How sustainable are fashion subscription box services?

Stitch Fix

What does it offer?

Stitch Fix offers personal styling for men and women. According to its website: “It’s our mission to change the way people find clothes they love by combining technology with the personal touch of experienced style experts.” Stitch Fix does this by blending “the human element of personal styling with high-quality clothing and proprietary algorithms”. Each styling fee costs £10 which is redeemable against anything kept. Items range from £30 to £200, and customers that keep everything in their Fix delivery get a 20% discount on their entire purchase.

Did the company respond to our request?

Its spokesperson did not answer our questions directly, but pointed us in the direction of the Stitch Fix social impact website, here. We replied asking for more in-depth answers regarding our questions, but received no further response.

Is a sustainability policy available on its website?

The social impact site contains extensive information about the company’s sustainability efforts, however it’s not directly accessible from the main consumer-facing Stitch Fix site, nor can it be found via the company’s FAQs.  

What is Stitch Fix doing to be more sustainable?

• Stitch Fix is a member of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC).
• The company plans to source 100% of the main materials in its private label products “more sustainably” than conventional alternatives by 2025. This includes working with the Better Cotton initiative and using recycled polyester. In FY22 it reached 59% of its total goal.
• Stitch Fix has a Vendor Code of Conduct which ensures its partners “are committed to minimising their environmental impact and providing working conditions that uphold local labour laws and international standards on worker and human rights”.
• The company has a no fur, angora and mohair policy.
• Excess inventory is diverted to “alternative channels” instead of going to waste – although it is not clear what these channels are.
• Packaging is made from recycled and recyclable materials.
• Box size and weight has been reduced by as much as 24%, helping to mitigate emissions associated with logistics.
• The company also has a number of social equity partnerships in place and takes a proactive approach to diversity and inclusion, both within the business and in its consumer offerings.

Lookiero

What does it offer?

Lookiero offers personal styling for women. The company’s style experts search over 150 European brands for curated items for each customer according to their size, style and budget preferences. Each styling fee costs £10, which is redeemable against any items kept.

Did the company respond to our request?

Lookiero’s spokesperson replied to say that the company was “not interesting in participating” in Ocki’s article at this time.

Is a sustainability policy available on its website?

No.

What is Lookiero doing to be more sustainable?

There is no publicly-available information on Lookiero’s sustainability efforts, although in a blog post dated August 2020, the company says: “More and more we’re choosing partners who prioritise sustainability, organic and recyclable fabrics and more responsible ways of working. We even got rid of the plastic wrap from around your box and your prepaid envelope is now made from 100% recycled materials.”

Which UK fashion subscription service is the most sustainable?

Despite being such a major name in the fashion subscription industry, Lookiero’s performance – based on our findings – is disappointing. From the short snippet gleaned from a 2020 blog post, it sounds like the company is taking at least some action to improve its sustainability credentials. However, with no further information on offer, Lookiero goes to the bottom of the pile.

Stitch Fix, arguably the biggest player in the fashion subscription business, is doing good work in reducing its impact, although some of its main activities – such as recyclable packaging and goals to source more sustainable materials – are what we would expect of any responsible fashion company in 2023. The company is vague in some of its statements – particularly around excess stock and returns – but it is clearly making diversity, equity and inclusion a key priority. The barriers in obtaining the company’s sustainability information – in that its social impact site is not accessible from its main site – is surprising, and we wonder why the brand does not more clearly highlight the work it’s doing in this area.

Finally, Dappad is doing important work in making sustainability a priority, largely by actively addressing the key drivers of fast fashion head-on. While the company does not have the same level of granular sustainability data available as Stitch Fix, its focus on well-made, timeless clothing items made by eco-conscious partners means that fewer of its items are destined for landfill. The company has made some strong commitments to future aims, although we would like to see more hard data to back up its claims – and also a women’s range!

Alternatives to fashion subscription services

Fashion subscription services hold a special kind of appeal. They eliminate the need to trudge around shops, or spend hours scrolling through websites, and they offer a frisson of excitement with every delivery, giving customers the chance to try something new.

Despite this novel approach, though, the key issues of fashion remain. Subscription services drive consumption by providing new products every month, whether they are needed or not. Materials and resources have been used to create an item which won’t last forever, no matter how much thought has been put into its design. This is less of an issue if you take that item and wear it regularly for a long time, then eventually dispose of it responsibly. But for many, garments are worn once or twice and then banished to the back of the closet or – particularly in the case of poorly-made fast fashion – turfed in the bin. When we carried out this research, none of the brands asked about customers’ environmental or social preferences during the initial sign-up process.

So what’s the alternative? Obviously, people need everyday clothing, which is where sustainably-made, durable items – such as those offered by Dappad – have an important role to play. Then, there’s buying second-hand. Platforms such as Depop and Vinted have exploded in popularity – particularly with younger, eco-conscious consumers. And for special occasions and one-off wears,  shoppers can mitigate a lot of the issues of fast fashion by renting an outfit instead of buying one from websites such as The Devout and Hirestreet.

Arguably, however, these platforms don’t offer the same kind of thrill as a fashion subscription box, which is why we’d love to see something like A Curated Thrift arrive in the UK. This US-based clothing subscription service operates just like the ones explored in this article, except all the pieces have been sourced from thrift stores and charity shops. As the perils of fast fashion increasingly come under the spotlight, and our appetite for subscription services grows, it might not be too long before we see a similar service on this side of the pond.