The Importance of Authentic Marketing for Purpose-Driven Fashion Brands

Honest Communication Can Help Fashion Companies Build Community

UNIT Collection by IMPT! (Photo by Diego Ruahn)

As the fashion industry's production is known for its big negative impact on the planet, purpose-driven fashion companies should take care to build an authentic and sincere brand positioning. We need to be very sober about it!

For many, fashion marketing is at the root of the industry’s big problems. It widely invites people to consume unnecessarily, just out of desire or impulse. Many brands keep the highest percentage of their spending in marketing and cut production costs. They pay appallingly low amounts to their suppliers and focus on increasing their audience. Sometimes, to maintain this dynamic, they compromise the quality development of their products.

As the founder of IMPT!, an independent brand, I have to admit that one of the most important fronts for the business to work is, yes, marketing. As a fashion brand, marketing is necessary. But it is not always necessary to follow the market standard. The narrative, message, and media can change.

IMPT! started as a Brazilian streetwear brand from Rio de Janeiro, more precisely from the Olaria neighborhood. Founded by me (Victor Hugo Ramos) and my wife (Carolina Ramos), IMPT! aims to inspire a lifestyle that does not conform to limiting barriers. As a company, we are committed to donating part of the revenue to local NGOs and independent artists. We also focus on local suppliers for the production of our products. This commitment has given us the honor of becoming the first streetwear Certified B Corporation in Latin America and second worldwide.

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We have the motto “From Olaria to the World.” In our case, honesty is relevant. We’ve always wanted to focus on the global, but our passion for the local is so great that it’s impossible not to have it clearly in our identity. If we didn’t, people would do it themselves. Our locally rooted relationships are the soul of the brand, so we make this official in our commitments as a company. Giving back to us is not just important, it is necessary.

But the purpose of IMPT!`s marketing has always been about inspiring others to create something, to do something relevant. In any campaign, we will tell a story to inspire instead of simply presenting products. If you never buy but stay inspired by what we’ve been doing, you’re part of our brand community! IMPT! is about lifestyle. We understand that our truth is more powerful than the products themselves; we use products as continuity and expression of it.

Looking at marketing, what works for brands that choose to be purpose-driven? These brands can use marketing to make people rethink and build new, more conscious ways of life, business, and consumption — to innovate, focusing on the authenticity of their speech with their practices. There are excellent examples of brands that have made a difference in this regard.

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These include Patagonia, the American B Corp focused on the outdoor lifestyle that is well-known for its environmental advocacy. The company invests 1% of its revenue in organizations working to conserve the planet and is making constant improvements to reduce its footprint. Patagonia’s “Don’t Buy This Jacket” campaign supported its mission to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.

Another good example is the French brand of sneakers, VEJA. The eco-friendly B Corp is focused on a fair trade policy. To pay its suppliers and workers well, it gives up extensive marketing expenses, going against the norm in the sneaker industry.

These are just two brands making constant improvements in sustainability through authentic communication and stakeholder-minded practices that reflect their B Corp Certification. Certifications are one way to show the audience that the brand is truly committed. But it is important for companies to create a community around what the brand represents. The best way to show the brand’s purpose is by sharing the journey, including failures.

There is still a lot of disagreement about the purpose-driven brands and sustainability in fashion. And my point as an optimist is:

Maybe fashion brands will never be considered truly sustainable. Maybe we have to admit that we were wrong many times while still trying to get it right. But what cannot be ignored is that when this industry moves with sincerity and responsibility, to get it right, it has great power. Influencing global awareness about the importance of being more ethical and sustainable. And so make others move too.

Both brands and influencers have the powerful effect of moving people. It applies not just to ethical and sustainable brands. I believe the responsibility of a purpose-driven brand is to take marketing seriously to the point where its responsibility goes far beyond generating revenue. Today, more than ever, brands are also called to generate a positive impact, with awareness and transparency. But without authenticity, it won’t work.