Fashion Business Commons^™

Worker's Rights, Vijay Pereira, Daicy Vaz, Arup Varma

School of Business: Faculty Publications and Other Works

This chapter discusses the rights of workers. It focuses on Bangladesh, China, India, and Vietnam.

How Awareness Levels Of Environmental And Ethical Risks Affect Consumer's Perceptions Of Fast Fashion, Antonina Stragapede

Honors Theses

The fast fashion industry is known for its low prices, quick inventory, and its ability to keep up with runway styles. Yet, the amount of risk that comes along with their processes has been kept hidden. The lenient policies in international countries have given the fast fashion industry leverage to create tons of dangerous carbon emissions, as well as keep labor at an inhumane level. The point of our study was to try to create awareness of both ethical and environmental risks through a randomly distributed intervention. Participants were also encouraged to take part in our longitudinal study to determine …

The Role Of Worker-Driven Regulation In The Global Fashion Industry, Jessie Wills

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The global fashion industry continues to exploit workers at the bottom of its supply chains. Multinational brands pressure manufacturers to churn out products at increasingly fast rates for increasingly cheaper costs. Severe problems persist in enforcing labor standards in these factories, and methods like voluntary corporate social responsibility are aspirational at best. A newer method of enforcement, worker-driven regulation (WDR), shows promise in its improved enforceability methods and focus on worker voices. The main research question of this paper is: What are the conditions that trigger and sustain worker-driven regulation at the factory level in the apparel industry?

Research methods …

Crisis Response In The Global Supply Chain Of The Fashion Industry, Caitlyn Arce

CMC Senior Theses

The fast fashion industry has developed a supply chain that optimizes profits by manufacturing garments from developing countries at extremely low costs. With consumer preferences pressuring brands to produce new cheap trends and products at rapid speed, the brunt of the costs is placed in countries where managers, suppliers, and governments turn a blind eye for the sake of economic stability and development. In moments of crisis, key players have chosen to respond in ways that reflect their priorities and incentives. Brands have reflected in their decision-making the influence of consumer demand and sensitivity to media through the risk of …

Fast Fashion From A Buddhist Perspective, Elizabeth Mclaughlin

HON499 projects

The connection between Buddhism and fast fashion is not immediately apparent, nor is it a particularly well-researched area. However, the topic of consumption underlies both topics, relating to each in markedly different ways. Buddhist precepts outline practices of mindful and sustainable consumption within limited means; fast fashion fosters consumption on a massive, global scale. The work of Ernst Friedrich Schumacher, a man with a career in economics that was aided by great concern for the survival and success of humankind, offers clarity to the conversation about Buddhism and fast fashion. He pioneered the field of Buddhist economics, which seeks to …

How Covid-19 Has Accelerated The Shift Towards A More Sustainable Fashion Industry, Samantha Frances Casey

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Sustainability in fast fashion is a pertinent issue as the fashion industry is one of the most environmentally damaging industries. Fashion retailers have started to integrate sustainability initiatives, but consumer preference is vital to making firms change their practices. As the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world in 2020, worldwide lockdowns exposed the fragility of the consumer-driven fast-fashion business model. This thesis will examine how COVID-19 has and will continue to impact sustainability in the fashion industry. More specifically, this thesis will examine the implications of consumer sustainability preferences brought about by the pandemic. These implications accelerate the preexisting sustainability trends …

The Apparel Industry And The Lasting Impact Of Fast Fashion, Katelyn Collison

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Personal style is how everyone expresses their individuality and personality; there is nothing inherently wrong with wanting to buy clothes to do that. The issue arrives when big corporations take advantage of this and sell products to consumers that end up hurting rather than healing. It is often forgotten how much of an impact big business has on our everyday lives; they can affect our economy, our atmosphere, or even our daily interactions. Customers are beginning to realize that there are positive and negative consequences to their purchases. On one hand, shopping is a great way to boost the economy, …

Comparative Analysis Of Azo Dye Restriction In The International Textile Industry, Kayla Demark

Apparel Merchandising and Product Development Undergraduate Honors Theses

Azo dyes are the most used type of dye in the textile industry. Some of these dyes have the potential to be extremely toxic to both human health and the environment. While regulations of these dyes vary across the world, it is suggested that not enough is being done to protect consumers and the environment from potentially harmful azo dyes (Rawat et al., 2016). It is the responsibility of apparel companies to ensure that their products that contain azo dyes are safe for consumers.

