Sustainability is sexy (and it sells)

Hello,

Another late one this week!

I hope your week has been good. And I hope it’s about to get even better as I share some game-changing developments happening within the tech and ecommerce space.

Here at Studio Almond, we pride ourselves on working with brands that have strong moral compasses. We want to see our clients succeed, especially when they’re doing it with people and the planet in mind.

Today, I’m going to dig into some recent developments within the fashion industry, exploring how tech might be the answer to reducing waste and maximising profitability. I believe the learnings can be applied to any industry if you have the right tools.

Here’s what I’ve got for you today:

Concept
👗 How AI could save billions of garments from landfill

Tech of the week
👜 Something new and something coming soon

Resources
🤓 Material I’ve enjoyed lately

Studio News
📰 A new face and a new feather in my cap

👗 CONCEPT

How AI could save billions of garments from landfill

The fashion industry is changing, and it might be for the better. Buyers worldwide have long been plagued with the task of forecasting. Having enough stock—but not too much—is a tough balancing act. To make matters worse, trends are becoming harder to predict with traditional modelling tools.

With consumers spread across multiple, fast-moving platforms like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, they are being exposed to an unprecedented amount of influences. Gone are the days of multi-million dollar ad campaigns determining the next “it” item. Now, a viral TikTok vide could make a seismic impact.

Overproduction remains a persistent issue in the fashion industry. Every year, billions of garments are discarded, either sent to landfill or incinerated. The environmental cost is significant, not to mention the impact on profit. Moving to smaller, more frequent orders through shorter, more transparent supply chains is one solution. The other is AI.

With the ability to gather and interpret a colossal amount of data, AI can help brands understand consumers on a deeper, more holistic level. It can also drastically improve the accuracy of sales forecasting to reduce waste, improve margins, and streamline operations—creating a leaner, more efficient supply chain.

Which brings me to this…

👜 TECH OF THE WEEK

Something new and something coming soon

New—
WGSN Fashion Buying

Leading global trend forecasters, WGSN have created a dedicated platform for fashion buyers, combining over 25 years of forecasting expertise with TrendCurve AI predictive analytics.

With the ability to analyse product, lifecycle and geological data, the potential to reduce waste and maximise profit is massive.

Coming soon—
Consignment

Conscious and circular fashion adoption is growing rapidly every month. With consumers becoming increasingly concerned about their impact on the planet, the resale market has exploded in recent years.

In response, I’m excited to share that we are currently working on a solution to enable lifestyle brands (fashion, furniture, product, and more) to facilitate resales. This is a unique solution that addresses a very real need and untapped opportunity that many existing applications have failed to deliver on for brands, customers, and the environment.

We are in talks with a few key partners and will be releasing more details soon. In the meantime, if you sell products that can be resold, let us know below.

🤓 RESOURCES

Material I’ve enjoyed lately

📗 Read

Daniel Priestly on Apple’s systemised approach to sales

This LinkedIn post sums up the importance of data at every point in the funnel and how success is a result of a series of interactions.

📺 Watch

How Great Leaders Inspire Action by Simon Sinek

An oldie but a goodie, I still refer to this TED talk often. This is a masterclass in how to communicate effectively as a brand and foster advocacy.

🎧 Listen

Founders by David Senra

This podcast is as inspirational as it is informative. Each week, David Senra covers a different entrepreneur, sharing ideas that anybody can use in their work.

📰 STUDIO NEWS

A new face and a new feather in my cap

You might be aware that one of my key roles at Studio Almond has been to lead the charge on new business. While I will continue to operate in this realm, I now have some much needed help. I’m so pleased to let you know that we’ve just hired a new Commercial Director, taking our team to 13 full-time members. This role comes at a key time as we look to scale our service offering and software ventures.

Introducing Phil
Previously the Chief Revenue Officer at GoSee Travel, Phil comes to us with a wealth of strategic growth experience. From the moment we interviewed him, it felt like a natural fit. He has big ideas, big energy and will no doubt do big things at Studio Almond.

Welcome Phil!

In other exciting news, I’ve just received my PDINZ (Professional Designers Institute of New Zealand) accreditation.

On top of having a minimum of 5 years of experience as a practising designer (I’ve surpassed 17+, ouch), applicants must go through rigorous professional peer reviews to determine whether they receive a membership.

Not only is this accreditation an acknowledgement of my career to date, it’s admittance to a community of world-class professionals. I can’t wait to share my learnings with you all.

That’s all from me this week.

Thanks for reading!

Until next time.

Alex Murton
Managing Director & Co-Founder
Studio Almond