fast fashion sustainability

7/21/2019 Fast Fashion Sustainability

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/fast-fashion-sustainability-56d98727e31f1 1/24

Fashion Theory, Volume 16, Issue 3, pp. 273–296

DOI: 10.2752/175174112X13340749707123

Reprins !"!il!#le $ire%l& 'rom (e

)u#lis(ers. )(oo%op&in* permie$ #&

li%en%e onl&.

+ 2012 er*.

-nn!mm! o&, o(n

/. (err&, r, -ll!$i

Ven!es(, e'' 2!n*

!n$ Ri%1& 3(!n

-nn!mm! o&, 4ni"ersi& o'

riis( 3olum#i!, !n!$!.

!nn!mm!.o&u#%.%!

o(n . 0(err&, r, 4ni"ersi& o' ore

D!me, -.

5s(err&6n$.e$u

-ll!$i Ven1!es(, 4ni"ersi& o'

3!li'orni!, Ir"ine, -.

!"en!eu%i.e$u

e'' 2!n*, 3i& 4ni"ersi& o' 8on*

on*. e '':!n*%i&u.e$u.(

Ri%1& (!n, 8on* on* )ol&e%(ni%

ni"ersi&.

msri%1&6ine.pol&u.e$u

/!s !s(ion,0us!in!#ili&, !n$(e ;(i%!l -ppe!l

o' <u=ur& r!n$s -#sr!%

The phrase “fast fashion” refers to low-cost clothing collections that

mimic current luxury fashion trends. Fast fashion helps sate deeply

held desires among young consumers in the industrialized world for

luxury fashion, even as it embodies unsustainability. Trends run their

course with lightning speed, with todays latest styles swiftly trumping

yesterdays, which have already been consigned to the trash bin. This

article addresses the inherent dissonance among fast fashion consum-ers, who often share a concern for environmental issues even as they

indulge in consumer patterns antithetical to ecological best practices.

mailto:[email protected]













274 -nn!mm! o&, o(n . 0(err&, r, -ll!$i Ven1!es(, e'' !n* !n$ Ri%1& (!n

!eemingly adept at compartmentalism, and free of conflicted guilt, such

consumers see no contradiction in their "anus-faced desires. #an luxury

fashion, with ostensibly an emphasis on authenticity, and itsconcom

-itant respect for artisans and the environment, foster values of both

$uality and sustainability% !ince individual identity continually evolves,

and re$uires a materially referential re-imagining of self to do so, we

hypothesize that actual rather than faux luxury brands can, ironically ,

unite the ideals of fashion with those of environmental sustainability.

&'()*+! luxury brands, fast fashion, sustainability, $uality and

consumer behavior

Inr o$u%ion

Over the past decade, sustainability and ethical conduct have begun

to matter in fashion (Emberley 1998; Moisander and Personen !!";

companies have reali#ed that affordable and trend$sensitive fashion,

%hile typically highly profitable, also raises ethical issues (&spers and

'ov !!)"* +o% do todays young consumers, so conscious of green

values, balance their continual need for ever$ne%er fashion %ith their

presumed commitment to environmental sustainability- .n our research,

%e as ho% such consumers perceive fast fashion versus its lu/ury coun$terpart, %hat sustainability actually means to them, and, based on our

findings, ho% the fashion industry can address sustainability*

us!in!#ili&: >(e o%i!l onr!%

'ustainability0of necessity a primary issue of the t%enty$first centur y0

is often paired %ith corporate social responsibility (&guilera et al *

!!", informed purchasing decisions, and an emerging green or ienta$

tion at some companies (2ansal and 3oth !!!"* 4'ustaina bility5 hasmany definitions, %ith the three most common being an activity that can

be continued indefinitely %ithout causing harm; doing unto others as

you %ould have them do unto you; and meeting a current gener ation,s

needs %ithout compromising those of future generations (6letcher !!8;

Partridge !11; 3eport of the 7orld ommission on Environment and

evelopment 198"* 'eidman (!!: 8" notes, 4'ustaina bility is a bout

much more than our relationship %ith the environment; it,s about our

relationship %ith ourselves, our communities, and our institutions*5

'ustainability involves comple/ and changing environmental dy$

namics that affect human livelihoods and %ell$being, %ith intersect$ing ecological, economic, and sociopolitical dimensions, both globally

and locally* <angen%ater (!!9: 11" lists some essential principles of a



/!s /!s(ion, 0us!in!#ili&, !n$ (e ;(i%!l -ppe!l o' <u=ur& r!n$s 275

sustainable policy for companies: 43espect for people (at all levels of

the organi#ation", the community, and its supply chain; respect for the

planet, recogni#ing that resources are finite; and generating profits thatarise from adhering to these principles*5 Organi#ations are embedded

in society, and reflect the value they offer society, %hich raises profound

issues* &s 2eard (!!8: ==8" states, 4>he difficulty (in the fashion in$

dustry" is to see ho% all the suppliers of the individual components can

be ethically secured and accounted for, together %ith the labour used to

manufacture the garment, its transport from factory to retail outlet, and

ultimately the garments aftercare and disposal*5 7ith a global reach,

the fashion industry supply chain is highly fragmented and inherently

comple/; as a result, fashion manufacturing is even less transparent

than agribusiness (Mihm !1!; Partridge !11"*

(& Is !s /!s(ion nsus!in!#le?

