Last month the WSJ profiled U2′s Bono and and his wife Ali Hewson’s efforts to launch a fashion line with clothes made in sub-Saharan Africa. (Hat tip to the good folks at Cone for the lead).
Edun got off to a rough start because Bono and Ali had the best of intentions, which, unfortunately, didn’t top the list of reasons consumers would pay $800 for a jacket. Design and fit mattered more.
“We focused too much on the mission in the beginning, ” explained Hewson. It’s the clothes, it’s the product. It’s a fashion company. That needs to be first and foremost.”
Edun is just another business that learned you can’t put mission before margin. The best way for a business to help a cause is to be a great business first, and an advocate for causes second.
At the Beyond Cause Marketing summit ten days ago my industry’s mom Carol Cone told me that even cause leader Timberland had seen sales erode a few years ago when consumer interest in their styles waned.… Keep reading
