Fashion Business Commons^™

Confidence In Personal Style: A Self-Empowered Path Toward Sustainable Clothing Consumption?, Catherine A. Roster

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2024

This study examined the impact of clothing style confidence on sustainable clothing behaviors. An Internet survey was conducted with a valid sample of 560 U.S. residents equally split by gender between the ages of 25 to 65 purchased from Prolific. Five sub-dimensions of the Clothing Style Confidence scale (i.e., style longevity, aesthetic perceptive ability, creativity, appearance importance, and authenticity) were predicted to positively influence four dependent variables: clothing care and maintenance, purchase of environmentally friendly apparel, likelihood of clothing rental, and interest in upcycled clothing. PLS-SEM was used for data analysis. For both males and females, higher style confidence was …

Consumers' Acceptance To Buy And Dispose Of Recycling Textile Products, Roa Alsayed

Theses and Dissertations

The textile industry is the second most polluting worldwide, following food manufacturing. It is one of the industries that is rarely scrutinized in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. This work analyzes the fashion industry from the perspective of consumer attitudes towards the purchase and disposal of clothing, and their behavior with regards to old garments. The study was conducted in Saudi Arabia and Egypt, two countries that achieved similar results in the fashion industry. The methodology is divided into three phases. First, the manuscript begins with a review of topics such as sustainability, consumer behavior in the …

The Threads That Shape Us: Fashioning A Sustainable Future From Silk, Bryne Croyle Johnson

Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

Silk has been used for centuries as a natural fiber, but has declined in popularity due to synthetic alternatives. In this pop-science article style paper, the history, present, and possible futures of silk are discussed at a generally accessible level. Anthropology, Biology, Sociology, and Environmental Science are brought together to present a case for a renewed interest in silk as a sustainable fiber.

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.

Clueless: Revolutionizing Sustainable Fashion And Combating Overconsumption, Tanya Ravichandran

Graphic Communication

“Clueless” revolutionizes sustainable fashion by combating wardrobe overconsumption and the industry’s carbon footprint, using AI to suggest personalized outfits from existing wardrobes tailored to weather and wear history. It enhances user engagement through features like outfit ‘shuffle’ and provides insights into wardrobe utilization and carbon impact.

It’s more than an app; it’s a step towards a greener wardrobe and a healthier planet.

Sneakerhead Culture: Consumers And Their Ecological Consciousness, Maria Cervantes

Apparel Merchandising and Product Development Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis aims to investigate the unique subculture of “sneakerheads” and their buying behavior/attitudes, catering carefully to the Northwest Arkansas community and their small community. Sneakerhead culture has gained significant popularity in recent years, with decades of history to back up the phenomenon. Sneaker connoisseurs collect these glamourous, expensive, and rare footwear and are keepsakes of self-expression and identity formation. The study employs an ecological approach to their purchases and seeks to find whether retail and non-retail sneakerheads are conscious of their ecological footprint. The research methodology involves a questionnaire that is catered towards retail or non-retail employees based on …

Technology Takeover And Transformation: Humans Vs. Technology, Mikayla Tjeerdsma

Theses

When looking at the history of the fashion industry up to the present day, technology can easily distinguish the progress of fashion throughout the ages. The direction of this research is to gain insight and a deeper realization of how technology is taking over and transforming those in and revolving around fashion by slowly taking over and replacing human involvement or presence. Statistics and research show due to the adverse effects of COVID-19, technological development within fashion has seen a significant increase. COVID-19 was either the final push towards making technological ideas a reality or was the birth of new …

The Importance Of Sustainability Within The Fashion Industry, Ashlee S. Hernandez

Theses

Blogging made its debut in 1993 and from that point on the internet would change forever. This project is a lifestyle blog that will highlight the diversity of the word sustainability, focus on the final product and the sustainable methods or practices to get to that final product and dive into the history of blogging and the history of fashion sustainability. This entire project will showcase specific items of women's clothing (the final product) and the sustainable methods or processes involved in creating those final products. This project specifically defines the similarities and differences between the terms eco-friendly, sustainable, green, …