6ast fashion0lo%$cost clothing collections based on current, high$cost

lu/ury fashion trends0is, by its very nature, a fast$response system

that encourages disposability (6letcher !!8"* & formerly standard

turnaround time from cat%al to consumer of si/ months is no% com$

pressed to a matter of mere %ees by such companies as +?M and

@ara, %ith heightened profits to match (>oatli !!8"* 6ast fashion

companies thrive on fast cycles: rapid prototyping, small batches com$ bined %ith large variety, more efficient transportation and delivery, and

merchandise that is presented 4floor ready5 on hangers %ith price tags

already attached ('ov !!"*

>o eep customers coming bac, high street retailers r outinely

source ne% trends in the field, and purchase on a %eely basis to intr o$

duce ne% items and replenish stoc (>oatli and Ai#ilgun !!9"* >he

side effect of such continual and rapid turnover: a ne% form of seem$

ingly contradictory mass e/clusivity ('chran !!="* Moreover, lo%er

manufacturing and labor costs mean lo%er costs overall, %hich r esult

in lo%er prices, %hich, in turn, eBual higher volume* Even com paniessuch as @ara, %hich once manufactured all their goods in Europe, r e$

sulting in better Buality control, no% outsource at least 1C percent of

their manufacturing to hina and >urey* 'hipping time from

hina to Europe may tae three %ees, but it only taes five days

from >ur $ ey (>oatli !!8"* &dmittedly, fast fashion companies do

employ sta$ bles of in$house designers: more eye$catching designs lead

to tr endier , must$have fashions, %hich lure consumers into paying

full price no% rather than deferring gratification until the year$end

sales arrive* 7hen faced %ith tight delivery demands, fast fashion

companies %ill even use higher$cost local labor and e/pedited shippingmethods* .n due time, future financial returns %ill far out%eigh

current costs (achon and '%inney !11"*




&vid consumers are no% primed to bro%se fast fashion stores every

three %ees or so in search of ne% styles (2arnes and <ea$Dreen%ood

!!)"* &ccording to a former >opshop brand director, 4Dirls see some$thing and %ant it immediately*5 >he fast fashion industry0in com$

mon %ith the technology industry, %hich similarly produces a constant

stream of ever$improved, ever more alluring, products0e/ists courtesy

of such impulsive behavior, employing the planned obsolescence prac$

tices recently identified by Duiltinan (!!9: !": limited functional life

design and options for repair, design aesthetics that eventually lead to

reduced satisfaction, design for transient fashion, and design for func$

tional enhancement that reBuires adding ne% product features* 6ashion,

more than any other industry in the %orld, embraces obsolescence as a

primary goal; fast fashion simply raises the staes (&brahamson !11"*

oung consumers desire for fast fashion is coupled %ith significant

disposable income (or, alternatively, the availability of credit"* 6ast

fashion e/ploits this segment, offering of$the$moment design and the

immediate gratification of continually evolving temporary identities0

a postmodern phenomenon (2auman !!"* 6ast fashion has been re$

ferred to as 4Mc6ashion,5 because of the speed %ith %hich gratification

is provided* >he frame%or is global, and the term 4Mc6ashion5 is, to

a degree, appropriate* &ccording to 3it#er (!11: 1", 4FMconaldi#a$

tion is a term that became fashionable in discussing changes in capital$

ist economies as they moved to%ard greater rationali#ation* >ypes of

production matter: manufacturing reliant on artisanal craft is a distinct

system, as are those of mass and more limited production*5 48raft5

denotes highly silled labor, using simple tools to mae uniBue items,

one item at a time, and accessible to only a select clientele* +ermes af $

fluent customers, for e/ample, might %ait for several years to acBuire

a particular bag (>ungate !!9"* 7ith fast fashion, ne% styles s%iftly

supersede the old, defining and sustaining constantly emerging desires

and notions of self* &s 2inley (!!8: )!" argues, the idea of 4multiple

selves in evolution5 is central to fast fashion lovers* 6ast fashion re$

places e/clusivity, glamour, originality, and lu/ury %ith 4massclusivity5

and planned spontaneity (>otali !!8"*Gnsurprisingly, fast fashion chains in Europe have gro%n f aster

than the retail fashion industry as a %hole (achon and '%inney

!11; Mihm !1!": lo% cost, fresh design, and Buic response times

allo% for greater efficiency in meeting consumer demand* 6ast f ash$

ion chains typically earn higher profit margins0on average, a si#ea ble

1) percent0than their traditional fashion retail counterparts, %ho

average only percent ('ull and >urconi !!8"* >heir success is in$

disputably significant* onsider the case of @ara, an e/emplar of f ast

fashion: the br and,s publicly held parent company, .ndite/,

oper ates,!! stores in more than si/ty countries, and is valued at G'H= bil$

lion, %ith annual sales of H8 billion (rofton and opico !!): =1"*




>(e Rise o' -ni@onsumerism

'ome consumers, ho%ever, are disenchanted %ith mindless consump$tion and its impact on society (Ao#inets and +andleman !!="* >erms

