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THISTLE: ECO FASHION REVIEW BLOG & STORE
ROSSVIGEANTSENIOR THESIS
12.13.09
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
DOMAIN
PROBLEM
SUPPLY
DEMAND
SOLUTION & NEXT STEP
APPENDIX A
B
C
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5
6-7
8-9
10-13
14-15
16-17
18-19
20-21
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INTRODUCTION
Throughout my education at Parsons and Parsons-Paris I have been
exposed to a variety of paradigms. Between the course subject and the
individual teacher, I have been privy to new worlds of opportunity that is
unique to my experience. This class in particular has brought me through
an evolution of ideas and testing that has culminated in this synopsis of
what I what I wanted to do, what I’ve done and what I need to do.
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My domain has shifted with the assignments and insight I have
experienced through the class. Although it was always fashion based, it
originated in on the manufacturing side.
From the “Domain Presentation” Assignment (10/19/09):
“Consumers want to know where their products come from. They are increasingly
interested in the background of the product. I aim to provide this to the customer
through a domestically produced outerwear company that is transparent in
its manufacturing. Full disclosure of the origin of items used in producing the
garment along with information on its actual piecing together will inform the
consumer about its socially and environmentally conscience foundation. Each
piece is individually numbered to show its uniqueness and provide a reference
point for the consumer to make a deeper connection utilizing the online feature of
tracking its origins.”
Ihavenowspecifiedthedomaintotheemergingmarketof
sustainable fashion and narrowed my topic to a Sustainable Fashion Blog
& Review Website with an e-commerce component.
DOMAIN
PROBLEM
Similartomypeers,findingaproblemcanbehardestpartofthe
process. I went through several variations of analogous ideas before I
cametoonethatseemedlikeamodelIwouldliketoworkwith.Originally
I wanted to develop a sustainable outwear company that would off full
disclosure in terms of materials and production. That soon morphed
based on the coming assignments. The beginning of the process was
trackyourclothes.com,awebsitedevelopedinthe“Hook”assignment.Itis
described below.
From the “Hook” Assignment (10/14/09):
“TrackYourClothes.com was based on something that I would really like to
incorporate into my thesis project. In this venture one would be able to track
a piece of garment that one just purchased on the website. By entering the
name of the manufacturer one would have access to their labor practices and
sustainable practices (if any). Once companies become more transparent on
their manufacturing there would be a plethora of information regarding their
process. This would be incentive for the companies to become more socially and
environmentally responsible in all aspects of their clothing production.”
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Thenextassignmentwastotestyourchosenhook.Itestedthe
ideaasiftheoutwearcompanyofferingthetrackyouclothes.comfeature
couldbeplausibleifofferedforfree.IquicklyrealizedthatalthoughImay
notbeabletoofferfreejacketsout,thewebsiteportioncouldeasilybe
sustained with ads and different revenue streams. This just happened to
be the next project. I project several different revenue models that could be
usedtofundthewebsiteandpossiblyreturnaprofit.Therevenusfoundin
theappendixaresimplemockupsofpossiblerevenuemodelsdeveloped
earlier in the class.
Thisgavetheprojectclearerdefinition.Itwasnowapparentthat
to draw visitors, the website would have to provide a taste and rating
authority.Oncethisisestablished(usingknowledgeablereviewsand
suggestions) the website would be able to provide visitors opinions on
something stylish and sustainable.
It’sfromthispointthatI’veworkedbackwardstodeterminea
problem. With a plausible model I began to search if there was a demand
for this topic, and if so what did it entail?
SUPPLY
UtilizingachartthatIcreatedforcomparison,Iratedwebsitesthat
couldbeconsideredcompetitors.Icheckedeachsitetoseeitcontaineda
blog format, was fashion related, contained reviews or had an e-shopping
component. I discovered that none of the chosen sites had all four
qualities. And while most sites contained fashion content in blog format,
none of those offered an online store/e-shopping. In this sites compared
there is not one that offers a fashion driven blog with reviews and the
ability to purchase online.
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DEMAND
To help determine demand I released a survey to over 120 people
onFacebook.Itcanbeassumedthatthesubjectswerebetween18-30,
residingmostlyinNewYorkandthemajorityattendingcollege.Theaim
was to collect as many responses as possible. Over the span of 12 days I
received 78 completed surveys. I made the questions general in an effort to
avoid swaying the subject.
Survey:
1. “Have you studied environmental sustainability?”