Effects Of Economic Development Status And Eco-Product On Consumption Values: From The Perspective Of Us Consumers, Mostafa Zaman

Doctoral Dissertations

Consumers select a product based on numerous product characteristics. Numerous studies conducted earlier revealed that consumers in developing countries preferred products made in western or developed countries because their product quality is better than the quality of local products (Lee & Nguyen, 2017; Dao & Heidt, 2018; Rodrigo et al., 2019). Moreover, consumers are increasingly concerned about manufacturers’ environmental issues. Although ethical consumers believe that eco-products could save the environment, some consumers are not concerned about the eco-products and thus select products based on other product attributes (Joshi & Rahman, 2015). Hence, it becomes very challenging for retailers to select …

Big Business, Small Plastic, Hannah Johnson

Senior Honors Projects

No abstract provided.

Online Atmospherics In Second-Hand Retail, Hope Manuel

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Within the retail sector, two sections have grown drastically with the help of each other in the past decade. Those two sections include online retail and second-hand retail. Online retail has grown remarkably due to the implementation of online atmospherics. This phenomenon led to the purpose of this study: to observe the online atmospherics present in online second-hand retail. To achieve this purpose, the literature related to online retail, target audience, motivations of consumers, reselling, and online second-hand apps was explored. For this study, five online second-hand retail sites were chosen. Eighteen of the most common online atmospherics were observed …

From Fast Fashion To Sustainable Slow Fashion, Isabel Agatha Millward-Pena

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The objective of this thesis is to express a need for sustainability within the fast fashion industry, in the form of cultural movement that acts as alternative to the current means of production, consumption, and philosophies. Sustainability within current popular discourses is often human-centered and lacking authenticity, thus I aim to highlight an alternative that is opposite of that. In doing such, I bring to light the negative effects of the industry through a case study on the fast fashion company SHEIN, who claim to be making sustainable efforts. I analyzed SHEIN’s 2021 Sustainability and Social Impact Report (SSIR), focusing …

Fashion And Sustainability: Consumption And Shared Responsibility, Jie Gao Fowler, Timothy Reisenwitz, Rongwei Chu

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Indulgence in fashion has been indispensable in modern societies, as it is a crucial device for self-image and identity construction. With the advanced technology and globalization of production, the fashion industry has skewed towards fast fashion, making the latest trends available to mass consumers at affordable prices. This research aims to examine how Chinese consumers perceive sustainable consumption in the context of fashion. We endeavor to explore the factors that influence the engagement of sustainable consumption. This study aims not to argue whether sustainable fashion should mobilize or replace the current fashion system but to provide evidence on consumers' perception …

Upscaling Textile Upcycling, Mason Scott, Brett High, Sophia Marcum, Rachel Schiffli, Andrew Flowers

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Our research project was designed to answer one question: is it feasible for the Goodwill Industries of Akron to use upcycled clothing as a sustainable revenue driver to fund their mission? Upcycled products are simply defined as products whose value has been increased by combination or alteration. This contrasts with product reuse or recycling which Goodwill already utilizes as ways to generate revenue. Goodwill’s primary source of revenue currently is the resale of donated goods at their brick-and-mortar stores, and we thought that upcycled goods were consistent with their established business model. We hypothesized that the same consumers that presently …

Exploration Of Small Fashion Retailers' Green Efforts In Supply Chain Management And Their Coping Strategies During Covid-19, Madison Huskey

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this paper is to explore the current business model of small fashion retailers and their green efforts in supply chain management based on the Six-R framework that consists of recycle, reuse, reduce, re-design, recovery, and remanufacture. This study also investigated the impact of COVID-19 on small fashion businesses. Qualitative data were gathered through in-depth interviews of owners/employees of four small fashion retailers that addressed sustainable supply chain management, customer segments, and challenges and barriers in green supply chain management, and the effects of COVID-19. Interview findings revealed that small fashion retailers are more likely to implement green …

