Price Transparency
A key part of our mission is a commitment to transparency – we want you to understand the value of the garments you're buying.
Clothing prices are often opaque. You might not know how much it costs to produce a garment ethically and sustainably, or how much profit the brand makes. This lack of transparency commonly causes a race to the bottom, where brands prioritize low prices over fair labor practices and eco-friendly materials. That's why we're upfront about our pricing.
Disclosing the True Cost
On each product page, you'll find a per unit breakdown that consists of the following costs:
Example of Allure
- Fabric: Natural fibers that are certified clean and eco-friendly
- Trims: Predominantly eco-conscious thread, buttons, elastic, and other finishing touches
- Labor: Manufacturing cost of a single item, which includes fair wages and back-end processes like pattern-making and sampling
- Packaging: Eco-friendly hang-tags and shipping materials
- Operations: Costs associated with running our business, such as website maintenance, marketing, storage, travel, events and pop-ups, fees for models and photographers, and much more. This value comes from dividing the total amount of costs by the number of units produced within a specified time frame.
Fair Prices, Fair Value
As you can see, sustainable and ethical production isn't cheap. To keep our prices fair, we choose a markup that's lower than industry standards. Following industry practices would list our garments at significantly higher prices than what we’re offering. For example:
- Purity, the Elegant White Dress: $850 instead of $525
- Liberty, the Long Four-Way Slit Dress: $740 instead of $375
- Charisma, the Refined Men’s Cardigan: $600 instead of $355
The traditional markup, although varied, involves a wholesaler multiplying the cost by 2.0-2.5 before selling to retailers, who then add another markup of 2.0-2.2 for consumers. By selling directly to you, we eliminate these markups. We do have a small physical presence in select boutiques, though our net earnings from these partnerships is low. We are not yet profitable, and re-invest all our earnings into future collections.
Why We Don't Do Discounts
We believe in fair pricing that reflects the true cost of sustainable fashion. While we experimented with traditional sales in our first year, we're moving away from deep discounts for several reasons:
- Constant discounts devalue the product: Frequent sales diminish the perceived value of well-made, sustainable clothing.
- Discounts hurt the supply chain: Deep discounts often come at the expense of workers and the environment as brands cut corners to maintain profits.
- Quality and Longevity: Our garments are built to last, saving you money in the long run.
The only exception is our one-time 10% off discount offer with email sign up.
We believe in building trust with our customers. By being transparent about our pricing and avoiding misleading sales tactics, you'll see why our prices might be higher than what you're used to from fast fashion brands. But remember, you're not just paying for a garment, you're investing in a more sustainable future.
