How Outland Denim built a social impact brand

 
This episode is a discussion with James Bartle of Outland Denim – a social impact brand looking to change the fashion industry through ethical and sustainable standards (made famous with the jeans worn by Megan Markle). We talk about social impact, being an ethical and sustainable business, and the impact you can have on the world if you can make it happen.

SHOW NOTES

• 00:00:41 James’ Introduction to The Growth Manifesto Podcast
• 00:01:21 How James got the idea for Outland Denim
• 00:03:15 James tells us about his desire to help the world and how denim comes into play
• 00:07:14 How long did it take you to sell the first set of jeans?
• 00:09:25 What were some of the challenges you faced in the process of starting a social impact company?
• 00:12:25 James discusses the challenges of creating the systems for his social impact company
• 00:15:21 Sustainability is social, environmental, and economic
• 00:17:20 James talks about the time leading up to Meghan Markle wearing a pair of Outland Denim jeans
• 00:24:55 James talks about the importance of being real & authentic and how that has impacted their brand on social media
• 00:28:28 How did you balance the spike in demand and the requirement to be ethical?
• 00:32:38 Has the marketing strategy changed since Meghan Markle wore your jeans?
• 00:34:52 “It’s those challenging times that means we are going to be good at what we do”
• 00:36:50 What would you advise senior leaders in companies who have influence to start the process of making a change for the better?
• 00:39:36 James cares less about his brand and cares more about changing the industry which helps change the world faster
• 00:42:59 If you’re in a company and you want to make change, start small. Everybody has an impact
• 00:46:45 James explains why he doesn’t believe in cancel culture and how he addresses it
• 00:49:32 James talks about “Pay It Forward”
• 00:54:56 James discusses being able to raise more than a 1.3 million dollars through equity crowdfunding during the coronavirus pandemic.
• 00:57:38 Quickfire questions for James
• 01:00:27 How to get in touch with James Bartle and Outland Denim
• 01:01:00 James tells us what he thinks we could do to pay it forward

LINKS

• James Bartle on LinkedIn
• Outland Denim

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You’re listening to the 2020 Marketing Series on The Growth Manifesto Podcast, a Zoom video series brought to you by Webprofits where we talk about how to drive business and marketing success through the rest of 2020.

Hosted by Alex Cleanthous.

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