– Contributing Writer
U.S. online retail sales will surpass $1 trillion by 2027 compared with $445 billion this year, according to FTI Consulting Inc., a business advisory firm.
And Cheryl Najafi, a Phoenix-based businesswoman with a mission, is working to make her mark while championing social justice through online fashion.
In the wake of President Trump’s travel ban last year, with which Najafi said she disagreed, she launched her online athleisure clothing line Love Over H8. With soft, sustainably made, form-fitting hoodies and joggers, she’s built a growing, cause-driven business while navigating the challenges of e-commerce retail and sustainable fashion in a rapidly changing industry.
“In 2017, I went online to figure out what I can do to say this is not OK, what can I wear on my chest to say I don’t agree, and it was all really frumpy, poor quality, activist apparel,” Najafi said.
So she started her own line, online. Online retail offers such benefits for small apparel businesses as direct-to-consumer price models, targeted marketing and merchandising data.
With online retail mitigating the costs of running a physical store, designers can use money elsewhere, as Najafi has done, employing sustainable manufacturing practices and allowing customers to donate $5 of their purchase to varying social causes such as bullying, racism and gender inequality.
“If I had to pay overhead and make American-based products I wouldn’t be able to compete,” she said. “Most companies are realizing the brick and mortar (model) is dying.”
According to retail think-thank Fung Global Retail & Technology, retailers across the U.S. such as J. Crew, BCBG, Guess and the Limited among others announced plans to close over 6,700 physical stores in 2017, compared with 6,163 closings during the 2008 recession.
But as a new and unknown brand, Najafi said it’s hard to engender trust online. And because her products’ primary selling point is its quality and softness – traits hard to convey through a screen – Najafi says customer reviews are key.
In its first quarter, Love Over H8’s average order value was between $135 and $150, with the industry standard for established and trusted brands around $132.
Najafi’s line is also in tune with another growing sector of the fashion industry – sustainability.
Her garments are made of 95 percent Modal – an alternative natural fiber made from recycled wood pulp, which Najafi said she hopes will give her line a competitive edge against fast-fashion brands like Zara and H&M, which manufacture at lightning speed for dirt cheap overseas.
Because of environmental concerns and volatile prices of conventional fabrics, the global alternative fiber market is also growing, and is forecasted to reach $93.27 billion by 2025, according to Grand View Research Inc., a business consulting firm.
She also produces her garments domestically in the U.S.; a more expensive option compared to fast fashion retailers that use cheaper labor abroad, often devoid of environmental regulations and fair-wage practices.
In Arizona, smaller, hands-on efforts such as Najafi’s of producing garments locally and in smaller quantities are inspiring a new generation of conscious designers.
In 2017, Najafi brought her idea to Angela Johnson, co-founder of F.A.B.R.I.C., the Fashion and Business Resource and Innovation center, in Tempe, a fashion incubator where Johnson and her partner Sherri Berry help budding designers develop their brands, create business models and develop manufacturing plans.
“I think there’s now a movement to sort of reshore fashion, like the farm-to-table movement,” Johnson said. “I think a lot of people understand the impact of mass-producing anything, and the benefit of sourcing things locally. I think you’re going to see a lot more of that in fashion and (Najafi) is on the forefront of that.”
As online retail replaces some costs of running a physical storefront, other local designers are employing ecommerce platforms to sell their sustainably made garments.
Tracey Martin, a Scottsdale-based sustainable designer, runs Threads of Evolution, an online, curated market of handcrafted, sustainably made accessories. She said online retail is good for the industry and especially beneficial to conscious consumers.
“Online you’re really able to understand the brands aesthetic, and you can research the brand and have it be more transparent,” Martin said. “It’s also great if you want to do small batch design and manufacturing, you can let the consumer know ‘Hey there’s only 15 of these made.’”
Also, she said small apparel businesses can absolutely make a difference in the industry.
“Money in the right hands is a tool for good, and when we create these brands with a conscious business model we can create jobs, bring people out of poverty, do good for the environment and purchase better fibers,” Martin said. “It is a tough business, but it’s also a business that needs a lot of great minds in it to shift from where we are today.”
Najafi is currently working on a May collection, featuring mid-length skirts made of yoga pant material among other athleisure garments for warmer weather.
To shop her line, visit loveoverh8.com.
