environment, why would they do this? We mentioned in this report a few alternatives the company could implement instead. These changes are made possible as the brands current margins allow room for improvements in both product quality and sustainability. It is evident to us that AT needs to invest more time, energy and resources on its products, rather than just the brand itself. This connects with another issue; the brand currently has no life extension strategies for their products. They have addressed the circularity issue by introducing a vintage collection, however, the garments in this collection are shipped from the US, this way the brand is further showing its US roots, but the C02 emissions from the transport of these garments should have been enough for AT to disregard this as an option, and instead perhaps use local garments for the collection instead. As a team we believe that a great way to solve the brands lack of product circularity is to introduce repair workshops. In these workshops, which could be hosted both online and physically, customers can bring their damaged AT garments to the classes to repair them themselves through the use of an easy-to-use, but traditionally American patch. This way AT have a new product to profit off of (the patch), they do not have to enlist the help of a well-trained seamstress to host the classes (low cost), they allow customers to give more value to their garments as they are now more personal to them (and therefore keep them for longer). This strategy would also allow customers of AT access to socialize with a community of people that are like-minded, which is a major part of the brand essence (creating a community), therefore further supporting their brand identity, all whilst making their products life cycle more sustainable and circular.
As an online customer of AT it is impossible to know where garments are produced currently unless they make a visit to a store to physically see the care labels which include this information, which is now not ideal due to the pandemic. Even if a store visit is made the customer is only able to see the country where the majority of the production of that garment takes place. This is not sufficient information to provide customers with and feels quite non-transparent. Once again this goes against what AT say they stand for that being transparency (as seen in the sustainability report). In conclusion, after assessing and evaluating all of the information we have gained from researching AT’s sourcing plan, it is clear to see that AT must start focusing on its actions going deeper than the surface level. There are many actions that AT made in which we believe the brand should have been more considerate of certain factors involving social and environmental initiatives. It is apparent to us that the brand prioritizes the brand image, but in doing this, they have perhaps overlooked other, vital components that go into making a connection with the purpose economy. We strongly believe that if AT implements our recommendations the brand will overcome these issues as the brands actions will, in truth, reflect their values.