that are often used to represent this anti$maret stance are: consumer

resistance, rebellion, boycotting, countercultural movements, and non$

consumption ('ha% and 3iach !11"* onsumers are also a%are that

individual consumption fosters organi#ational production, creating

an ongoing cycle of appetite, simultaneously voracious and insatiable*

2auman (!!!" calls it 4liBuid consumption*5 6luidity of identity and

uncertainty are the trademars of such a system, often leading to an

anti$consumerism position (2inley !!8"* &ccording to 2inley (!!8:

)!1", 47hile anti$consumerism defines a broad set of ethical and po$

litical positions and choices, it also operates on the every$day level of

mundane consumer choice, through critical discourses about the maret

itself, %here small decisions serve to anchor subIectivities in constructed

and heavily mediated narratives of lifestyle, self$hood, community, and

identity*5 &n/iety and responsibility can %eigh heavily on consumers*

.n the process of being catapulted to a postmodern lifestyle, 4identity5

as 2auman notes (!!: 11)J8", in liBuid modernity becomes 4an

endlessly cultivated and optimi#ed polyvalency of mobility, a silled

adaptability to a permanent state of ambivalence and unsettledness*5

'uch ambivalence allo%s individuals to continually reinvent themselves*

Multiple evolving selves, as %e argued earlier, are built on constantly

evolving fashion styles created by fast fashion* 2ut herein lies the para$

do/: the very possibility of reinvention can no% serve to disenchant the

consumer, as a means of revealing consumptions potential to harm oth$

ers and the environment; such information can no% realign consumers

%ith ecologically sustainable fashion (2eard !!8; Elsie !!C"*

Ae(o$olo*&: e!r%(in* 'or u#%ons%ious V!lues

.n our study, %e intervie%ed both male and female fast fashion consum$ers aged bet%een t%enty and thirty$five in +ong Aong and anada on

their o%n ideas of style and fashion, to highlight the issues involved in

their approach to consumption* +ong Aong is a long$time manufactur $

ing po%erhouse in the fashion industry, home to at least one centenary

company: <i ? 6ung, a self$described 4net%or orchestrator5 (Mihm

!1!: 9" founded in 19!), and no% the largest outsourcing firm in

the %orld, lining to 8C,!!! suppliers %orld%ide (6ung et al *, !!8"*

anada, by contrast, falls at the opposite end of the fashion industry

continuum, playing no maIor role* Gnsurprisingly, given its potent lure,

fast fashion has taen root %ithin +ong Aongs and anadas respectiveyouth cultures %ith eBual vitality*



27B -nn!mm! o&, o(n . 0(err&, r, -ll!$i Ven1!es(, e'' !n* !n$ Ri%1& (!n

7e found that sustainability is not a term young consumers typically

associate %ith fashion, although they are very open to environmental$

ism* 'uch contradictory sensibilities need to be understood in order toalter perceptions and attitudes*

Karying levels of interest in fashion and brands not%ithstanding,

fashion is ey to many of the younger adults, (those under t%enty$eight

years old", in our study, %hich is %hy %e chose that specific demo$

graphic; as %ell as a slightly older group (aged bet%een t%enty$eight

and thirty$five", %hose fashion choices %ere more closely lined to their

professional lives* .n both anada and +ong Aong, students %ho %ere

invited to Ioin our study led us to other students, until %e reached theo$

retical saturation and redundancy* >able 1 lists participants by name,

country, age, and occupation*

>o gather and analy#e data, %e combined phenomenological inter $

vie%s %ith the @altman Metaphor Elicitation >echniBue (@ME>", a

method of accessing subliminal thoughts by probing the meta phor ic

sub$conte/t of images self$selected by research subIects* 7e initially

met %ith each participant individually, instructing them to select ten

images representing %hat fast fashion meant to them, at least thr ee

images representing sustainability, and five indicative of lu/ury* Par $

ticipants %ere encouraged to source their images from online sites,

print advertisements, photo albums, maga#ines, and the lie, and to

consider the implications of their respective choices* &t f ollo%$up

meetings, each participant offered a personal narrative describing %hythey chose specific images, and %hat meaning they attached to each

image* 7e also ased informants to sort their respective images into

three relevant categories of their o%n devising (e*g* industr y$r elated

activities, advertising, and lu/ury$defining locations such as Par isian

landmars"* Participants then described ho% any t%o of their catego$

ries %ere more similar to each other than to the third* 7e conducted

this triad tas to probe for deeper meanings and values associated

%ith choices*

>able provides a list of images that participants provided* 'piggle

(199=", as %ell as >hompson (199)", provide a detailed analysis of thisapproach, including categori#ation, abstraction of categories, com$

parison of instances %ithin data, and discernment of emergent themes*

Karious techniBues have been proposed to tap into the subconscious,

%here most decisions are made* +eisley and <evy (1991" describe the

importance of visual elicitation techniBues, as does @altman (199",

the developer of @ME>* &ccording to @altman (199" 9 percent of

%hat consumers thin and feel is never e/pressed verbally; mechanisms

that elicit responses are needed* Our par tici pants, respective r es ponses

to images of their choosing revealed subtle assumptions, desires, and

beliefs; their self$selected and self$interpreted images served their pur $ pose %ell*