The purpose of this study was to understand how azo dyes and their by-products are restricted …

Addressing The Internet's Influence On Fast Fashion, Kelly Cruz '23, Uchenna Nnawuchi '23, Saamiyah Khan '23

Student Leadership Exchange (SLX)

Fast fashion, the rapid production of cheap clothing made for trends that will only last at most a month, is increasingly becoming more popular. Fast fashion damages both the environment and the workers that are put to work long hours but are underpaid. These issues are overlooked by online shoppers due to the fact that they are unaware of its unsustainability and harsh working conditions. Although, this problem of unintentional ignorance could be avoided if fast fashion companies were transparent with the work they are doing alongside as working towards fixing these issues regarding sustainability and the workers’ conditions. The …

Made In Bangladesh: The Unethical Treatment Of Sweatshop Workers, Samira Hossain

Emerging Writers

This article examines the treatment of sweatshops workers in Bangladesh, including causes of poor labor practices, and suggests solutions to improve practices.

Appropriation Of Artisans' Intellectual Property In Fashion Design Accessories: Piracy Disguised As Giving Back?, Clovia Hamilton

Technology & Society Faculty Publications

Creative industries are industries focused on the creation and exploitation of intellectual propert, including art, fashion design, and related creative services, such as advertisement and sales. During a trip to Burkina Faso in \Nest Africa, Keri Fosse was taught by an African woman how to wrap newborns with fabric in a manner that creates a strong bond and frees the mother's hands for other tasks. Burkina Faso has a craft culture and is known for its woven cotton and the textile art of Bogolan. Bogolan is a technique original to Mali and involves the tradition of dyeing threads with bright …

The Future Of Fashion: Corporate Social Responsibility And Essential Marketing Strategies, Taite Jorgensen

CMC Senior Theses

This paper analyzes how fast fashion has impacted future trends of the fashion industry. Due to globalization, the fast fashion industry has been able to create new norms of over-consumerism and international labor. Because of this, the fast fashion industry is able to mass produce in a way consumers have never seen before, in addition to making it all at extremely low prices. However, fast fashion brands are only able to mass produce cheap goods through unethical methodologies; these methodologies include unsustainable materials and practices, inhuman labor conditions and wages, and by making sizes that exclude bigger bodies. Consumers are …

Ethical Use Of Beauty In Advertising, Koca Chan

Honors Theses and Capstones

The use of beauty images in advertising has been generally deemed to be unethical in society, based on the general negative presupposition in modern western culture. The ethicalness of the display of high standards of beauty in advertisements is especially controversial and questionable in the advertising industry. Advertising watchdogs, social groups, and individuals have investigated the possibility of banning the display of high standards of beauty to be displayed in advertisings and publications. This paper argues that image advertising of high beauty standards may not be necessarily unethical in all situations. And under certain conditions, by considering and combining image(s) …

Retailer Dress Codes And The Law: Employee Religion, Kelly Atkins

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

How To Be The Perfect Asian Wife!, Sophia Hill

Art and Art History Honors Projects

“How to be the Perfect Asian Wife” critiques exploitative power systems that assault female bodies of color in intersectional ways. This work explores strategies of healing and resistance through inserting one’s own narrative of flourishing rather than surviving, while reflecting violent realities. Three large drawings mimic pervasive advertisement language and presentation reflecting the oppressive strategies used to contain women of color. Created with charcoal, watercolor, and ink, these 'advertisements' contrast with an interactive rice bag filled with comics of my everyday experiences. These documentations compel viewers to reflect on their own participation in systems of power.

The Impact Of Ethical Concerns On Fashion Consumerism: A Review, Lena Cavusoglu, Mourad Dakhli

Markets, Globalization & Development Review

Ethical and sustainable business practices have become some of the most significant concerns in the highly globalized fashion industry. Firms in this multi-billion dollar industry are taking these concerns seriously, and are carefully monitoring and responding to consumers’ actions that can range from expressing displeasure via social media to holding protests or even calling for boycotts of certain brands and firms. In this paper, the first output from a larger project on ethics of fashion, we review the extant literature on the ethical aspects of the global fashion system; and set the stage for further empirical and conceptual work.