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 …

Conscious Couture: Upcycling And Sustainable Style, Sara Wilson

Apparel Merchandising and Product Development Undergraduate Honors Theses

The fashion and apparel industry has become synonymously associated with wastefulness and pollution due to the high levels of production, consumption and disposal of the billions of garments produced globally each year. Throughout the industry, brands have continued to set sustainability goals for both efforts to reduce their environmental impacts as well as appeal to the ‘green’ consumer. The power that a consumer holds can be leveraged for driving sustainability related initiatives through an apparel market that is virtually available everywhere. Since the 1990s, the secondhand market has developed from simply an economically friendly place to purchase necessities, to its …

How Companies Can Overcome The Barriers To Sustainability In The Fashion Industry, Madison Perreault

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

The primary intent of this paper is to explore existing case studies on the barriers to sustainability in the fashion industry as well as incorporate my own contributions by crafting and analyzing the results of a survey. This survey will give insight to the attitudes and behaviors of respondents towards sustainable fashion. I will also investigate government policies on this topic, or the lack thereof. Finally, I will offer my recommendation on how businesses can overcome the barriers to sustainability in the fashion industry.

From The Runway To The Racks: A Comparative Analysis Of Gucci And Zara, Hailey Bauer

Experience Industry Management

The fashion industry is constantly evolving. Today, consumers face more choices than ever when it comes to purchasing clothes. The purpose of this study was to examine a high-end luxury brand, Gucci, and a fast fashion brand, Zara, to compare and contrast their marketing strategies, sustainability practices, brand personality, and customer experiences. The research for this study was collected using a case study matrix, developed by the researcher, to evaluate Gucci and Zara’s marketing, sustainability, and customer experience practices. The study resulted in findings indicating the importance of social media and online marketing platforms for the increase of sales and …

Driving Sustainable Change In The Fashion Industry, Christina Pasqualicchio

Undergraduate Honors College Theses 2016-

Climate change is a threat to global sustainable development and the fashion industry is one of the largest polluters in the world. This thesis explores how fast fashion and consumerism have contributed to an overabundance of clothing, an increase in greenhouse gases, fibers and fabrics that don’t disintegrate properly, and water pollution; all of which create negative environmental and social issues. Through detailing each of these problems, it can be seen that there needs to be internal changes within the fashion industry and external changes made by consumers. In order to create these changes, the fashion industry needs to adjust …

Beyond Sustainable: An Analysis Of The Visual Rhetoric Behind The Branding Of Christy Dawn, Megan Mccormick

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

This research project offers insight into the visual rhetorical of design decisions made in the marketing materials of Christy Dawn, a sustainable fashion brand. The primary goal of this research is to identify several motivators, based on prior studies, for the consumption of sustainable fashion and analyze the existing marketing visuals of Christy Dawn’s brand, specifically in how they appeal to these motivators, thus also communicating their sustainable rhetoric to consumers in the process. This project defines these motivators in detail and addresses them in relation to particular elements of design in Christy Dawn’s materials, such as images, color, and …

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 …

The Connection Between People And The Sustainable Fashion Industries; How People Can Become More Aware Of Sustainable Fashion., Nivaldo Nazario

Business ETD Collections

This project consisted of in-depth research on the theme of sustainability in the fashion market. The main focus was the search for the connection between consumers and industries on the subject related to sustainability, how companies will seek adaptation to the sustainable fashion market and how people are valuing this subject over the years.

The research presented relevant data that show how the new generation is more concerned with environmental issues, but still not much is being done in practical actions to make this happen.

Technology proved to be a great ally for this sustainable fashion market, as analysed in …

Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting: The Case Of The Fashion Industry, Karina Zhao

Honors Scholar Theses

This paper examines the nature of corporate social responsibility (CSR), with a focus on corporations within the fashion industry. First, I discuss the evolution of CSR from its origin in the 1930s until present day, along with global trends that have risen in respect to emerging economies, industry sectors, and regulatory change. Then, I summarize factors that motivate firms to prepare and provide CSR reports – i.e., the determinants of voluntary disclosure of CSR reports. In addition, I discuss to what extent these reports are regulated and assured across the globe, as an increasing number of corporations participate in disclosing …

Fast Fashion And Sustainability - The Case Of Inditex-Zara, Tatiana Destiny Sitaro

