As an Oxford undergraduate in early 2018, Grace Beverley was busy conceptualising her vision of affordable, sustainable activewear. A year later, in May 2019, her brand TALA was launched, selling out in 20 minutes. In less than a year it had sold over 80,000 products and saved over 3 million litres of water. Beverley has since been showered in accolades, most recently being named in Draper’s ’30 Under 30′ spotlight, having achieved her dream of being recognised in Forbes’s ’30 Under 30 Europe’ last year. Also labelled as the 26th most influential online creator by The Sunday Times and featured in Glamour alongside Emma Watson and Rihanna as one of ‘the 10 amazing multi-hyphenates to be inspired by,’ Beverley’s reach is constantly expanding, and with it, the accessibility of sustainable fashion.

Beverley first came to public attention as an ‘influencer’ – her YouTube channel (formerly known as GraceFitUK) has over 570,000 subscribers and her Instagram is followed by more than 1 million users. Undoubtedly, this reach aided the launch of her business, and yet it is far from the only factor contributing to its success. TALA seems to encapsulate the rhetoric of Beverley’s millennial and Gen Z followers; it is a response to the growing desire for sustainability and the gap in the market for ethical activewear. Searches for ‘sustainable activewear’ rose by 151% from 2019-2020, demonstrating the increase in conscious consumerism. Many brands have not adapted to this shifting landscape, refusing to engage with ethical consumerism or simply not acknowledging the market’s demands. TALA’s success stems from the fulfilment of a gap in this already saturated market, as well as its unique selling points.

The brand is conscientious and honest in its entirety; its inclusive advertising and marketing caters for women of every size, shape and race. Beverley notes: ‘One of the most shocking things since launching has been the reception we’ve had on inclusivity – it’s kind of sad how happy people have been because it means it’s abnormal to see people of all shapes, sizes and races in our campaigns’. TALA’s focus on body diversity and inclusivity filters through to all aspects of the business.

Beyond this, the transparency of the production process is refreshing to see. Beverley has been open about the struggles between pricing and sustainability, having to settle for the clothes being 92% upcycled or recycled materials, rather than 100%. This compromise allows the clothes to remain affordable, particularly for the young customer demographic. Therefore, TALA products have a more sustainable impact than if they were priced extortionately but with 100% recycled materials. Beverley is aware that pricing is crucial to consumption. To make sustainability widespread, the clothing has to be just as accessible as its fast-fashion counterparts. In her Forbes ’30 Under 30′ interview, she discussed the dilemma between the standard of sustainability and its pricing: ‘We really wanted to see if what we thought would work, would work – namely, producing sustainable, high-performance activewear, whilst releasing at the same prices as our competition, which may not be as sustainable or ethical.’ A year later, it is clear that this strategy is absolutely a success.

It seems as though TALA has truly considered all the sustainable and ethical changes it is able to make. Rather than using plastic packaging and labels like other ‘sustainable’ brands, TALA’s neck labels are made from 100% up-cycled Nylon and bags are 100% recycled plastic, which would otherwise have been disposed of. Even more importantly, the ethical production of the clothes is at the forefront of the business, as all items are produced in ethically operated factories. Beverley has confirmed: ‘We don’t feel comfortable with a trade-off between paying our workers a fair amount and having cheaper products that we can restock within a week – ethics comes first.’ This ethos is another factor that separates TALA from the pervasive fast-fashion brands. It is a far cry from Pretty Little Thing’s Black Friday sale which reduced items of clothing to less than 10p – a total disregard of sustainable consumption and ethical working conditions.

Indeed, the success of TALA amassing £6.2 million in its first year of trading is a direct challenge to its fast-fashion counterparts. The immense achievements of both Beverley and the brand demonstrate a clear shift in consumer habits, as more people choose to spend money on sustainable and ethical clothing. This disruption to the status quo marks a new standard of production. No longer are consumers content with cheap fast-fashion, but instead they are consciously demanding something more sustainable. The key to the future of fashion is a reversion to a climate of slow fashion production and a step towards a more conscientiously sustainable future.

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2020: The Year I Gave Up Fast Fashion

PrettyLittleThing Pink Friday: Pretty Unethical?

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