Table 1

<is o' p!ri%ip!ns.

ame #ountry /ge 'mployment

3o/anne anada ! 'tudent

<ynn +ong Aong C1 +omemaer

<inda +ong Aong 1 'tudent

3ita +ong Aong C +omemaer

ave anada C Merchandiser

7endy +ong Aong ! 'tudent

Lora anada C 'hop assistant

<ara anada 1 'tudent

2rendan anada C! 'ales cler

Eva +ong Aong C onsultant

<eticia +ong Aong CC Office %orer

&le/a +ong Aong C >eacher

atherine anada C Office %orer

3ita anada ! 'tudent

ynthia +ong Aong C <a%yer

athy +ong Aong CC Office %orer

'heena anada C! 'hop assistant

enny +ong Aong ! 'tudent

+enry anada 1 'tudent

avid anada ! 'tudent

&licia anada Drocery store %orer

>ania anada ! 'tudent

&ndre% +ong Aong ! 'tudent

Ellen +ong Aong C1 'ales assistant

oanne +ong Aong ! 'tudent

Melissa anada 'tudent

<inda +ong Aong 'tudent

Paula anada C! +omemaer

>om anada C! 6ashion store manager

ohn anada C! 'ales manager

>im +ong Aong C 6inancial officer

Eric +ong Aong C! 2an teller

>anya +ong Aong C! +omemaer



2B0 -nn!mm! o&, o(n . 0(err&, r, -ll!$i Ven1!es(, e'' !n* !n$ Ri%1& (!n

Table 2

Im!*es.

6ast 6ood

6lash Dordon (fast fashion"

>rends$'tyle (cat%al"

Pop &rt (actress: &udrey +epburn"

Aaleidoscope

& +ouse on the <ae (%ater"

Plastic Korte/ in the Ocean

Eco$fashion

Mona <isa (face"

E/clusivity0Pate Philippe (%rist%atches"

haumet e%elry

Our overarching finding is that consumers from both +ong Aong

and anada, %hile concerned about the environmental and social im$

pact of their non$fashion purchasing decisions, did not apply such prin$

ciples to their consumption of fashion* >hey taled in general terms of

saving the environment, %ere committed to recycling, and e/pressed

dedication to organic food* .n the strict fashion conte/t, ethical fashion

refers to 4the positive impact of a designer, a consumer choice, a methodof production as e/perienced by %orers, consumers, animals, society,

and the environment5 (>homas !!8: "* et, these very same con$

sumers routinely availed themselves of trend$led fashionable clothing

that %as cheap: i*e* lo% cost to them, but high cost in environmental

and societal terms* >hey also e/hibited relatively little guilt about fast

fashions disposability, seeing little discrepancy bet%een their attitudes

to%ard sustainability and their fashion choices*

Our finding is unsurprising; other studies have similarly documented

irrational consumer choices that are poorly connected to, or completely

disconnected from, consumer values (Moisander and Personen 1991"*>he moral$norm activation theory of altruism proposed by 'ch%art#

(19C" states that environmental Buality is a collective good, and there$

fore %ill motivate consumers to embrace environmentalism in all aspects

of life* >he rapid rise of fast fashion implies other%ise* 'ch%art# theory

presumes that consumers %ill thoughtfully evaluate the life cycle of dif $

ferent products, and %ill then select %hichever product has the least

environmental load* +o%ever, in our study, participants had little over $

lap %ith the 4ethical hard liners5 (those living entirely in line %ith their

commitment to sustainability, and thus purchasing only eco$fashion"

discussed by Liinimai (!1!: 1" in her study of eco$fashion in 6in$land* 'olomon and 3abolt (!!=" argue that sustainability is simply not

an attribute that most consumers consider %hen purchasing clothing*



/!s /!s(ion, 0us!in!#ili&, !n$ (e ;(i%!l -ppe!l o' <u=ur& r!n$s 2B1

Figure 1

I$eni& pl!& !n$ '!s'!s(ion.

