A Brand Review: Girlfriend Collective
I first heard of Girlfriend Collective from a YouTuber I watched named Diana Chamomile in 2019. Once I heard of the brand, I felt like it kept popping up everywhere after that with other influencers that I've followed for years bringing it up and people I went to high school with claiming it as their new favorite brand. Advertised as a sustainable clothing brand, at the time I came across the brand everything in their product line was made from recycled water bottles, and came with a higher price tag as with most sustainable brands.
According to an article published by Referral Candy, the brand was launched in 2016 by Ellie Dinh after she struggled to find ethically made leggings. Since their initial launch of leggings made from plastic water bottles, they have added sports bras, shorts, skorts, jackets, dresses, and more to their product line, and many of the products use other fabrics manufactured with other sustainably sources materials besides the original recycled water bottle fabric. In recent years, they've also taken big steps to position themselves as an inclusive brand, featuring people from all walks of life.
I was hesitant at first to buy anything. At the time their product line was limited to leggings, sports bras, and their new biker shorts, which were frequently sold out. The biker shorts were the first garment I bought by the brand after I found a pair on the Nordstrom website since the Girlfriend Collective website was using a waitlist. This extended wait time was due to their "slow fashion" manufacturing process.
The next item I purchased from the brand was their skort, in the color black. I was waiting for this item to be released and considered myself lucky to snag the exact one that I wanted before they sold out. From there, I've also purchased the same skort in a green color and a rusty orange color; both of which I love. I've also slowly purchased the matching sports bras. Even though I don't always wear these as sets, I live in the skorts, especially during the summer. They're so casual and chic and perfect for running errands.
While my collection of Girlfriend Collective activewear has been slow-growing due to their limited collections and price limitations, it's also been slow growing since I've been working more to limit my clothing purchases to only what I need. As needs arise, I've appreciated their growing product line.
But as they continue to expand, I continuously go back to a statement that is increasingly popular among sustainable influencers, many of whom frequently promote the Girlfriend Collective brand: "The most sustainable piece of clothing is the piece you already own." And though this conflict arises with any sustainable brand, it makes me curious how sustainable the brand remains with each new product release. A recent email I received from the brand about a sale on last chance items (or an email with a similar subject line) made me stop and think: isn't the goal of sustainability to produce ethically with out excess? And wouldn't a last chance sale promote unnecessary purchasing similar to what big non-sustainable brands push upon consumers?
But at the end of the day, I can't blame the brand Girlfriend Collective because if they're going to grow and become a prominent sustainable brand in the industry, they have to out beat competitors such as Lululemon and Under Armor. Additionally, as trends in color and silhouettes change, they have to be able to cater to the market if they are going to survive as a brand.
Simialrly, as sustainability and inclusivity become more pressing issues in the industry, many more sustainable brands are growing in competition. While the brand has over 522K followers on Instagram, they appear to have similar followings to their main competitors such as Outdoor Voices and Wolven; this industry is ever-changing, however, which doesn't mean they will remain equal competitors. Due to this increase in competition, I think they really need to work on advertising as a means to expand brand awareness and brand recall in consumers, but what is really going to keep them afloat, is their focus on selling non-trendy pieces, which can carry over season after season.
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