Are Made-to-Order Brands the Sustainable Saviours of the Fashion Industry?
By Tori Keene
As interest in sustainable fashion has grown, so have the number of ways we as consumers can indulge a love of clothes whilst retaining a clean conscious. From the stratospheric rise of rental fashion platforms, to subscription services and the popularity of resale apps like Depop, we have more options than ever. Now thanks to the growth of ‘made-to-order’ brands, it seems like we might be able to shop sustainably for new things too.
The made-to-order industry has the answer to some of the big problems presented by our current fashion industry. By only producing what has been ordered by a customer, textile waste is almost entirely eliminated. Small production teams mean concerns about the ethics and labour rights of those who make the clothes can be put to rest. For instance, all the small groups of women who work with made to order brand Birdsong London are paid a London Living Wage or choose to donate their earnings to the women’s charities supporting them. Some of these brands don’t even have employees to support; at Olivia Rose the Label, founder Olivia Havelock runs the entire business (including all production) single handedly from her Edinburgh studio.
The fact that each piece is made-to-order at these brands also allows for much better size inclusivity. Portsmouth based made to order brand By Megan Crosby offers custom sizing at no extra cost, and the practise is common in the sector. The ability for made-to-order brands to cater to all sizes and heights is undoubtedly a positive — especially when one considers the (often) limited size options in charity shops or on resale websites.
But, despite the virtues of made-to-order clothing, the nature of how these brands function mean that there are many unanswered questions about how this model will slot into the future of sustainable fashion. For example, limited production capacity and the common use of deadstock (and thus limited) fabric means that demand often far exceeds availability; an issue that became abundantly clear when French mother and daughter run made to order brand ‘Maison Cleo’ shared on their Instagram that fast fashion giant Shein was selling knock off versions of their cult blouses at a fraction of the price — the original Maison Cleo was priced at €220, whereas the SheIn copy was reduced down to £9.49.
Whilst obviously wrong, this incident does raise the wider question of affordability of these brands. Fast fashion is cheap because it’s built on the back of unacceptable exploitation and environmental damage, meaning that truly sustainable new clothes simply do cost more. Although many made-to-order brands are completely transparent about their pricing, it remains that this cost, however justified, is simply out of reach for many consumers — and when celebrities such as Emily Ratajowski are pictured in a Maison Cleo’s blouse or Dua Lipa in a Olivia Rose the label top, it’s no surprise that people without the financial means still want to be able to wear the same styles.
The made-to-order model is an exciting development in the sustainable fashion sector. However, the ability of these brands to stick to this model of production as their success grows is yet to be seen: both Maison Cleo and Olivia Rose The Label have begun to expand beyond. By Olivia Rose is now also available in store and online at Selfridges, and Maison Cleo clothes are stocked online at Net-a-Porter. Whilst all the clothes remain handmade, the expansion into more traditional retail environments might indicate that in the long run, the limitations of the made-to-order model may prove too much for brands understandably wishing to grow and widen their reach.