>%o themes predominate in our analysis: 4speed and style at lo%

cost5 and 4disposability and limited durability*5 >hese options enable

consumers to constantly alter their identity* >he infographic in 6ig$ure 1 delineates these emergent themes* .n addition, three themes that

emerged from discussions of lu/ury in both locales are desireNdream,

historyNheritage, and eleganceNart* 7e focus belo% on only those themes

directly relevant to the issue of sustainability*




>(e -$"en o' (e!p (i%

Often participants combined several themes in their descriptions* 'peed%as described as part of the fast fashion industry mode* Gpdated loos,

greater variety, and limited editions, along %ith the speed of their avail$

ability, mae this industry very attractive to many consumers0initially

a younger cro%d, but no% attracting older segments as %ell* 'ome

participants even taled of speed that resembled that of the fast food

industry, although they recogni#e the problems associated %ith creat$

ing goods for mass cultural consumption ('tillman !!C"* 3o/anne,

a anadian student, echoed the vie%s of the >opshop brand director

mentioned earlier: 4. %ant to see ne% things and styles that can help

me create and recreate my %ardrobe and %ho . am* 2ut . dont %ant

to loo lie someone else0so the limited edition satisfies this need to

be uniBue* 7hen . see it on the cat%als or in maga#ines, . %ant it

immediately*5 3o/annes desire is characteristic of ho% purchases are

made in stores lie @ara* &s one participant, 3ita, a anadian student,

mentioned, 4.f you do not buy the item that you lie right a%ay, you

%ill not be able to get it later*5 >he supply side of fast fashion ensures

scarcity, %hich in turn drives demand* <ynn, another participant from

+ong Aong, referenced fast food, noting:

'ince the speed %ith %hich***the display and collection changes

is fast, it fast fashion is similar to the fast food store* .n +ong

Aong, most of us go to fast food restaurants at least once a

%ee0the same is true of fast fashion* 7e lie ne% things and %e

dont have to %ait too long before %e o%n these items*

<inda, a +ong Aong student, noted: 46ast fashion (lie 6lash Dordon"

is moving at the speed of light, speeding up deliveries, and reinventing***

itself and***its designs as Buicly as possible*5 learly, time is of the

essence* &s ave, a thirty$five$year$old anadian merchandiser,

pointed out, 4Patience used to be a virtue* 2ut nobody lies to be ept

%aiting* Once consumers have seen the latest fashion sho%s, they %antto o%n the high$fashion item &'&P*5

>he possibilities of endlessly defining the self are envisaged* 7endy,

a +ong Aong student, said: 4ust recently . purchased a coctail dr ess

for my f r iend,s %edding party* . sa% a similar dress at Marc acobs0 a

velvet beaded dress0but . bought this one at @ara for a fraction of

the price* .t may not be premium Buality, but it is a trendy piece and

very affordableQ5 >he choice of that item %as more than satisf actor y,

so %hy spend more- 'ince the dress %as available at @ara, it suggested

style* Lora, a anadian shop floor assistant, commented: 4>he tr endy

items allo% me to update my %ardrobe more regularly than before* .f the style is going to be dead in a year, %hy should . buy a piece that




%ill last longer- .n a nutshell, it is affordable pricing and acce pta ble

Buality*5 <ara, a anadian student, noted: 4.t is cheap chic0it is a

trend %orth buying into* . visit @ara and +?M t%ice a month and if . see something, . buy it*5

>he fact that all our participants %ere students or recent, employed

graduates, and that all %ere under thirty$five years of age, inevitably

se%ed the responses* +o%ever, it is this demographic that is conscious

of the cat%als, slavishly follo%s trends, and is perennially in pursuit

of specific pieces that are both uniBue and stylish* >hey are also prag$

matic* 7hy spend money on something that %ill last, at most, several

seasons- .nstead, acBuire a number of items that are cheaper and offer

a %ide variety*

>he fashions themselves are seen as ne% and lively* 2rendan, a thirty$

year$old anadian salesperson, reported:

.n$house designers in these stores offer an eminently affordable

tae on the seasons trends from the cat%al* >hey bundle differ $

ent values together in the goods* One is freshness, ne/t novelty,

and then trendiness* >he pleasure from shopping for these goods

it seems is endless* >here is something ne% and cute each time

they %al into a store lie @ara*

>o$!&Cs >re!sures, >omorroCs>r!s(

isposability plays a ey role, along %ith speed and style, in fast fash$

ion* Edith, a thirty$five$year$old +ong Aong consultant, said:

>hese companies referring to +?MP use designers lie 'tella

Mcartney and Aarl <agerfeld to create limited, one$time col$

lections, %hich generally sell out %ithin days* 'o they are very

creative %hen it comes to strategyQ &ffordable prices mean that

consumers are buying more clothes more freBuently* 2ut it alsomeans theyre truly disposable* ou may eep an item after ten