This question was meant to determine if the subject had prior experience or
exposure to the domain.
2. “Rank what’s most important to you when shopping for clothes.”
The chart was made most important to least important, and the subject were
asked to rank is order Price, Style, Brand and Green/Organic.
3. “Have you purchased green/ethical/organic clothing before?”
The possible answers were Yes, No and Maybe. I included Maybe because
I wanted to give the subjects freedom to choose in case they were unsure or
confused about the terms.
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4. “Would you be more willing to purchase clothing knowing it is made
ethically or organically?”
Again, the answers were Yes, No and an answer box for Other. This gave
subjects a chance to provide an answer of their own (I guessed that most would
not wholly agree or disagree).
5. “Have you heard of/visited any of the following sites?”
I included the most prominent sites available. I drew from classes, friends,
personal knowledge and top 10 rankings from other green sites.
The data obtained was a huge help. I always had general trends to
claim and data based off other polls, however I now had concrete data that
was legitimate from my target consumers. Roughly 60% of the subjects
have studied environmental sustainability, meaning that the majority of the
peoplesurveyedhavehadsomeexposuretotheissuesandzeitgeistof
going green.
Theaggregaterankingofwhat’simportantwhenshoppingwas(in
orderfrommostimportanttoleastimportant)Style,Price,Brandandfinally
Green/Organic.Theserankingshouldcomeasnosurprise,considering
thecurrenteconomicclimateonewouldexpectorganicattributestotakea
backburnercomparedtoPrice.
Arguably the most important piece of information is the 3rd question.
Surprisingly 39% of the subjects have purchased organic clothing before.
Theresultscanbeinferredtomeanthereisanavailablemarket.Usersthat
answered No or Maybe were near equal, which also proves there is a huge
marginoferrorwhenitcomestoconsumersknowingwhat’ssustainable
and what’s not. It is evident many of these people believe that in the past
theymayhavepurchasedorganicclothingandnotknownit.
The4thquestionproveddifficultforsomeofthesurveyed.When
askediftheywouldbemorewillingtopurchaseorganicclothing,therewas
an overwhelming majority answer of Yes (64.5%), while 13% simply would
not be more willing, and 14% replied Other (noting in the answer box that
they would only be willing to do so if the price was comparable or cheaper).
Thefinalquestionwasmeanttoascertainanycompetitors.Whilethe
answer None was most popular, it was a mere 2 people away from www.
treehugger.com. It is now evident that this website is a competitor to model
and innovate.
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I believe that if I am able to accurately determine and solve the problems of
www.treehugger.com, while simultaneously matching its content and level
of authority, I would be able to run a successful review site. The remaining
websitesaveragedtwoacknowledgments.
InsummaryI’velearnedthatwhilethemajorityofpeoplerankstyle
andpriceaboveorganicasattributestheymostlookforwhileshopping,
they also would be more willing to purchase clothing that was made
organically.Thedistributionoftheanswerswhenaskediftheyhave
purchasedorganicclothingbeforesuggeststheyarenotknowledgeable
about what clothes are organic.
A sample survey and the collected results can be found in the
appendix.
SOLUTION & NEXT
My proposed solution is an Eco-Friendly Fashion Review Blog with
anonlineshop.UsingtheplaceholdernameThistleIbegantomockupa
basic palette and interface to give the project a persona.
Thenextstepstoworkonwouldbedevelopingaworkingblog,a
rating system, designing an interface and curating a list of vendors.
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APPENDIX A
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studied eco sustainability
48yes30
no
have you purchased organic clothing?
23no
31yes
24maybe
49yes
14other*
14no
would you be more willing to purchase clothing knowing its organic?
* the 14 other responses indicated they would only do so if the price was the equal or cheaper
what’s most important to you when shopping for clothes?
style
most important
least important
price
brand
organic
APPENDIX B
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APPENDIX C
Green Topics Exit this survey
1. Default Section
1. Have you studied environmental sustainability?
2. Rank what's most important to you when shopping for clothes?
Most Important Least Important
Price
Style
Brand
Green/Organic
3. Have you purchased green/ethical/organic clothing before?
4. Would you be more willing to purchase clothing knowing it is made ethically or
organically?
5. Have you heard of/visited any of the following websites?
Yes
No
Yes
No
Maybe
Yes
No
Other (please specify)
treehugger.com
ecofashionworld.com
greenfashionline.com
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