Quality That Doesn’t Break the Bank: An Exploration of Quince
By Audrey Treon
It seems that these days there are two schools of shopping: unethical and unsustainable fast fashion, or too-expensive-to-even-consider-buying luxury. But more and more brands are aiming to challenge the binaries of shopping — brands like Quince.
Courtesy of Quince
Quince is a contemporary brand dedicated to ethically and sustainably manufacturing quality goods sold for a reasonable and fair price. From Mongolian cashmere sweaters to washable silk dresses, their clothing is made with care and thoughtfulness. Quince carries women's, men's, unisex, and children’s clothing, as well as luggage and homeware. It is a robust brand that appeals to people from any demographic.
“We started Quince to challenge the existing idea that nice things have to cost a lot. Our mission was simple — create products of equal or greater quality than the leading luxury brands at a much lower price. Because we believe quality should never be a luxury.”
The brand not only has quality on the top of its mind, but they think of trends and what their consumer actually wants to wear. From their subdued basics that work for any closet to their patterned, more eccentric pieces, they truly design for everyone. On their website you can find colors ranging from soft pastels to bold jewel tones, simple tees to fluid blouses. And if you don’t know where to start, they have you covered in that regard, too. From lookbooks to seasonal edits, they intentionally curate their shopping experience to incite joy and inspiration.
Quince uses excellent materials to craft their products. And their commitment to quality doesn’t stop at the fabrics. The labor practices of Quince are ethical and equitable — which we know because of their consistent transparency. The brand works with factories all over the world including in North America, South America, Asia, and Europe. They say it best themselves as their preference is to work with mid to large-sized brands that rigorously employ ethical practices.
The brand has it all: high-quality products that don’t break the bank and don’t come from the suffering of humans and the planet. These standards are not unattainable, companies are capable of ensuring quality for their customers and their workers. But the question remains, why are transparent brands like Quince so hard to find nowadays?
Courtesy of Quince
In a word: greed. Greed is the reason brands like Quince are so rare. As of January 2025, the CEO of Shein, Xu Yangtian, has a net worth of $21.5 billion, and it is no secret that the average Shein employee makes pennies on the dollar compared to Yangtian. The fast fashion conglomerate is not an exception, but rather part of the pattern. This business model has thrived due to an overly competitive and profit-driven world. The standard of delivering good products to customers is no longer a priority, the priority is dollar signs. We see this in everything from clothing to technology to housewares.
Like any brand, a successful fashion company has many factors to consider. From the design process to supply chain flow, marketing, and commerce, there are many shortcuts to take advantage of. The thing about shortcuts is that they usually come at the expense of the worker, the customer, and/or the Earth. Yet once again, Quince is proving that generalization wrong. Their strategic “shortcuts” create a happier shopping experience for everyone involved. Quince describes how they cut out the middlemen. A traditional supply chain involves factories, sourcing agents, tariffs (if importing from other countries), a warehouse, brand concerns, and a physical store. Quince is committed to simplifying their supply chain by having two stops: the factory and the customer.
Courtesy of Quince
One could argue that by eliminating all the other stops of the network they are depriving those workers of jobs, having the opposite intended effect. However, due to the sheer amount of fashion brands in the world — especially fast fashion brands — Quince is not affecting the workforce. They are a quality-over-quantity-focused brand. Fast fashion brands on the other hand are focused on pushing out as much product as possible, no matter the cost to the people and the planet. Once again, Quince is making positive impacts on the industry.
Quince is not your run-of-the-mill company, rather it is a pivotal brand marking a shift in the fashion industry. The label is proving fast fashion wrong — brands can create products made from sustainable materials and with ethical production while making a profit. Not only is this business model possible, it is better for everyone involved.
