How Ethical Schoolwear Is Doubling on Shopify (Without Playing the Usual Ecommerce Game)

 

You can also listen on: 
Apple Podcasts | Spotify

When people talk about scaling a Shopify brand, the conversation usually jumps straight to ads, funnels, and “growth hacks.”

This story is different.

In the latest episode of Winning with Shopify, Nick Truman sits down with Liam Charlton, founder of Ethical Schoolwear — a Shopify business growing quietly, consistently, and ethically, while doubling year on year.

No hype.
No shortcuts.
Just smart decisions, strong values, and doing the basics exceptionally well.

Here’s what makes this brand work.

From Curiosity to Company: Why Ethical Schoolwear Exists

Ethical Schoolwear didn’t start with a business plan.

It started with a question:
How are the people making the things we buy actually being treated?

After seeing clear gaps between huge profits and poor working conditions in manufacturing, Liam began digging deeper into ethical production. Years later, when school uniforms became part of everyday life as a parent, that curiosity turned into action.

The result?
Ethically produced school uniforms sold on Shopify — made to last, priced fairly, and produced responsibly.

The School Playground Became the Marketplace

Here’s the part most ecommerce brands don’t have.

Parents talk.
A lot.

School uniforms are a grudge purchase — everyone has an opinion, and everyone compares notes. That turned the school playground into a powerful word-of-mouth channel.

What started as “I’ll try it” quickly became:
“This stuff washes better.”
“It doesn’t fade.”
“It doesn’t shrink.”
“And they plant a tree with every order.”

Word of mouth didn’t need forcing. It happened naturally because the product delivered.

Quality First (So Customers Do the Marketing)

One of the biggest challenges with school uniforms is trust.

You don’t really know if something is good until it’s been washed 10, 20, 30 times.

Ethical Schoolwear leaned into that reality:

• Durable cotton products (especially important for kids with allergies)

• Clear, descriptive product titles (no fancy colour names — just what parents actually search)

• Honest pricing based on what Liam himself would pay as a parent

The result?
Year one builds trust.
Year two drives real volume.

Fast Delivery = Five-Star Reviews

Here’s a subtle but powerful growth lever: speed.

Ethical Schoolwear’s site says delivery can take up to 14 days.
In reality? Many customers receive orders within 24 hours.

That gap between expectation and reality creates delight — and delight turns into reviews.

Parents have said:
“You’re faster than Amazon.”
“You’re faster than the local takeaway.”

Those reviews now fuel credibility, conversions, and organic growth through Trustpilot and Shopify integrations.

SEO That Works Because It’s Human

There’s no complicated SEO framework here.

Just common sense:

• Descriptive product titles (e.g. black cotton V-neck school jumper)

• Clear alt text

• Simple page structure

• Writing for how real parents search, not how suppliers label products

Striped V-neck jumpers, cotton items, and school ties perform especially well — not because of tricks, but because the site matches real search intent.

Google rewards clarity. Customers do too.

Ethics as a Growth Advantage (Not a Trade-Off)

Every order plants a tree.

Customers can even name their saplings.

That’s not a gimmick — it’s a visible reminder that purchases have impact. For parents, that matters. For kids, it creates awareness that sticks far beyond school years.

As the business grows, new reforestation partnerships will support the mission — proof that values can scale alongside revenue.

The Real Lesson: Make It Easy, Honest, and Human

One of the strongest takeaways from this episode isn’t tactical — it’s philosophical.

Make buying easy.
Make expectations clear.
Be honest about what you do and don’t do.

People are busy. Parents especially.

Ethical Schoolwear wins because it removes friction, earns trust, and delivers consistently — not because it chases every trend.

Growth Doesn’t Have to Be Loud to Be Real

Ethical Schoolwear is doubling year on year.

Not by chasing virality.
Not by burning cash on ads.
But by building something people are genuinely happy to recommend.

Sometimes the best Shopify growth strategy is simply doing the right things — and doing them well.

 

Check out the full podcast here.
This episode was brought to you by Nick Trueman, Director of PPC & SEO Agency, Spec Digital.