TAFANELLI JOURNALS | BRAND CODES

The right price, yes. The barrier, no. Why TAFANELLI lets you pay in 4 installments.

There is a paradox in our world: the better made a garment is, the more it costs. And the more it costs, the more likely it is to remain inaccessible to those who sincerely love the brand. We looked this paradox in the eye. We chose to refuse two easy solutions: lowering the quality to make the price more affordable, and discounting our pieces in sales. A third path remained: the payment in installments. This article explains why TAFANELLI offers payment in 4 interest-free installments on all its pieces, and why it is not a commercial gimmick but a true ethical choice for the brand.

The right price, yes. The barrier, no.

Every week, we receive messages that return with disturbing frequency. On Instagram, by email, in our customer chat. These are messages from people who love the brand. Who follow our posts. Who know our pieces. Who understand our approach. But who don't have €95 all at once to afford a t-shirt.

These messages come from everywhere. From students in Corsica who want to wear a piece of their island. From young professionals on the mainland who discover TAFA through a friend. From fashion enthusiasts who hesitate to take the plunge because the budget of a €95 t-shirt remains a real budget for most people.

Faced with these messages, we had two classic temptations:

Lowering the quality to sell for less. That is, replacing our 280g/m² Made in France cotton with a lighter cotton made abroad. Releasing a €40 t-shirt that would "look" like TAFA but wouldn't really be one.
Discounting our pieces in sales twice a year, like most brands. Pretending that a t-shirt at -30% is suddenly worth less than its official price.

We refused both paths. No under-quality, no fire-selling. Quality must remain intact, the price must remain fair. But then, how can we make our pieces accessible to those who love the brand without being able to buy them cash?

Our answer is payment in 4 interest-free installments. Spread the price without lowering it. Facilitate access without compromising quality. Here is why it is a choice that makes sense.

The right price is not the same thing as a barrier. A €95 t-shirt reflects a manufacturing cost, craftsmanship, an ethic. That is non-negotiable. On the other hand, the way one pays this price can be adapted. It is our respect for those who want to wear the brand.

Why a TAFA t-shirt costs €95 and not €15

Before talking about payment, we must explain why the price is what it is. We have developed this explanation in depth in our editorial manifesto on the TAFANELLI t-shirt. Here is the summary.

The breakdown of a price

On a €95 t-shirt, here is how the price is distributed:

Certified cotton: about €8 per piece (vs €1 to €2 for standard imported Asian cotton).
Knitting on French machines: about €12 per piece.
Manufacturing in a French workshop: about €15 per piece (vs €2 to €3 for Asian manufacturing).
Hand screen printing: about €8 per piece.
Quality control and packaging: about €3 per piece.
Structural and product development costs: about €15 per piece.
Logistics and distribution: about €8 per piece.
Margin and cash flow: about €26 per piece.

Total: about €95. This is the fair price for a piece entirely made in France, in short runs, with heavy material, manual screen printing, and individual quality control.

Market comparison

A fast fashion retail t-shirt costs between €8 and €20. It is made in Asia, in workshops where we don't know the working conditions, with cotton of uncertain origin, in low weights, with a lifespan of 6 to 18 months at most.

A t-shirt from a major French or Italian luxury brand costs between €200 and €500. It is sometimes made in France or Italy, often in subcontracting workshops that are not owned by the brand. It bears the weight of a multi-level distribution margin (own boutiques, marketing, global networks).

A €95 TAFANELLI t-shirt sits between these two worlds. The quality and territorial grounding of luxury, without the distribution surcharges. The price-quality ratio of direct French craftsmanship.

To go further, check out our dedicated article Why a French t-shirt costs €80 and not €15.

The absolute refusal of sales

At TAFANELLI, we have never had sales. No period of the year. Not in January, not in July, not in November (Black Friday), nor for Christmas. This decision is structural and permanent.

