Would you open an email in your inbox that, instead of sitting there quietly, demanded that you open it – in ALL CAPS? I would, and frequently do. Perhaps it’s the mystery of these exquisitely chosen shouty letters – or more accurately, the sass that awaits within them – but Reformation is a brand that offers its customers so much more than the sustainable clothing it sells. Reformation pays its fans in brand voice. Whether you buy the linen twin set or not, the return you ge
you get in words is priceless.
Picture a subject line that reads, BECAUSE YOU ASKED NICELY, supported by the email preheader: “Bestsellers are back in stock.”
Upon opening the email, you’re hit with a tease from the merchandise: “Us again. Just your favourite things. Back in stock. May be sold out in two seconds. We’ll see.”
The lines are deliberately limited, like the $380 dress I can’t afford. In a few words, they set the challenge. For those in waiting, it’s game on.
And when you forget an item in your cart? Don’t worry, they’ll remind you, in a way that only Ref (the brand’s nickname) can.
Abandoned cart subject line: “The Mason Pant wants to go home with you”
So, who is Reformation?
The OG of sustainable fashion, California-based Ref’s bold tagline says it all: “Being naked is the #1 most sustainable option. We’re #2.”
Ref is unlike the Sheins of the world, and far from your average fashion company. It started in 2009, selling retailored vintage clothing out of a small Los Angeles storefront. “But we didn’t retire our vintage rack, because looking great and cutting waste never goes out of style.”
The brand lives mostly online and still has fewer than 50 physical stores – most of which are based in the US.
Not that this will stop Ref from tempting its global customers with free shipping, and compliments: The Australian website pop-up comments, “Cute accent, btw.”
What can we all learn from Ref’s voice?
Living your brand voice matters. Not just once or twice, but at every point of the customer journey. Even when you least expect it – like on the garment bag that arrives at your house to be reused over and over.
But it’s not just attention-grabbing copy with no meaning or authenticity. Ref makes limited runs of its clothing, on purpose. And in an industry that creates far more than it consumes, its message has never been so important.
1. Sustainability, but make it sexy
Ref is serious about sustainability. But that doesn’t mean its voice has to be soft or sanctimonious. Far from it.
While others speak in green cliches, Ref talks openly about not being virgins – in the material/fabric sense, that is. Its Sustainability Report starts coyly with, “Oh hi, oversharing is kind of our thing.” And when it comes to Progress? Skip straight to the Sexy Math.
2. Brave and purpose-led
Ref is one of the most purpose-driven, attitude-evoking brands I know.
Take its latest campaign: Monica Lewinsky for Reformation.
Together with vote.org, it’s elevating the importance of voting in a huge US presidential election year. And perhaps most importantly, it’s empowering women of all ages to boldly signify that real change – in fact, anything – is possible.
That’s not just brave or brilliant. It’s genuinely admirable.
In fact, it probably explains Ref’s almost cultish following.
3. Customer-obsessed, always
Witty. Playful. Smart but not snarky. Confident outer. Sensitive inner. Ref’s voice mirrors the sophistication of the consumer it’s speaking to – almost intimately, as if mimicking your own private internal pump-up monologue.
It says the things you might think, but would probably never say. Things like, “WHAT COMPETITION”, followed by “The best-dressed guest is you”.
And when it comes to its famous celeb customers, Ref creates a narrative around it – like a recent post of Tay Tay (Taylor Swift) that practically chortles: “If you want to be in @taylorswift’s shoes, the Agathea Loafer is available”.
It’s a voice that captures the feeling of putting on an outfit that makes you feel like an absolute 11/10 (because you are). And that’s where the magic lies.
4. Blurring the lines of brand voice
The brand’s founder, Yael Aflalo, describes the Ref customer as “a badass urban creative type that lives freely, but not neglectfully.” By understanding exactly who this character is, the team knows exactly what the brand would – and wouldn’t – say.
The lines of brand voice and customer voice blur to become one and the same.
When Ref announces its sale, for example, it lets its customers do all the talking. Only they could claim this moment as their very own ‘Super Bowl’.
You see, Ref customers help lead the brand on almost every front. When it comes to what pieces they want back in stock. When it comes to the styles and fabrics that sell quickest. When it comes to the words that it uses – Ref listens to and learns from its customers at every point.
So Ref, because I know you’re listening: Wanna make words together sometime?