Imagine a world where each article of clothing you wear is tailor-fit just for you. That’s exactly what Sene is hoping to master with its proprietary SmartFit platform and unique Zero Inventory business model. I had the pleasure of interviewing Sene co-founder and CEO Ray Li to talk about everything from the importance of sizeless clothing to the viability of made-to-order. As I learn more about Sene, it is easily becoming one of my favorite sustainable fashion brands.

Founded in 2015 by cousins Ray Li and Mark Zheng, Sene went through earlier iterations before relaunching the brand on Kickstarter showcasing its custom-tailored FlexTech Suit. Despite the changes over the years, the brand’s purpose of creating more inclusive and personal fashion has remained the same. The idea of making clothes that feel and look good was always there, but this iteration of Ray and Mark’s business is the result of moving away from traditional wholesale and adopting a concept Ray calls “Zero Inventory.”

The traditional wholesale model relies on suppliers selling their products in bulk to retailers. However, according to the principle of Zero Inventory, a product is made-to-order, thus apparel is only produced after they have been ordered by a customer. Ray explains that Zero Inventory isn’t just good for the environment but also good for a brand’s business.[i] According to the Business of Fashion, excessive inventory has environmental and financial costs for brands.[ii] Dead inventory that goes unsold at the end of the season “costs the US retail industry as much as $50 billion a year.”[iii] In 2018, British luxury fashion-house Burberry admitted to burning $37.8 million worth of unsold apparel and beauty inventory.[iv]

It’s a common practice in the fashion industry attributable to excessive inventory and done to retain brand value, but it has a dire environmental impact.[v] A study by American business magazine Fast Company found that “incinerating clothes releases 2,988 pounds of carbon dioxide per megawatt hour, which is even more than burning coal (2,249 pounds per megawatt hour)” and natural gas.[vi] As consumers, we’re also contributing to fashion waste by discarding clothes faster than ever while purchasing more clothes than ever. However, Sene is one of a few fashion startups convincing consumers that buying less could be just as enjoyable as buying more through fast fashion.

Sene’s new business model is made possible by its SmartFit Quiz, a technology that according to Ray, offers a Netflix-like personalized shopping experience.[vii] In an interview with lifestyle magazine Glossy, Ray also notes that “you’re seeing models and you’re seeing content that are specific to you. It’s more relevant and more relatable.”[viii] The traditional tailoring experience can be both time-intensive and expensive, but the SmartFit Quiz takes as little as 60 seconds. I took the SmartFit Quiz, and I encourage everyone to try it for themselves. The entire process is smooth and along with a few basic questions on jacket and pant size, the SmartFit Quiz primarily focuses on height, weight, and shoulder posture. With a selection of apparel specifically tailored to fit, customers can trust that any piece of clothing is made just for them. According to Sene, its clothing fits so well to personal preferences because the company uses a “database of 100,000+ measurements that is used to generate a unique one-of-a-kind size.”[ix]

What makes Sene truly different isn’t only its technology, but the approach the brand takes to design and produce each piece of apparel. Ray explains that the key to their success has always been creating great quality products.[x] Sene produces its custom jeans with Japanese stretch denim from the same production mill that luxury fashion houses Acne Studios and Prada use.[xi] Sene’s social media also offers a transparent look at what makes the brand’s products unique. The cornerstone of the business is human-centered design and understanding what consumers want. As Ray explains to Glossy, Sene masterfully grasps consumer sentiment by adopting a marketing strategy, like a Nike or Lululemon, which is focused on “creating a community that’s engaged with the brand’s values and not just the product.”[xii] The latest example is a video series on Sene’s collaboration with Peloton instructor Emma Lovewell. Sene’s six-style Japanese denim collaboration with Emma is all about celebrating who you are right now and sizeless clothing. Sene is letting the quality of its products speak for itself while gaining as much insight as it can from its consumers.

Sene produces a range of high-quality products, but I questioned Ray about the scalability of not only Sene but also Zero-Inventory. Admittedly, it’s difficult to see how eco-conscious brands can contend with fast fashion. A recent analysis on apparel production by Business of Fashion found that upstart fast fashion brand, Shein added 314,877 new styles for its U.S. market YTD – at the time the article was published – far outpacing fast fashion standard-bearers H&M Group, Zara, and Boohoo.[xiii] It’s a churn that not only exacerbates fashion’s waste problem but may be difficult to compete with. With such a large market for fast fashion, I struggle with grasping how fashion will turn it around. However, Zero-inventory actively counters that design model, and more brands are now aware of the impact of their scales of production. Ray contends that convincing people to buy less fast fashion is difficult, but brands can change how they do business.[xiv] Brands should continue to improve towards sustainability where they can. Not greenwashing, which is a growing problem in fashion, but true incremental change towards more sustainable apparel.

My conversation with Ray was a pleasure, and admittedly, I didn’t want it to end. Sene’s approach to crafting sustainable products, and its attention to meeting customer satisfaction is unique. Ray is honest about the challenges that plague the fashion industry, but he is optimistic about the potential of new innovations to combat fashion’s environmental destruction. I admire Sene for introducing innovations in an industry that for far too long has disregarded its responsibility to the environment, but I respect Mark and Ray even more for not folding when their earlier business ideas stumbled.

[i] Ray Li, 04/08/2022

[ii] https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/retail/zero-inventory-fashion-business/

[iii] https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/retail/zero-inventory-fashion-business/

[iv] https://www.bbc.com/news/business-44885983

[v] https://www.voguebusiness.com/sustainability/why-destroying-products-is-still-an-everest-of-a-problem-for-fashion

[vi] https://www.fastcompany.com/90311509/we-have-to-fix-fashion-if-we-want-to-survive-the-next-century

[vii] Ray Li, 04/08/2022

[viii] https://www.glossy.co/fashion/senes-ray-li-on-creating-the-netflix-of-fashion-each-person-has-a-unique-shopping-experience/

[ix] https://senestudio.com/products/mens-dorsey-shirt?variant=43996950350

[x] Ray Li, 04/08/2022

[xi] https://www.forbes.com/sites/josephdeacetis/2020/11/07/men-the-next-generation-of-denim-is-here/?sh=58d2097f7c2b

[xii] https://www.glossy.co/fashion/how-sene-studio-is-applying-activewear-marketing-to-new-denim-launch/

[xiii] https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/retail/why-shein-might-be-worth-100-billion-in-four-charts/

[xiv] Ray Li, 04/08/2022

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