Why this refusal

The principle of sales rests on an illusion: that a piece at -30% is worth less than it was at full price. It is false. It is worth exactly the same. Neither the material, nor the craftsmanship, nor the cut has changed. It is just that the brand has decided to lower the price to sell faster, often because they produced too much, or because the season is coming to an end.

However, at TAFANELLI, we never produce too much. Our short runs of 100 pieces per color are designed to be sold out within the season. We have no excess stock to liquidate in sales. Each piece finds its wearer at the price that allowed it to be made with dignity.

An ethical choice

Refusing sales also means refusing to:

Betray customers who bought at full price. Imagine buying a t-shirt in October for €95 and seeing it on sale for €60 in January. You feel betrayed. We refuse this feeling among our customers.
Create an illusion of value. The price doesn't change because a date changes. A piece is worth what it's worth, all the time.
Encourage impulsive consumption. Sales push people to buy what they don't really want, just because "it's on sale". Our philosophy is the opposite: buy little, buy what you really love, keep it for a long time.
Devalue the work of artisans. The knitter, the manufacturer, the screen printer do not work at -30% in January. Why would the piece be?

Sales are a marketing convenience. They create artificial pressure on buyers and a systematic devaluation of the product. Refusing sales means refusing this drift. It means respecting both our artisans and our customers. It is a way of saying that the price is thoughtful, not circumstantial.

But this refusal of sales creates a dilemma: how to help customers who cannot pay €95 at once, without lowering the price?

Payment in 4 installments: our alternative

We found the answer to this dilemma in interest-free payment in installments. Rather than lowering the price, we spread the payment. The total price remains unchanged (therefore fair), but the amount to be paid at the moment of purchase becomes much softer.

How it works

Concretely, on tafanelli.fr, every order can be paid in:

1 installment: classic payment by bank card at the time of order.
2 installments: 50% at the time of order, 50% one month later. No fees.
3 installments: 33% at the time of order, then two monthly payments of 33% at one and two months. No fees.
4 installments: 25% at the time of order, then three monthly payments of 25% spread over three months. No fees.

No fees for you. No complicated procedures. No impact on the final price. You pay exactly the displayed price, but spread out over time.

A long-standing decision

This option has been available since the beginning of our online store. It was activated from day one, not as a response to the crisis or the economic situation, but as an assumed operating principle.

It is not a promotion. It is not a temporary bonus. It is permanent. On all our pieces, all the time.

What it changes in concrete terms

Let's take a concrete example. You want to buy a TAFANELLI t-shirt for €95. Here is what that represents according to the payment methods:

Payment in 1 installment

€95 charged all at once at the time of order.

Payment in 2 installments

Today: €47.50
In one month: €47.50
Total paid: €95

Payment in 3 installments

Today: €31.67
In one month: €31.67
In two months: €31.66
Total paid: €95

Payment in 4 installments

Today: €23.75
In one month: €23.75
In two months: €23.75
In three months: €23.75
Total paid: €95

In 4 installments, a €95 piece becomes a monthly payment of less than €24. That's the price of a lunch in town, or a monthly subscription to a streaming platform. It transforms the accessibility of the piece without changing a cent in the total amount.

A €95 t-shirt might seem like a lot. A commitment of €24 per month for four months becomes quite reasonable. The price hasn't changed, but the way of experiencing it has. It is this difference that allows someone who loves the brand to take the plunge.

A garment worn for five years costs less than five euros a month

Let's push the calculation a little further. Since our pieces are designed to last, the true cost of a TAFANELLI t-shirt is not €95 once. It is €95 spread over the lifespan of the piece.

The calculation of lifespan

A Made in France 280g/m² cotton t-shirt, with a reinforced collar, no itchy labels, screen-printed by hand: this type of piece has a very long lifespan. Our earliest customers are still wearing t-shirts today that they bought over five years ago. The patina settles in, but the piece holds up. The collar doesn't warp. The design doesn't peel.

If we consider that this t-shirt is worn for 60 months (five years), here is the true monthly cost:

€95 ÷ 60 months = €1.58 per month

A TAFANELLI t-shirt costs you, in use, less than two euros per month.

