Did Sustainable Brands Kill Retail?

It’s no secret that traditional retail is dead. From the emergence of online shopping, to the rise of commercial rental prices, there are a handful of reasons as to why traditional brick + mortar retail has been disrupted (if not entirely annihilated). But the elephant in the room is the role sustainable brands may have played in its demise and its potential resurrection.

Back in the day, brick + mortar retail had a pretty basic business model: rent a storefront, buy wholesale inventory in bulk, and sell directly to customers IRL. If all went according to plan, in-store sales would cover the business’ overhead costs, and there’d be profit left over. The problem is, this model wasn’t designed with sustainable products in mind. It relied, not only on affordable rent and steady foot traffic (both of which are a thing of the past), but most importantly: mass-produced goods. Mass-produced goods are cheap to make and easy to sell. Sustainable items, on the other hand, are more expensive to make (shoutout fair wage labor + eco-friendly materials), and more difficult to sell (given the limited nature of small-batch production).

So what happens once we swap mass-produced goods for sustainable items? The final straw for retail.

Unable to afford paying more for inventory they were selling less of, retailers were forced to admit the inevitable and close their doors for good. Unless — they were willing (and able) to adapt and pivot. As is true with any disrupted industry, the death of retail presented a unique opportunity for innovation. Over the last few years, we’ve seen a resurgence of brick + mortar retail that is designed, not just with sustainability in mind, but with sustainability at the forefront. From pop-ups and vendor markets, to cooperative designer-owned spaces, there have been a handful of innovative approaches to redesigning the future of retail that are built on the foundation of sustainability.

Unlike traditional retail, sustainable retail isn’t about endless new arrivals and end-of-season discounts. It’s about experiential events, workshops and launch parties. It’s about creating content and sharing the stories behind the brands. It’s about building an authentic community of designers and consumers alike who share a love for ethically produced fashion. So while brick + mortar retail as we know it may be dead, the opportunities are endless for the future of sustainable retail.