Views on sustainable clothing please :)

[TamTam24]

Hi,

I am a mother of a four year old boy and a third year university student studying Fashion Brand Management.

For my dissertation and final campaign I would like to create a project based around sustainable clothing for a childrenswear collection.

If this collection was to be sold at either H&M or Asda would you buy into the product because of the sustainability factor? Would it persuade you to buy the product? Or is sustainability not a factor or important when buying clothes?

I just need to get an idea as to whether or not parents who shop here would take any interest, as it may be more suited to a higher end brand such as Stella McCartney Kids.

If anyone could please give me some feedback, it would really help towards my research :)

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Tamzin

What features amount to 'sustainable' in this context?

Fabrics that are derived from eco-friendly resources or recycled materials.

In which case, I probably wouldn't.

I buy fair trade type sustainable already, and would buy more if readily available (assuming there is plenty of information readily available to show adherence to current accepted definitions).

There is too much variability in what is meant by 'eco-friendly' for it to make any difference to my buying choices. Ditto recycled.

The campaign idea is to create a clothing line collection to run alongside an app. The app would be a game for children in place to educate and inspire them on issues about sustainability and the eco system in a fun way. For example the first collection would be a sea theme to educate them on issue with the ocean.

The t-shirts would feature possible characters with say a shark character on a t-shirt that then when bought can then be connected to and used on the app (previous research it has been found that 65% of clothes for children that are bought are character based). The clothing would use sustainable materials to run in line with the general idea of the app.

I just want to know do parents who shop at these brands want their children educated about issues regarding the oceans and sustainability? And do they buy into the fact the products are also made from sustainable materials?

Just saw that message after I posted about the campaign.

Would any of the above persuade you to buy the products from Asda as you said if it was more readily available? Or would you continue to purchase from where you currently buy eco-friendly products?

Also can I ask where you buy your eco friendly clothing from please?

I buy fairtrade clothing from Traidcraft and similar.

It is not 'eco-friendly', it is fairtrade.

What sort of sourcing would you propose for your 'ocean' themed clothes?

And what bodies would be used to accredit to what standards?

Thank you for that comment :)

I don't hand my proposal in until the 16th so just want to get a grasp on what parents think, so if needed I can reassess my idea and make the appropriate changes.

@AuntieStella

I haven't gone that far indepth into my research as to the complete logistics of the bodies used to accredit or the sourcing, I am just getting an idea whether people would buy into the idea before I hand my proposal in. But your comments have shown me that I need to make sure I properly address those issues when creating my campaign, as you the consumer would need to know these factors when making a purchase.

If you do not have accreditation, it will be seen as appropriating a slogan to the detriment of those genuinely active in the area.

Supermarket sourcing practices are often highly detrimental to the producer, and the raw materials only a small part of the overall supply contract.

For oceans, I really would think only of choice of fish eg in line with Greenpeace recommendations

What are the eco-friendly ocean options that would be relevant to clothes? Is it pesticides?

@AuntieStella

Thank you for your comments they are of great help. Thinking about it like that and looking at your link makes me strongly doubt the use of Asda for the campaign. I couldn't actively promote being eco-friendly to the oceans, when the supermarket the clothing is sold in sells all the types of fish a body like Greenpeace says to avoid.

I've just done a bit of quick research into past campaigns regarding the oceans, with designers like Pharrell Williams for RAW clothing using recycled plastic to create denim products. Maybe a similar concept to be used on the childrens clothing?

The original brand I wanted to create the campaign for was Stella McCartney Kids, as the USP for her brand is heavily focused on sustainability and being eco friendly, as well as the inclusion of charities in her campaigns. I just wanted to explore the option of lower end brands such as Asda as past successful childrens campaigns, such as Zappar, feature the use of interactive childrens apps. Which is where I felt my idea could potentially fit into the brand, if the consumer was interested in the eco-friendly features of the campaign.

I'm going to do some more research into the logistics of creating the collection and where I would be sourcing the materials etc.