The comparison that puts everything into perspective

A fast fashion t-shirt at €15 that you replace every six months costs you:

€15 × 2 per year × 5 years = €150 over five years, or €2.50 per month.

You pay more, over five years, for a €15 t-shirt than for a €95 t-shirt. You consume more, you throw away more, you get less pleasure, and you indirectly finance a textile industry that pollutes and exploits.

The true calculation of price is not done at the moment of purchase. It is done over time. A €95 TAFA t-shirt is, over five years, the most economical purchase on the market.

A well-made t-shirt that you keep for five years costs less in use than a cheap t-shirt that you replace every six months. That's the mathematical magic of quality. You have to experience it to understand it.

For whom, for what

Payment in 4 installments is not for everyone. It is for certain specific profiles who, without this option, could not wear TAFA.

Students and young professionals

You are between 20 and 30 years old. You are a student, in a work-study program, at the beginning of your career. You have been following the brand for a while. You want to wear a piece but €95 all at once is too much. 4 installments allows you to do it: €24 per month is manageable in a student or young professional's budget.

Brand discoverers

You are discovering TAFA. You like what we do. You want to try, but you hesitate to invest €95 in a brand that you do not yet physically know. 4 installments allows you to test without a heavy financial commitment. You commit €24 today. If the piece suits you and builds your loyalty, the following monthly payments will be a pleasure.

Prudent buyers

You are not in need. You could pay €95 cash. But you prefer to spread your expenses to better manage your budget. 4 installments is a management tool. It allows you to treat yourself without unbalancing your month.

The Corsican diaspora

You are a Corsican living on the mainland. You want to support a brand from your island, wear a piece of your home, transmit an identity heritage to your children. 4 installments makes this act of loyalty softer, more spread out, easier.

Important gifts

You want to give a TAFA t-shirt to someone you love for a birthday, a celebration, an event. 4 installments allows you to give a beautiful gift without the monthly budget of the moment being shaken up.

Our partnership with ALMA

Technically, payment in installments on tafanelli.fr is operated by our partner ALMA. It is a French company specializing in fractional payment, with which we chose to work from the launch of our boutique.

Why ALMA

We chose ALMA for several reasons:

French company, consistent with our Made in France positioning.
No fees for the customer on 2x, 3x, and 4x payments, which preserves the displayed price.
Instant approval decision at checkout, without any complex paperwork.
No impact on your bank credit score, unlike some competing solutions.
Responsive customer service if you have any questions regarding your monthly installments.

How it works for the customer

When confirming your order on tafanelli.fr, simply:

Choose "Pay with ALMA" at the payment stage.
Select the number of installments desired (2, 3, or 4).
Enter your bank card details.
Receive your order and begin your monthly payments.

It's simple, fast, and transparent. No additional procedures, no long-term commitment beyond the scheduled monthly payments.

The essentials chosen by those who know

This last line concludes every TAFANELLI product description. It summarizes our philosophy: we do not seek mass appeal, we seek precision.

The 4-installment payment option follows this same logic. It is not designed to attract more customers. It is designed not to exclude those who sincerely love the brand. The nuance is important.

A consistent ethical choice

At TAFANELLI, we have core principles that never change:

We manufacture exclusively in France.
We use only 280g/m² cotton.
We screen-print by hand, layer by layer.
We produce in short runs of 100 pieces.
We never have sales.
We always offer interest-free payment in 4 installments.

These principles do not vary. They form our business ethics. The 4-installment payment is not a marketing gimmick; it is one of the constituent lines of our brand.

Quality should be accessible to those who understand it. Not to everyone, no. But to those who understand. That is what we want to convey with our 4-installment payment option. It is a bridge, not a discount. It is a helping hand, not a lowering of standards.

To learn more about our manufacturing codes, check out our editorial manifesto on the TAFANELLI T-shirt and our article Mare, Muntagna, Machja: the Corsican landscape trinity.