Creating Competitive Advantage In The Premium Market Segment Through A Sustainability Strategy, Andrew E. Iberg

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Sustainable Fashion At Nordstrom: Think, Adapt, Anticipate, Crystal Kizanis, Garret Mark, Natnael Tekeste, Mitchell Gould

MICCSR Presentations

This CSR mini-case focuses on CSR issues related to the supply chain in the fashion industry. The case is based on the Fashion Futures 2025 report by the Forum for the Future, and focuses on anticipated supply shortages, workforce issues, technological advances, water shortages, high energy prices, re-use and remanufacturing changes. The case calls for students to develop a strategy for Nordstrom as they prepare for this changed new world.

Due to length, the video was uploaded in 2 parts. Part II

Sustainable Fashion At Nordstrom: Its Sustainable Future, Lehualani Shiroma

MICCSR Presentations

This CSR mini-case focuses on CSR issues related to the supply chain in the fashion industry. The case is based on the Fashion Futures 2025 report by the Forum for the Future, and focuses on anticipated supply shortages, workforce issues, technological advances, water shortages, high energy prices, re-use and remanufacturing changes. The case calls for students to develop a strategy for Nordstrom as they prepare for this changed new world.

The second-place team was originally composed of students from a variety of participating universities. The other three students dropped out, citing irreconcilable differences. The student from the University of Puget …

The Impact Of Nationality, Gender, And Education On Students’ Buying Attitudes Towards Ethical And Socially Responsible Products, Christina Blundin, Suphamas Chatvisedphan, Siraprapa Dusadeewanich, Elena Perova, Xuebo Wang

MBA Student Scholarship

In today’s corporate climate, a company’s ethical and social responsible (ESR) involvement raises concern amongst consumers. Companies seek methods to demonstrate their high level of ESR in order to win customers’ loyalty. Prior research has been performed examining different variables with regards to the purchase of ESR products. This study utilizes empirical evidence from a private university in Rhode Island, Johnson & Wales University to investigate the significance of demographic variables such as nationality, gender and educational level with regards to students' ESR buying attitude. Additionally considered and analyzed external factors are product price, advertisement and industry concern. Results indicate …

Victoria’S Little Secret, Matthew Deem, Christopher Aiken, Matt Colleen, Matthew Rhoades

MICCSR Presentations

This mini-case outlines a series of articles that ran in Bloomberg outlining the use of child slave labor in the fair trade cotton fields of Burkina Faso that had been used exclusively in Victoria’s Secret products. Giving students and opportunity to develop strategies and tactics that respond to a real-world public relations issue, this case also lets students explore the CSR issues inherent in a firm’s supply chain. Although trying to do the “right thing” Victoria’s Secret got caught up in the certification dilemma that many firms face.

Part II of the video

Victoria's Little Secret: Addressing Child Labor, Andrea Cerna, Michael Lawrence, Eileen Smith, Nicole Winjum

MICCSR Presentations

This mini-case outlines a series of articles that ran in Bloomberg outlining the use of child slave labor in the fair trade cotton fields of Burkina Faso that had been used exclusively in Victoria’s Secret products. Giving students and opportunity to develop strategies and tactics that respond to a real-world public relations issue, this case also lets students explore the CSR issues inherent in a firm’s supply chain. Although trying to do the “right thing” Victoria’s Secret got caught up in the certification dilemma that many firms face.

Part II of video

Victoria's Little Secret, Joe Lawless

MICCSR Case Studies

This mini-case outlines a series of articles that ran in Bloomberg outlining the use of child slave labor in the fair trade cotton fields of Burkina Faso that had been used exclusively in Victoria’s Secret products. Giving students and opportunity to develop strategies and tactics that respond to a real-world public relations issue, this case also lets students explore the CSR issues inherent in a firm’s supply chain. Although trying to do the “right thing” Victoria’s Secret got caught up in the certification dilemma that many firms face.