowns showing exactly what's working ✅ Expert commentary on the psychology behind each choice ✅ Tactical takeaways for your copy, layout, and strategy The emails that made me stop scrolling: - The welcome series that turns browsers into buyers - The abandoned cart email that doesn't feel desperate - The winback campaign that actually wins back customers Real emails that real brands sent to real customers - with the exact breakdown of why they work. Perfect for anyone tired of guessing what "good email marketing" actually looks like. Grab it free: https://lnkd.in/geCiHevB What's the best marketing email you've received lately?