Dear Nisolo Community,

Patrick here, Nisolo’s Founder & CEO. Thank you for taking a moment to read this important note. I’m reaching out to share some updates from Nisolo and to ask for your support during a time of considerable need in our industry. 

There’s a fair amount to share, so for those moving quickly, here’s the snapshot: 

• Nisolo and the greater sustainability movement have faced many obstacles over the years–from combating greenwashing and fast-fashion to raising awareness around the brokenness of the fashion industry. 
• Recently, changes driven by the broader economy have created unprecedented challenges for smaller, sustainably-minded brands. Yet, large, fast-fashion retailers offering the cheapest products are thriving.  
• We believe the innovative role smaller brands play within sustainability is critical and that there’s a better way forward than a world made up only of fast-fashion brands.
• Knowing many in our space are in a tough spot, we’re encouraging everyone to support the brands we all love more than ever in this season. 
• To express our gratitude for your continued support of Nisolo and to meet many of our customers where they are, we’re sharing $50 off orders of $150+ with code BetterWay50 at checkout and $100 off orders of $275+ with code BetterWay100 for a limited time only.
• Thank you for being an integral part of our community and for helping push the sustainability movement forward!

We founded Nisolo 12 years ago because we envisioned a better way to do fashion—one that prioritizes people and the planet. Our goal was to collaborate with like-minded brands and help spark a sustainability movement toward greater social and environmental justice.

Through the early years, a major challenge we faced was helping consumers recognize how broken the fashion industry is and casting vision for a better way forward than fashion remaining one of the top 5 most pollutive industries where less than 5% of workers receive a living wage. As sustainability became “on trend,” even the most notorious fast-fashion brands wanted in. So, combating greenwashing and helping consumers navigate the difference between brands who are serious about sustainability and those who are not became important too. While these obstacles remain, over the last 18 months, a new challenge has emerged that’s perhaps the greatest yet for the sustainability movement: economic uncertainty and its impact on the retail landscape. 

The reality of this in our daily lives was recently displayed to me in a striking way through a group text thread. Friends were going back and forth asking for brands they recommend, and after a few sustainably-minded ones were mentioned, one friend chimed in and simply stated: 

“I can’t afford ethics in this economy.” 

Think about that for a moment! As jarring as it sounds, the truth is–with higher costs of living and the ability to save seeming like a far off memory–almost all of us can relate on some level. Hearing this made me wonder, as a society, have we really gotten to a point where our wallets get to have a say in our ethics?

The retail landscape is changing. 

The last 18 months have been some of the most challenging for retailers since the Great Recession. While even the largest of brands have been hit, the difference is most of them have deep pockets ready to navigate downturns in the economy. The same is not true for smaller brands. And unfortunately, some of the most vulnerable among them have been sustainably-minded brands whose margins are already tight. Today, almost every brand I keep up with in our space is in a difficult position. 

Cheap, fast-fashion is thriving.

Ironically though, even amidst the hardship, one sector of the industry has thrived: large fast-fashion retailers producing the cheapest products and selling them at the lowest prices imaginable. In the swipe-to-shop world we live in today, many of us have fallen into this trap. We mindlessly swipe our phones without taking a second to consider what we’re buying. We know it’s cheap and that it will arrive tomorrow, so we’ll take it. 

As many major influencers turn a blind eye and get paid to promote this model, it seems that a new reality has arrived where the cheaper a brand’s products are, the more successful, and the more mindful brands try to be, the more vulnerable they become. I can’t help but wonder what impact this will have on our society down the road…

Nisolo has been impacted, too.

To this day, we’re dedicated to the same mission as always. We’re far from perfect, and we’ve certainly made a ton of mistakes along the way. Inevitably, as a smaller brand focused on sustainability, we too have been impacted by current market conditions. We’re not a large, venture-backed company with cash reserves or margins to handle these kinds of shifts efficiently. As a result, we've had to make hard decisions ranging from layoffs to offering an uncomfortable level of discounts in order to compete in today’s markdown and promotional-heavy market. All in all, it’s been a tough season.

There has to be a better way. 

While the fashion industry is already doing its fair share of harm, what worries me even more is a retail landscape in which smaller brands focused on sustainability can’t prosper. Over the last decade, these are the brands that have driven the vast majority of innovation within sustainability. It’s here where the envelope has been pushed and where we’ve all watched the brands we love outpunch their weight class, challenge the industry, and inspire exponential change. 

Of course, I want brands like this to succeed. But, it’s about far more than that. It’s about the bigger picture of what’s happening in retail and deciding what sort of reality we want the generation behind us to inherit. When we take a moment to reflect, I don't think many of us want a world dominated by only large, fast-fashion brands selling cheaply made goods with no regard for impact on people or the planet. Deep down, I think many of us believe: 

There has to be a better way. 

So, what can we do? 

I definitely don’t have most of the answers to this question. But, I do know that as consumers, the way we spend shapes the retail world we see around us. And, knowing there’s likely never been a more important time to support the sustainably-minded brands we love, I’m encouraging each of us to make a few more intentional choices this fall and into holiday shopping soon after.

If you happen to find something you like from Nisolo, know we appreciate the support more than ever as well. To meet many of our customers where they are and express our gratitude in advance, we’re sharing $50 off orders of $150+ with code BetterWay50 at checkout and $100 off orders of $275+ with code BetterWay100 for a limited time.

Writing a letter like this has been a humbling experience and one that brings me all the way back to meeting the very first shoemaker I ever met in Peru. I knew then that if we wanted to have a meaningful impact on the fashion industry, it would take a village. This is one of the reasons we named the brand “Nisolo,” loosely translated as “not alone” in Spanish. Above all, thank you for being part of this community and for helping push the sustainability movement forward.

Sincerely,

Patrick