Betraying Brand Values, or Giving Customers What They Want?
For Fashion Brand Eveliina Vintage, A J.Crew Collaboration Isn’t A Paradox — It’s A Solution.
J.Crew launched a capsule collection with celebrity favorite Eveliina Vintage yesterday. J.Crew has collaborations with many brands, but the announcement for this one stopped my scroll.
Eveliina Vintage is, as the name suggests, a vintage retailer. Founded in the 1970s in Finland by Eeva Musacchia, the shop now has storefronts in Miami and New York City. It is known for its dyed slip dresses from the 1930s and 40s and for sourcing one-of-a-kind pieces.
At first, I puzzled over why a vintage fashion brand would collaborate with a mass-market retailer. Doesn’t fast fashion go against the ethos of vintage shopping? Will this collaboration alienate Eveliina Vintage’s customers?
But then I realized that Eveliina Vintage’s customers don’t care about sustainability. They just want the specific look that Eveliina has been cultivating on Instagram. In collaborating with J.Crew, Eveliina Vintage was just giving its customers what they wanted all along: more of that “Eveliina” look at a fraction of the price.
Vintage: An Eco-Conscious Fashion Choice
Shopping for vintage and second-hand clothes has become a trendy response to fast fashion. Fast fashion retailers like J.Crew launch hundreds of styles each year. The industry has come under fire for its waste and its environmental impact. “It takes 1,800 gallons of water to make a pair of jeans” is a frequently quoted statistic. J.Crew’s frequent limited-time offers encourage consumers to buy more: Americans wear garments an average of 7 times before discarding them, and J.Crew clothes are likely included among those.
In recent years, consumers and designers have started to focus more on sustainability. Consumers have turned towards more eco-friendly brands such as Stella McCartney and Eileen Fisher. They have also flocked to online second-hand marketplaces such as ThredUp.
Mass-market brands such as Gap, Levi’s, and Allbirds have watched the trend and listened to consumers’ requests. They have shifted their efforts and messages towards recycling, ethical sourcing, and purchasing secondhand.
Purchasing clothing secondhand makes shoppers feel good: they like the idea that they are reusing and recycling clothing that might otherwise have ended up in a landfill.
For eco-conscious fashion-lovers, shopping vintage is the new priority. These shoppers get the thrill of the hunt (that limited-edition Chanel bag!) and of showing off a one-of-a-kind piece (nobody will have the same look as me!). At the same time, they get the peace of mind that they are reducing their environmental impact.
Eveliina Vintage: A Sustainable Brand or Capitalizing On An Aesthetic?
Eveliina Vintage claims that the environmental aspect of its work is important. “Sustainability is key,” said Amanda Musacchia to Vogue. Amanda is the daughter of founder Eeva and one of the leaders of the company.
But Eveliina’s message to the press is different than its Instagram messaging, where sustainability is never mentioned. There, scarcity and celebrity reign.
Eveliina Vintage’s Instagram builds devotion to a consistent vintage clothing aesthetic: gauzy, see-through dresses and lace-trimmed slip dresses. The look is popular — note the account’s 53,000+ followers, not to mention the celebrities and influencers who are regularly photographed in Eveliina’s clothing. Oh, and Vogue loves Eveliina’s vibe, too. It has multiple articles about Alexa Chung’s Eveliina dress.
In its marketing, Eveliina Vintage takes full advantage of the one-of-a-kind nature of its wares. It teases new pieces that will be launched at future dates, encouraging people to come back to the site later. The scarcity of each piece fuels demand and contributes to the sky-high prices of the dresses. (One dress is currently for sale for $1,600+, though most dresses typically go for $500-$1,000.)
Here’s the catch, though. With such high prices and such scarce inventory, Eveliina can’t monetize its growing following. Here’s why:
Most people can’t afford their clothes. But unlike other luxury brands that offer perfume or accessories, Eveliina Vintage doesn’t have those lower-priced entry items.
Many people can’t fit into their clothes. Vintage clothes were made for bodies that are different than those of most women today. Each Eveliina dress is listed with its unique measurements. Watch out: you might fall in love with a dress that does not fit.
There’s only one item to sell, no matter how many people can afford it and can fit into it. Those people need to be on the Eveliina Vintage website right when the item goes live so that they can snag it before someone else does.
J.Crew: A Way for Eveliina Vintage to Monetize (and Grow!) Its Following
With all of these challenges, Eveliina Vintage’s collaboration with J.Crew makes a lot of business sense.
This collaboration allows Eveliina to get its aesthetic out to more people. The pricing is only marginally better–the collab dresses start at $390–but the coveted look is there: colorful slip dresses and gauzy cotton gowns. What’s more, sizing goes from 00 to 24, which is much more inclusive than what can be found on vintage racks.
Eveliina Vintage customers have reacted well to the collaboration announcement. The dozens of comments on the brand’s Instagram launch post exude excitement. Nobody is trolling the 50-year-old vintage brand for partnering with a fast-fashion giant.
Here’s the bottom line: vintage shopping may be the sustainable fashion trend right now, but that’s not why Eveliina’s customers flock to the brand. They want the vintage look and don’t care about the backstory.
And that is a tale as old as fashion.
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