On the (im)sense of discounts in the textile industry - NIKIN EU

On the (im)sense of discounts in the textile industry

Sale, clearance, last chance and other buzzwords shine at us when we roam the shopping miles or visit the online stores of various fashion manufacturers. Most of these offers encourage consumers to make a purchase even though they don't need the product. Discount battles have - mostly rightly - a bad reputation. Here we explain why reduced prices are not always pointless.

Sale, clearance, last chance and other buzzwords shine at us when we roam the shopping miles or visit the online shops of various fashion manufacturers. Most of these offers promote the desire to buy and encourage consumers to make a purchase even though they do not need the product. Discount battles have a bad reputation - usually with good reason. But here we explain why reduced prices are not always pointless.

SALE text on a shop window

 

Fast fashion and seasonal discount battles go hand in hand. It is the principle of many fashion labels to offer their products for only one season and - as soon as the season comes to an end - to get rid of them as quickly as possible and at a correspondingly low price. There are also good reasons for sustainable fashion labels to drop their prices. We would like to show you here why NIKIN is also reducing the prices of certain products. And how you can profit from the price advantages without a guilty conscience.

The logic of fast fashion

Large fashion labels in the fast fashion sector launch new collections every week or every other week. Sometimes the new products are even offered directly as sale items. This is done with the aim of tempting bargain hunters to make a purchase. The fact that resources are put into each garment is completely forgotten. Often, such products also lack longevity - which means that they end up directly in the bin after a maximum of one season. Today, the looks of the stars are often copied and cheaply reproduced. Only a few days after a celebrity has worn a certain look, the outfit can be found in the shops. In the textile industry, this is called "quick response". In this way, manufacturers hope to always meet the needs of their clientele. But it also means that the lifetime of certain looks is only a few weeks.

How NIKIN develops collections

While the fast fashion brands, as already mentioned, design and launch collections at a horrendous pace, we at NIKIN take a different approach. We put a lot of love into every new product, fiddle around with new ideas for months and pay attention to every detail. The finished product is a sum of many steps and many people involved - inside and outside NIKIN. This does not change even if you buy the product at a reduced price.

Our product team starts developing their new treasures six months to a year before the release. To do this, they talk to the marketing team, look for materials, discuss with manufacturers, develop designs, discuss colours, decide on sizes and so next. By the time the finished product is available in our online shop, practically the entire NIKIN team is involved in the process and gives everything to be able to offer the best possible product.

The downside of the long development process

The long way from the idea to the finished product is necessary to meet our own standards and to produce as sustainably as possible. The downside, however, is that we cannot react as flexibly to the latest trends. This means that in warm winters, for example, our winter hats sell less than expected. The calculation of marginal sizes is also particularly difficult. And we admit that from time to time we over- or underestimate the demand of our customers.

Sustainable also in design

NIKIN has always preferred simple designs and colours. Of course, we could also pack crazy cuts, wild patterns or the latest trendy colours into our collections - our product team would easily be creative enough to do so. However, NIKIN has made a conscious decision not to do this. We want our products to be worn for as long as possible. To achieve this, it is important that they never go out of fashion. That is why our products are timeless classics and can thus be used for a long time even by trend-conscious people.

Not only discounts

Throwing away is not an option for us. That's why products that we can't sell at a discount don't go in the bin either. We sell these products at our outlet sales, give them to outlet partners next or donate them. Discounts are not the only option for us to get products to the man or woman.

Slow fashion must also make financial sense

Of course, we could donate all our products that we don't sell to those in need. But NIKIN must also act and function sustainably as a company. Our employees expect fair wages, the rent for our premises has to be paid on time and supplier invoices also have to be paid on time. When we donate products, we make a loss because our purchasing costs are not covered. In between, we are very happy to do this, but for economic reasons we cannot do it all the time.

From T-shirts to more sustainable living

Sustainable fashion has its price, we are aware of that. Even though we can make sustainable fashion affordable, our products are still more expensive than the cheap goods of some big fashion houses. Discounts are a good way for lower earners and students to get their first experience of fair and sustainable fashion without putting too much strain on their wallet. And our experience shows that some customers start with a TreeShirt, find out more about NIKIN and a more sustainable lifestyle and take small but steady steps towards a more sustainable lifestyle. We are therefore convinced that discount battles make little sense. Targeted price reductions without forgetting the resources and work behind the product can, however, be quite sensible.

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