3 reasons why your sustainable fashion website isn't converting.

You’ve poured your blood, sweat and tears into every part of your brand. You’ve chosen ethical fabrics, local makers, and sustainable processes. You’ve rewritten product descriptions until they feel like poetry. You’ve spent weekends photographing collections on friends, in borrowed backyards, under golden light.

But when you open your online store and scan your homepage, all that passion isn't translating for some reason. 

You can’t quite put your finger on it, but it’s not doing your brand justice. And more importantly, it’s not doing the selling.

It happens far too often. Founders do everything 'right' but still feel like their website is holding them back. And it's because being great at purpose-driven fashion doesn’t automatically make you a conversion expert. Being a great designer doesn't mean you're great at UX. 

And it's exactly why Anna Tillotson from House of Cart is one of our 12 resident mentors inside the Slow Fashion Lab, because your physical products are just one piece of the pie and if you want to sell them online, you need a converting website to do that.

Join Anna's masterclass next week to work out why your website isn't converting and learn how to change it. Anna is a Shopify design strategist and a slow fashion conversion whisperer, and her sessions are super easy to follow, full of clarity, and all practical strategy.

But before I share what we’ll be covering inside the call, I want to touch on three common homepage pain points I see slow fashion founders struggling with, because if these quiet conversion killers are happening on your site too, I want to help you fix them. 

1. You're not sure what actually belongs on your homepage. 

There’s a big difference between designing a homepage that looks nice and one that sells. Most slow fashion brands I work with fall into the same trap: we add things that feel important (brand story, mission, press mentions), but don’t know what the customer actually needs to see in their first few seconds.

The result is a homepage that says all the right things, but not in the right order, so your customer ends up doing a lot of thinking instead of feeling. They scroll, they get confused, they leave.

2. You want to sell without feeling salesy.

You didn’t start a brand to be a pushy salesperson. You started it to create beauty, impact, and change. But somewhere along the way, someone probably told you you need to 'guide the customer journey', 'minimise bounce', and 'optimise for conversion'.

Those phrases make you want to run and hide, don’t they?

And the problem is that, yes, you do need to do those things to sell. But you don’t have to sell your soul to do it. Most of the time, it’s about clarity, not coercion. And understanding that distinction is everything.

3. Your product is strong but your homepage doesn't show it.

You’ve worked so hard to craft a product that tells a story, from the stitch length to the swing tag. But when a new visitor lands on your homepage, are they feeling that story? Are they getting pulled in visually, emotionally, narratively?

Or is it all getting lost in a busy layout and too many competing messages?

The hard truth is that many homepage designs unintentionally hide the product's magic. They overwhelm, confuse, or distract, when all your customer really needs is to be gently guided into belief.

These are the conversations we’ll be diving deep into inside this month’s Slow Fashion Lab masterclass with Anna. We’ll unpack the five essential elements every slow fashion homepage needs to convert, we'll look at real-world examples of what’s working (and why), and finally answer the question: What should actually go where on my homepage?

No jargon. No gimmicks. Just ethical strategy that feels aligned, human, and actually works.

If you’re not a Slow Fashion Lab member yet, now’s the time to join. Because this is the kind of support you didn’t know you needed until you’re in the room getting answers.

And maybe, just maybe, it’ll be the session that finally makes your homepage pull its weight.

Claire x

3 reasons why your sustainable fashion website isn't converting - The Fashion Advocate shopify expert strategy coach business
The Fashion Advocate ethical sustainable circular slow fashion business strategy mentor online course marketing how to

I spent my first five years in business stressed and in debt.

If you're feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or if you're not making enough sales to survive, you're not alone. I've been there.

I was exhausted and I wanted to quit.

Then I worked out a strategy that dramatically changed my business, increased my sales, and saved me time. I want to share it with you!

READ MY STORY

Want to know the top three ways to grow a successful and sustainable fashion brand?

  • ASK A LOT OF QUESTIONS

    Every week on Instagram, you can ask me anything about fashion, business, ethical manufacturing, sustainability, and growth to get the answers you need to overcome challenges. Marketing, PR, your strategy, sales, how to wholesale, Instagram engagement, customers, sourcing... Whatever it is, ask me your questions and I'll go LIVE on Instagram with the answers you need to move forward.

    FIND ME ON INSTAGRAM HERE

  • KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

    To build a successful, sustainable and profitable fashion business, you have to empower yourself with knowledge and learn from others in the industry. I ran one of the largest online stores for ethical and sustainable fashion for over a decade, and I learned the ins and outs and the rights and wrongs of building a business. Now I'm sharing my strategies on my blog so you can take what you need to grow!

    READ THE BLOG HERE

  • BUILD YOUR SKILLSET AND LEVEL UP

    The only difference between a big fashion business and a small fashion business is a different skillset. Everything your competitors know - you can learn. My online courses and masterclasses are specifically designed for ethical and sustainable fashion brands, labels and businesses, so you can build your skillset, level up, fast-track your success and increase your impact.

    BUILD YOUR SKILLSET NOW