Abstract 

Background: The fashion industry in its current state operates in conditions that are considered unsustainable. In order to appeal to the growing environmental and ethical concern of consumers, fashion brands have started to employ strategies of green marketing, often focusing on clothes marketed as consisting of sustainable or eco-friendly fabrics. Meanwhile, fully sustainable fashion brands have emerged, where sustainability values are carried throughout all organisational practices. 

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore how sustainable fashion brands market themselves and which types of consumers the current strategies attract. It aims to lay out an initial foundation for further research carried out in the future. 

Method: A multi-case study of six sustainable fashion brands and an expert on sustainable fashion consumption was conducted under an interpretivist paradigm. A thematic analysis of the data received through semi-structured interviews provided an initial in-depth understanding of the phenomenon under consideration. 

Conclusion: Sustainable fashion brands emphasized the importance of a holistic approach to conducting business under sustainability values. This understanding expressed itself in direct implications for design and longevity of fashion garments and a coherent approach to communication and retailing of products utilizing storytelling and a criteria-based choice of retailers. Main consumer groups identified were sustainability-minded consumers, as well as design-interested ones in some cases.