%ashes, but the item may lose its lustre by then, or it may have

gone out of fashion*

>he reference to ten %ashes is derived from fast fashion compa$

nies themselves, %ho openly proffer the number as a benchmar, after

%hich an item %ill no longer be e/pected to retain its original value,

due to poor$Buality materials and manufacturing* >he companies pay

no price for such revelations, nor do most customers e/perience regret

in tossing out clothes based on this principle* <eticia, a +ong Aong of $fice %orer, did, ho%ever, have guilt pangs: 4. fill up big garbage bags

of things and then thro% them a%ay* .t is a lot of %asted goods0some




of %hich . may not even have %orn more than once* . do feel guilty, but

. have a small apartment and . cannot eep them*5 'he rationali#es her

actions on the basis of limited space, but sho%s no attempt to reducingher shopping sprees* &le/a, a +ong Aong teacher, too specific steps to

assuage her guilt: 4. give all my clothes to my maid***she is al%ays in

fashion after .ve had my fill %ith these clothes* 2ut at least . dont feel

guilty* .t is recyclingQ5 +ong Aong has a recent history of bringing in

domestic %orers from the Philippines, and, unsurprisingly, they have

a reputation for dressing %ell (onstable !!"* atherine, a anadian

office %orer, noted, assessing an image she chose of escalators:

>oronto artist Michel &%ad captures urban movement in his pan$

oramic photographs* >his picture captures images of escalators at

one of anadas busiest shopping centers on one of the cra#iest

shopping days02o/ing ay* <ots of people are conveyed in and

out of the same place every hour, every minute, and even every

second* >his is e/actly lie the fashion industry; varieties of style

are put on and off the shelves at the same time*

ynthia, a +ong Aong la%yer %ho had selected an image of a aleido$

scope among her choices, pointed out:

Pop &rt favoured figural imagery and the reproduction of e/$

isting and everyday obIects* >his movement eliminated dis$tinctions bet%een good and bad taste, and bet%een fine and

commercial art techniBues* On the other hand, a aleidoscope

is a tube of mirrors* Once the tube is rotated, the tumbling of

the coloured obIects presents the vie%er %ith varying colour s

and patterns* >he main feature of both Pop &rt and the aleido$

scope is the alteration of an e/isting obIect to a small e/tent 0in

the form of a silhouette, color, pattern, and so on* .t is similar

to the design process in the fast fashion business* >hat is %hy

it is dis posa ble*

Of the thirty participants in both locales, only si/ taled overtly about

the societal do%nside of fast fashion* athy, an office %orer in +ong

Aong, suggested: 4.t maes producers violate guidelines on the treat$

ment of %orers, and brea the la%s on overtime* Even if the factory

o%ner is a good man and %illing to pay %orers legally, he cannot

control the %oring hours*5 enny, a young +ong Aong fashion student

%ho is appalled at the %aste and unsustainable practices, described ho%

she reuses her clothes: 4. tae bits and pieces from my old clothes that

do not fit anymore or are not in style and se% them together* .t %ill

become a ne% piece of clothing that is in style and . can %ear it for another year *5




n$ers!n$in* us!in!#ili&: Is ;%o@'!s(ion !

Vi!#le Opion?

3esponses to %hat sustainability meant to individuals %ere robust, %ith

details of ho% personal acts of consumption led to sustainability* +enry,

a anadian student, said, 4'ustainability means to live a life %here you

are not taing any more from the earth than %hat you are giving bac*

ou are trying to minimi#e the environmental footprint that you leave

behind*5 .t is important to him; he notes that he does not buy boos

anymore, but is involved in e$learning* +e believes in not turning on

the %ashing machine unless there is a full load, and even hang$dries

his clothes* et, he e/periences no guilt in buying clothes designed to

have no long$term value* avid, a young anadian student, observed:

4'ustainability is the level at %hich humans are able to live and co$e/ist

indefinitely %ith the natural %orld %ithout harming or causing damage

to either side*5 6or him, partnership %ith nature is a mechanism by

%hich he is reminded to act in sustainable %ays* +e recycles bottles for

money, conserves electricity, and uses %ater very carefully* et, he

too shops for fast fashion items regularly* &licia, %ho %ors in a

grocery store in anada, taled about ho% important it %as to be

vegetarian, given large$scale agribusiness detrimental impact on the

environment* 2ut &licia %as oblivious of the lins bet%een

environmental issues and her obsession %ith fast fashion*

'ome of the images that participants used to illustrate sustaina bility

suggest that they tae it Buite seriously* avid provided a picture of a

plastic vorte/ in the ocean that he noted 4includes all inds of plastic

litter, including rocs that %e used last year* 7e are destroying our

oceans*5 >ania, a anadian student, chose an image of a big, br and$

ne% house to demonstrate ho% easy it is to fall victim 4***to the f alse

Lorth &merican reality that possessing material things eBuals ha ppi$

ness* >he purpose of life is not to buy, but to live and feel*5 Melissa, a

anadian student, said, 42y recycling, . am helping to save trees and

allo% more clean o/ygen to be produced***. attempt to consider sustain$

able values in all area of my life, including at home, at school, and at%or*5 oanne, a +ong Aong student, summari#ed it %ell: 4. am ha ppy

to do my bit for the planet and recycle, etc* 2ut fashion***this is another

thing* Maybe if designers used eco$labelled materials and designs, the

change %ill happen* 2ut at this point the eco$fashion . have seen is not

fashion0they are Iust plain dull and for older people per ha ps*5

7hen participants %ere ased if they %ould buy eco$fashion, the

Buic response %as only if the clothes %ere stylish* Gsually the choices

available to them %ere only >$shirts* Even %hen other items %ere avail$

able, as in offerings by companies, such as &merican &pparel, that use

organic cotton, participants sa% the clothing as frumpy* &s <inda, a stu$dent from +ong Aong, said, 4. %ould never buy these clothes, because




they are Iust as boring as those from Dap* .t is so out of sync %ith %hat

is happening no% on the cat%als*5 7hen %e probed further, Paula, a

anadian participant, said, 4ou need to get the designers %eighing inon this issue and using organic cotton and the proper dyes and so on*

