It might turn out that the best people to write your ad copy are the people that make your product. This week, Chinese clothing brand Bananain (蕉内) put this line of thinking to the test. Instead of slick, agency-crafted taglines, Bananain invited the Xinjiang cotton farmers who grow its clothes’ cotton to describe it in their own words. The results are strong:
- ‘This plump white cotton is strong – you can’t tear it, it stretches long.’ (白胖棉的劲儿足，扯不断，拉得长)
- ‘Soft, like a mother’s heart.’ (就像阿妈的心一样软)
- ‘Hot in the day, cool at night – the cotton looks like it’s dusted with frost sugar.’ (白天热夜里凉，棉花像是裹霜糖)
Hemingway used to talk about writing one true sentence – the truest sentence you know. It’s solid advice on descriptive writing. Advice that forces you to examine what you truly know. This cotton farmer copy has exactly that kind of charm, the kind that comes from years of lived experience.
Bananain Xinjiang cotton: A bit of context
None of this is without context. Xinjiang is China’s key cotton-producing region, with long-staple cotton often labelled the textile industry’s ‘soft gold’ for its strength, length and sheen. Within these ad lines there are signals of top-tier quality.
But Xinjiang cotton has also come under criticism in the west for links to the oppression of Uyghur minorities. Notably Nike and H&M refused to use Xinjiang cotton in their products over exactly these concerns. Boycotts from Chinese consumers followed.
The issue was divisive. Now, within China, support for brands using Xinjiang cotton can be seen as a consumer stance, one sharp with the fumes of patriotism. So while politically charged outside of China, proud use of Xinjiang cotton can strengthen domestic consumers’ affinity for a brand.
This is not an investigation into the provenance of Bananain’s cotton. Nor is it an attempt to scrutinise their supply chain. Rather, it is an appreciation of language, and on that front the lines these cotton farmers provided were undeniably brilliant.
