Makala Mulder FASM 400
Company Profile
“We make killer clothes that don't kill the environment.�
Reformation is more than a “cool brand for the cool girl�, it is a brand that is spreading the word on the importance of sustainability.
Strengths • Getting rid of the bad stuff: the need for new fabric, chemical treatments and massive assembly lines. • Her genius idea is refurbishing old clothing and unused fabrics.
• All products are sewed, cut, and finished in a commercial mid-rise in Los Angeles. • Rolls of dead-stock fabric and clothing gathered from vintage buyers. • 100 percent natural fabrics that are in good condition. • The line is created from 65% eco fabrics, 20% repurposed vintage clothing and 15% dead stock fabrics.
• “Most of the styles are so outdated that the average fashionista wouldn’t be caught dead in them, but reformation aims to transform them into items that the team defines as ‘on-trend but not trendy,’ ensuring they’ll be worn for years to come”.
• Reformation is a B Corporation which is a new type of company that uses the power of business to solve social and environmental issues. • They use the “3 R’s” of waste management: reduce, reuse, and recycle • Overall, zero waste is their goal. • Reformation’s management team is ¾ women who are from underrepresented populations.
Weaknesses • Reformation may make beautiful clothes that spread a positive message, however, when producing in a sustainable way, the retail price of the merchandise will be significantly higher compared to competing brands. • A customer shopping in one of their New York stores commented on the fact that the labels do not have the composition of the fabric. There is some confusion on proper care (Kaplan, 2015). • When it comes to the vintage and sustainable apparel niche, the target market is very small. • Reformation will never be found in any department store, outlet or pop-up.
Opportunities • The brand has the ability to expand • The company uses vintage garments and surplus materials already but they are looking into developing sustainable fabrics made of virgin materials produced in environmentally sustainable factories that create closed loop yarns. • RefRecycling • If every American recycled one more T-shirt a year, we would recover 210 billion gallons of water.
Threats • Other companies testing the market for sustainable fashion by using of vintage that will create similar quality and consistency as Reformation’s. • The cost of production is too high and if the brand slows down on its momentum, the brand will lose on profits which will affect the entire business and how it is run. • The threat of the company just being popular for a short period of time due to celebrity recognition.
Recommendations • Reformation is onto something, their message is loud and clear. I believe that the brand is going to see much success over the years. • This is a company that the industry needs to look up to. Reformation is slowly making a difference within its community. Spreading the word on how important and crucial it is the change our methods of production. • The only recommendation I have is to keep doing what they are doing, the fashion industry needs to wake up and forget the greed.
Bibliography • Aflalo, Yael. “Reformation.” Reformation. Web. 15 Nov. 2015. • Deutsch, Anna. “How I’m Making It: Reformation’s Creative Director Yael Aflalo.” FASHIONISTA. Breaking Media, Inc., 24 Aug. 2012. Web. 15 Nov. 2015. • Edwards, Elise. “Yael Aflalo’s Reformation Allows Fashionistas to Go Green by Making Vintage Cool.” L.A. Weekly. LA Weekly, LP, 25 July 2012. Web. 15 Nov. 2015. • Fumo, Nicola. “What the Reformation Team Wears to Work.” Racked. Vox Media, Inc., 17 June 2014. Web. 15 Nov. 2015. • Kaplan, Ilana. “Reformation: The Brand Making Sustainability and Self-Confidence Cool Again.” Observer Style. Observer, 22 June
2015. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.
• Schmidt, Ingrid. “Reformation’s Yael Aflalo Brings Cachet of Cool to Eco-friendly Fashion.” Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2015. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.