PRICING AND TRANSPARENCY:
Clothing is one of the only consumer goods where pricing has decreased over the past few decades. And it's not because clothing has gotten cheaper to make, or material costs have fallen. It’s because we moved production offshore, and both labour and the environment are exploited in order to get the costs of fast fashion down. (This happened with many luxury brands as well, but the consumer cost went way up, not down.)
So we're not paying what we used to pay for clothing... but someone else is. With low wages, long hours, and human rights abuses.
But really, this is about ROWE pricing, and it's just so I can get this off my chest.
I've been thinking about pricing so much lately and about why I have so many blocks around raising prices so that ROWE can thrive. My biggest fear when we raise prices is that if something goes wrong, like pilling or a hole, people will write me saying, "For this price, I expected more," or "For what I paid, I'm really disappointed."
I'm always worried people won't understand that even if they paid more, clothing isn't infallible.
The thing is, I've probably only received 5 to 10 emails like that. So I don't even know why it's such a trigger. But it's because I have also been conditioned to think clothing should be inexpensive. Even though I've been in this business almost a decade and know the costs of everything we do, I still balk at the prices of some ethical brands, even though I know what it costs to create.
And then I look at some brands that use lower-quality materials, have no transparency in their supply chains, and still price close to ROWE or higher. They have bulk buying power, they're growing. And whenever I'm at the mall, it is packed, no matter the price point of the store.
So I often spiral, wondering how to price, how to run this business, how to grow in a way that's sustainable and fair and also viable. I have ROWE joggers from four years ago that I still wear weekly. I also have pairs that developed holes and needed patching. That's just clothing. It wears.
So yes, prices are going up. But I also want you to know, if something's wrong with your item or you're disappointed in any way (not six months or a year later, please don't do that lol), PLEASE email me. I want you to be happy with your clothing. And if we can make it right, we will.
I’m so grateful you’ve chosen to shop with us in a world where clothing is undervalued. I do not take your support for granted, and I genuinely mean I want you to write us with any concerns.
I don’t claim to run a perfect business, but I do promise honesty, intention, and a genuine effort to shift how we value the things we live in.