Senior Theses

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between Inditex’s business model of fast fashion and sustainability, specifically using Zara as a case study. The analysis focuses on the comparison of Inditex and their sustainability goals, against a fixed definition of sustainability split into three parts: profit, environment, and people. The methodology of the paper is analyzing Inditex’s 2018 Annual Report and their global sustainability goals against various scholarly articles and studies conducted of the company and sustainable fashion. Ultimately, I synthesized prior studies and added the most recent sustainability report published by Inditex. The findings show that …

An Evaluation Of Sustainability In Consumption: The Behaviors Behind Purchase, Care, And Disposal Of Apparel, Ana La Rosa

Department of Textiles, Merchandising, and Fashion Design: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Fashion trend cycles have become increasingly fast-paced and unsustainable due to competition and consumer demand in the apparel sector. Despite having sustainable apparel choices available, consumers seem reluctant to adopt sustainable changes in their consumption habits due in part to the market allure of rapid turnover of goods, better known as ‘Fast Fashion’. Paired with aggressive marketing campaigns that encourage increased consumption beyond need, the apparel industry keeps expanding at alarming rates around the world. Although it has been identified that consumers increasingly care about the unethical behaviors in the industry that negatively impact the environment, this feeling does not …

Can Luxury Fashion Provide A Roadmap For Sustainability?, Zeynep Ozdamar-Ertekin

Markets, Globalization & Development Review

Fashion industry is one of the prominent industries in the world with critical negative impacts on the social and ecological environments. It constitutes a very complex and fragmented industry. The currently dominant model of "fast fashion," fulfills the desires of consumers who aspire to wear luxury fashion brands but cannot afford them, by offering them similar styles at affordable prices. However, the main principles of fast fashion, which are speed, affordability, change, disposable trends and aesthetic fads, contradict with sustainability goals and principles. Luxury fashion, on the other hand, emphasizes longevity, durability, authenticity, craftsmanship and quality, and can therefore be …

Identifying The Influences Of Psychological Factors On Fashion Customization, Sukyung Seo

LSU Master's Theses

As environmental concerns have been increasing and fashion market condition has been fierce and competitive ever before due to consumers’ ever-changing fashion tastes, customization has received growing attention considering as a solution to overcome those challenges. Despite the numerous attention, research on customization has been limited to only issues from business viewpoints whereas studies from consumers’ standpoints are little.

The purpose of the study was to examine how consumers’ psychological properties (i.e., self- promotion, need for uniqueness, self-expression, social identity, self-monitoring, and other-directedness) affect buying intention of customized apparel products mediated by perceptions of customization and extended-self. To achieve the …

The Impact Of Ethical Concerns On Fashion Consumerism: Case-Based Evidence, Lena Cavusoglu, Mourad Dakhli

Markets, Globalization & Development Review

In continuation of our previous work, “The Impact of Ethical Concerns on Fashion Consumerism: A Review,” we present here empirically based reports to support our argument that ethical concerns in the fashion industry affect consumer behavior. In line with Paper I, the initial paper of this series, we address the concept of ethical marketing, with a focus on the two dimensions of sustainable environmental practices and societally appropriate messaging. The linkages of ethical concerns in fashion with corporate image and financial performance are explored, using a set of 15 real-life cases and anecdotes. We identify challenges in this area, offer …

Exploring The Abilities Of 3d Printing And Its Viability For Consumption In The Fashion Industry, Laura C. Corral, Kaitlyn J. Walker

Apparel Merchandising and Product Development Undergraduate Honors Theses

Abstract

With the ever-evolving state of today’s technology, designers and retailers in the apparel industry are seeking out new technological methods that have the capacity to revolutionize and individualize their brand, as well as meet consumer needs and preferences. An emerging technology is 3D printing, which utilizes computer-aided technology and a variety of filaments to construct an object. Though 3D printing technology offers the ability for rapid prototyping, a condensed supply chain, and a sustainable additive manufacturing process, there is question as to whether or not consumers are ready for 3D printed clothing to enter their wardrobes. In this creative …