Can Merching Ever Drive Change?
Music credit: CjOnTheBeat - Alone. Image credit: Merch Aid.
It’s CULTED with your 60-second FASHION BLAST.
Whether it’s the BLM movement, Australian bushfires or climate change - there’s merch for it. We’ve featured ‘merchandise for a cause’ on several occasions, but we’ve been thinking - can merch ever drive real change?
When fast-fashion brands, which are known for contributing to global warming, are fundraising for climate change through products - you know it’s nothing more than an empty gesture. And in fact, when brands make donations from products like T-shirts - they are spending less money than if they had made a direct donation. These t’s are very cheap to make.
So how do you know if the merch you are buying will drive change?
Zack Roif, a creative behind the company ‘Merch Aid’ told Vogue, the consumer needs to feel like the brand genuinely cares about the cause. Of-course, this comes down to transparency, and how much of the proceeds a brand is willing to donate. According to Roif, “anything less than 30%” is a cop out. Brands also need to ensure their fundraiser doesn’t seem like a one-off, but something they represent regardless of the circumstances.
So guys, will you start thinking twice about the merch you buy?
Watch more videos on CULTED
See also: SHIRTS YOU CAN BUY TO SUPPORT BLACK LIVES MATTER
See also: LGBTQ+ MARKETING: THE PINK POUND DEBATE
