Price Transparency
When we buy clothes, what do we really pay for?
Our pricing model is based on the cost of raw materials, labor, logistics and donations. We then add a markup to make up for our business expenses like employees and freelancers, investments in future products, insurance, website and transaction fees, and marketing. An ethical, sustainable production process is expensive, which is why the true cost of our garments is often as high as the final retail price of fast fashion items.
Here's the breakdown of how our prices are put together:
Our own garments
At Wildsoul Clothing, we pride ourselves on our unique designs that are entirely created and produced by us. Each piece is carefully crafted and one-of-a-kind, reflecting our individual design aesthetic. We do not use pre-made blanks; instead, we source our own fabrics and have our designs specially produced for us. This allows us to create truly original pieces that you won't find anywhere else.
Materials: the purchase of the fabric, threads, brand and care labels, rubber bands and other trimmings like buttons or hooks
Labor: The cost of producing a garment also covers the cost of pattern making and sampling (which usually takes about 3+ attempts per garment)
Logistics: include the transportation of samples, goods, fees and packaging costs to the office before a collection goes live as well as packaging materials and time expenses when it comes to sending out the final orders
Company costs: Our markup (the difference between the retail price of our products and the amount we pay to produce them) allows us to afford all of our company expenses (wages, employee and freelance insurance, website fees, transaction fees, marketing) and still makes it possible for us to invest in future collections since production costs must be paid in advance of actually producing the product.
Tax: We pay 20% sales tax - This price does not include income tax.
Donations: we are committed to plant one tree for every item we sell. You can "visit" our forest here.
Vintage listings
At Wildsoul Clothing, we believe in the value of sustainable fashion and sourcing pre-owned clothing as a way to reduce waste in the fashion industry. However, it's important to understand how the prices for these items are set.
Firstly, sourcing second-hand clothing can be a time-consuming process. We carefully curate each item, selecting pieces that are on-trend and in good condition. Our team spends hours scouring thrift stores, vintage shops, and online marketplaces to find the best pieces for our customers.
In addition to sourcing the clothing, we also organize our own photoshoots. This involves finding a studio, hiring a model, photographer, and stylist. We produce everything in-house to maintain our brand's aesthetic and ensure that the clothing is presented in the best possible way. After the photoshoot, our team spends countless hours sifting through thousands of photos to select the best ones, editing and cropping them for our website.
Finally, each item is individually listed on our online store. This involves writing a product name, description, selecting photos, categorizing the item by size, color, and other attributes, and setting a price. Each step is time-consuming and requires attention to detail to ensure that our customers have all the information they need to make a purchase.
All of these factors contribute to the prices of our second-hand clothing listings. While the prices may be higher than what you would find in a thrift store, we believe that the value of the sustainable fashion movement and the time and effort we put into curating, presenting, and listing each item is well worth it. Thank you for choosing us!