.f Marc acobs did it, %e %ould all be buying these clothes*5 hange

is possible, but it has to come from the fashion domain* &esthetics is

crucial to the appeal of eco$f ashion*

&s noted above, participants cared greatly about sustainability, but

only as it related to food, recycling, and, in some cases, cosmetics (no%

available containing organic ingredients"* .f consumers recogni#e the de$

mands that fast fashion maes on the environment, they seem to bloc

it from their consciousness (oergens !!)"* &esthetics trump ethics, at

least for the time being* Liinimai (!1!" notes that, %hile ethical hard

liners are increasing in number, that number is still lo%*

Moreover, Liinimae argues, cost is far from the sole barrier to em$

bracing eco$fashion: style, Buality, color, compatibility %ith ones cur $

rent %ardrobe, and an ongoing desire for ne% clothes0%hich means

valuing volume over ethical considerations0affect consumer purchase

decisions as %ell*

<u=ur& /!s(ion: Dre!ms !n$ Desir es

7hen %e ased participants about lu/ury fashion, the three main

themes that emerged %ere dreams, e/clusivity, and beautyNart* 6ast

fashion allo%s dreams of lu/ury to come true* 'tyle is achievable even

if Buality is compromised; if an article of clothing is not really 4beauti$

ful5 and 4elegant5 as is the genuine item, consumers can nonetheless

afford the fast fashion option* 6or our participants, the idea of o%ning

e/clusive, uniBue items from a lu/ury brand is both an aspirational

dream and a desire; yet, even as aspirations motivate them to pursue

their dreams, pragmatism prevails* &s >om, a thirty$something ana$

dian fashion store manager, said: 4Polo is not only a traditional game

played by the upper classes (e*g* Prince harles", it also refers to thesocial and emotional attitude of people to%ards e/clusive and lu/ury

products* >his is a dream that . cherish***but it is not %ithin my reach

currently* . hope my dreams %ill come true one day*5 >he notion of

e/clusivity, accessible to only a select fe%, is also evident* ohn, a ana$

dian sales manager, noted: 4. chose a picture of a %oman taing a bath

in om Perignon champagne***a symbol of the lifestyle of an e/tremely

rich social class***. dont care about the money so much as the freedom

to do %hat you %ant and %hen you desire it*5 .mplicit in the conception

of e/clusivity is that of a signifier of status* >im, a +ong Aong financial

officer, chose a picture of a Pate Philippe %atch* +e stated: 4People in+ong Aong %ant to o%n at least one %atch lie this in their lifetime* .

also %ant to o%n one of these, %hich helps increase my status as a man,




and sho%s to my close male friends that . am also able to buy lu/ury

products*5 Pate Philippe, unlie 3ole/, is not %orn by a large number

of people in +ong Aong* .t is a dream product, %hile 3ole/ is seen asreadily accessible* .t taes no%ledge to select a Pate Philippe %atch;

this participant aspires to a loo that is very cultivated*

8eri!*e !n$ u!li&

7hile the dream Buality is essential to a lu/ury product, in some in$

stances, a long history and heritage further intensify a brands strength*

<ouis Kuitton, for instance, prides itself on having provided royalty

%ith luggage* Ruality is assured in all aspects of its business (or so is

the claim", since <ouis Kuitton Moet +ennessy has designed e/clusive

obIects for the nobility* 7hile Pate Philippe may not have served the

nobility, it does have a rich tradition of creating e/clusive and e/traordi$

narily %ell$crafted dream products* reating such products taes time,

%hich in turn limits availability; highly trained artisans %or %ith care$

fully chosen, e/clusive materials that are not produced en masse*

>he dreamlie Buality of lu/ury products has its origin in elaborate

craft ateliers %here generations of artisans have created one$of$a$ind

products* athy, a student participant from +ong Aong %ho selected an

image of haumet gold earrings among her choices, observed: 4hau$

met has served royalty since the early eighteenth century* Each piece is placed in a frame lie a piece of fine art, and can be seen through the

shop %indo%* .t sho%s they the earrings are uniBue, special, and have

a rich history* Only people %ho are in the no% %ill use such fine and

e/clusive products*5

+eritage and Buality appeal because they do not conIure up pollu$

tion, d%indling natural resources, and global %arming0most of %hich

are associated %ith the oil and transportation industries* >here is little

e/ploitation of labor, since most ateliers are attached to big fashion

houses located in maIor fashion cities, such as Paris and Milan, al$

though outsourcing to countries such as hina and .ndia is raising thespecter of s%eatshop operations*

e!u& !n$ -r

>he final theme of beauty, elegance, and art is important as %ell* >anya,

a +ong Aong participant, commented: 4Pearls give us a sense of lu/ury

because they are elegant, bright, luminous, e/pensive, and gloriously

beautiful* +igh fashion brands***mae us loo elegant*5 atherine (the

anadian participant referenced earlier", lined lu/ury brands to artand said: 4. chose the picture of the Mona <isa to represent the artistic

