It’s not easy for us to write these lines, but they are the result of many months of wide-ranging considerations and countless nights over excel-lists and balance sheets.
As of January 1st, 2024, we are increasing some of our prices.
Let us explain the reasons why we are taking this step.
The first reason is pretty simple and obvious. Despite a worldwide pandemic, troubled economic times, and constantly raising costs due to a massive inflation, our prices remained unchanged for the last 2 years. We are now at a point where these prices are no longer cost-covering.
Running a small business has become increasingly hard, and we are in a tricky position with Willpower. Too big to stay under the radar and go full-on DIY. Too small to easily compensate for the costs of running a business professionally, plus all the taxes, charges, customs, and fees applied by the federal government and the European Union, who make no difference between a 6-figure and a 9-figure business.
The second reason is not so simple and not so obvious. Despite producing eco-, human- and animal-friendly products which are tested to be long-lived and sustainable, we are remaining very self-critical about the sheer number of textiles we are releasing to this planet each year. Even the most durable, recycled and organic shirt will eventually land in an old clothes collection. And even after hopefully getting a second life after that, it will one day end up in a landfill. Although this process might ideally take many years, even decades, it is still inevitable. We as a sports clothing company stand at the very beginning of this process and therefore are responsible for the number of goods we produce and impose on mother earth. We take this responsibility very seriously and want to produce even more mindfully than we did in the past to grant all of you the chance to shop more mindfully in return.
And although it makes us extremely proud and happy that so many people own Willpower items, this must not be the driving force behind our business activity. Instead, our main goal has always been to bring across a message. To promote a different view and approach of how running unfolds in our personal lives and our communities. To create a haven for runners who refuse to fit in, allowing them to discover their own unique vision of how to go in for this sport. To pursue this purpose it is not necessary to equip every runner with dozens of shirts. It is rather the right shirt, with the right message attiring the right runner at the right time.
With that being said, we want to produce and sell fewer items, but make them count even more. Smaller productions automatically mean higher costs and thus higher prices. However, this is not meant to discourage you from buying Willpower stuff. Not at all. We just want you to make your purchase decisions even more conscious. We, on the other hand, will invest even more in making our products and your shopping experience greater and the environmental footprint tinier. This is the outcome we are hoping to achieve.
To ease the transition we are taking the following measures:
- For the rest of the year, our old prices still apply. With the additional Purge Sale Discount Code 'PURGE24' you even get an extra 15% storewide. You might want to make use of it
- If you’re in a difficult financial situation but still love to rep Willpower gear, please get in touch. We don’t have a set concept or fixed rules for this, but we will figure something out with you
- Our Classics Collection will forever be lower-priced
- We will remain super obliging regarding returns and exchanges. We really want you to be continuingly happy with the Willpower items you own
Thanks for your understanding.
Much Love,
Team Willpower