Winter is a special time of the year, but it can be overshadowed by aggressive marketing campaigns and the pressure to buy things we don’t really need. Safe to say, given that our philosophy revolves around protecting our planet and its oceans, we have always tried to take a different route that prevents overconsumption and focuses on delivering great sustainable products at fair prices - with zero waste! In this article, we’ll explain to you how we manage to offer discounted sustainable winter clothing without compromising our ethics. The doors have opened on our sustainable Winter Sale.
Origin of Winter Sales
According to internet legend, the very first sales were invented by Frank Woolworth in the early 20th century. Truth be told, Frank was a bad salesman who, “in a fit of despair”, presented all of his products for 5 cents a piece. They sold within the hour - creating the blueprint for sales that shift stock.
As for early signs of the shopping frenzy caused by Winter Sales, check out this 1920s Transport For London poster. Whereas Christmas was all about buying for others, Winter Sales became synonymous with spending the money you had received. Brands and companies cottoned-on to this increased demand to offer discounted winter clothing and set-up sales that lasted the first few weeks of January.
Unfortunately sales have become a byword for unsustainability, because they can result in unsatisfying and wasteful purchases. Indeed, in 2020, young people prioritised shopping for sale items over shopping for sustainable products - a tendency we don’t condone. Winter sales may also not be ethical, because big companies who slash their prices also tend to be the kind of companies that don’t pay their workers fairly. Taken together, these issues seem to point towards the need for more sustainable sales that encourage the slow consumption of goods that really last and do not result in unethical practices.
How we produce our clothing
Before we get into why our winter sales are sustainable, allow us to explain the method behind our brand. Every single collection of clothing that we design goes on pre-order. This is crucial, as it helps us to estimate the quantity of fabric that we need to buy, and how many units of any given garment that we will go on to produce. How does this help our brand to be more sustainable? Well, it reduces our margins - making sure we waste very little money in the process. In turn this means that we can pay our garment workers properly, and offer you clothing at a price that reflects the true value of the labour and the materials involved. But more importantly: it prevents us from making clothing that nobody is going to buy. This is known in the industry as overproduction and it’s a rife issue that results in gigantic quantities of unworn clothing and unnecessary waste.
That means we can say our production model is more sustainable than the wasteful and inefficient model of fast fashion.
Even so, no system is completely perfect. Pre-order helps us sell around 60-80% of the clothing we make. Meanwhile, seasonal sales help to clear any stock that is left over due to miscalculations, returns, or cancelled orders. And that’s just the tip of this sustainable iceberg.
Why Our Winter Sales Are Sustainable
Our winter sales are sustainable because:
1. No overproduction
The number one issue with sales is that they result in overproduction. Big brands make their clothing in time for huge sales, but fail to estimate correctly the amount of clothing that’s really needed. Our pre-order system takes care of this - because what we put on sale is only what’s left over.
As a result we sell 97-99% of everything we make.
2. No loss of quality
Every garment has been hand-made in Northern Portugal by craftspeople who know exactly what they’re doing. One of our big beliefs is that to be sustainable, clothing has to last! Every discounted garment you buy from TWOTHIRDS on sale is of the same high quality that you would find in any pre-ordered garment. Once you’ve tried our clothing - you’ll know what we mean. Our focus on high quality is another reason why our winter sales are sustainable!
3. Fair prices, not fake prices
It’s often said that when garments are very cheap, somebody else (the worker) is paying the price. With us, you know you’re getting ethical and sustainable clothing even when the discount is applied. Our Winter Sales are indeed more socially sustainable than fast fashion sales.
4. A sustainable alternative
What really matters during the sales is that you buy only what you need, from brands that are truly sustainable in their outlook and in the products they make. Without wishing to sound arrogant, TWOTHIRDS is an excellent example of this. We use materials that have a smaller environmental footprint than fast fashion fabrics like cotton and polyester. You’ll find garments that are made with revolutionary wood cellulose fibres (aka tree silk), organic cotton and recycled wool to name but a few. Not only this, but even details like buttons and zippers are derived from sustainable materials like Corozo, natural resin, and nickel-free metals. There is little doubt that buying from us instead of cheap fashion companies will make a difference to your environmental footprint. We believe a sustainable sale is only as sustainable as its products.
That’s why we think it’s important to create competitive offers during the winter sales period. This will help reduce the temptation to buy poorly made clothing that doesn’t last.
Now is the time to pick up that extra special eco-friendly garment that you’ve had your eye on for a while! Winter Sales should be mutually beneficial - supporting fair fashion and helping people to own clothing that they really love.
Finally, it’s worth noting that all of our pre-order clothing already comes with a 20% discount applied. This is to say thank you for believing in a brand built on values of sustainability, transparency, and protecting the ocean.