Buality of haute couture* . associate it %ith the personali#ation of the



2BB -nn!mm! o&, o(n . 0(err&, r, -ll!$i Ven1!es(, e'' !n* !n$ Ri%1& (!n

artistNdesigner* 'ome people refer to haute couture as moving art*5 .t is

clear from the observations of the participants that they dream of e/$

clusivity, beauty, art, design, and heritage0all of %hich are associated%ith lu/ury brands* et, this ideal seems distant* >hey love the glamour

and style, but lament the e/pense* >hey see that the ne/t best alterna$

tive is to buy fast fashion items* >hese items appro/imate the loo,

but at a fraction of the cost* onsumers compromise on Buality, the

factor central to undermining sustainability* .f the items used featured

high$Buality material and stitching, they %ould not fall apart after ten

%ashes* et fast fashion companies highlight a limited product life span

as a special attribute* onsumers are trained to continuously purchase

and consume fast fashion replacements* urability in fast fashion ap$

parel is the iss of death*

on%lu$in* Rem!rs !n$ Impli%!ions

.n this article, %e have e/plored the perceptions that consumers in both

+ong Aong and anada have of sustainability, fast fashion, and lu/ury

fashion, and have sho%n that sustainable fashion is not a priority for

them* >he bul of the data suggest that young people separate fashion

from sustainability* >hey definitely support the idea of sustainability,

but do not apply such ethics %hen it comes to sustainable fashion* >heir

moral imagination (7erhane 1998" seems Buite impoverished in this

category* >his state of moral stasis may gradually change* &s arrigan

and &ttala (!!1: " note, 4Perhaps in time ne% generations of con$

sumers %ill not only thin more ethically, but also act more ethically*5

2onini and Oppenheim (!!8: )" argue that, around the %orld,

there is a great deal of concern about environmental issues, but, 4%hen

it comes to actually buying green goods, %ords and deeds often part

%ays*5 >he apathy to%ard eco$fashion can be partly e/plained by the

fact that, %hile clothing is central to the body and the definition of

identity, it has not been related to health concerns (Petit !!"* More$

over, the term 4eco$fashion5 conIures up the hippie and environmentalmovements of the 19)!s and 19!s, during %hich ecologically sensitive

fashion often meant shapeless recycled clothing (7elters !!8"* 7inge

(!!8: !" goes one step further, distinguishing bet%een eco$dress and

eco$fashion* Eco$dress is %hat she associates %ith the hippie movement,

%hereas eco$fashion currently represents lu/ury and cultivated taste*

.n Europe, eco$fashion has become prominent; some of the producers

are smaller companies maing clothing and accessories from organic

cotton sourced through fair trade practices* Our participants felt that

these clothes %ere drab and boring* 7hile organic cotton >$shirts

may be cool to %ear to class or %hen hanging out on %eeends, onlystylish clothes %ith panache %ould do for other social occasions* Eco$

fashion did not meet these needs* Perhaps it may do so in the future, as




consumer attitudes evolve, much as, to a degree, they have done %ith

food* 7itness the ever$broadening acceptance accorded the artisanal

slo% food movement*>ellingly, 6letcher (!!8" prefers to use the term 4slo% fashion5

rather than eco$fashion, arguing that 4slo%5 in this conte/t refers not

to time (as opposed to the 4fast5 in fast fashion, %hich most assuredly

does refer to time", but rather to a philosophy of attentiveness* &s in the

slo% food movement, that philosophy is mindful of its various stae$

holders respective needs (%ith 4staeholders5 referring to designers,

buyers, retailers, and consumers", and of the impact producing fashion

has on %orers, consumers, and eco$systems*

&ccording to 2onini and Oppenheim (!!8: )" there are five barri$

ers to being green: 4<ac of a%areness, negative perceptions, distrust,

high prices, and lo% availability*5 >rust %as not an issue for our par $

ticipants, but style %as* Prices and availability did not emerge as maIor

barriers in our discussions*

&lthough a shift in po%er from corporations to staeholders has oc$

curred, accelerated by e$commerce and online activism ('caturro !!8",

our participants in both +ong Aong and anada seemed oblivious to

this shift* 7hile they do tae their brands seriously (as in fast fashion

and lu/ury", sustainable fashion brands are simply not on their radar0

or, at least, not yet* Even though Lie made the ne%s for running s%eat$

shop operations, our participants in +ong Aong and anada did not

boycott the companys products* .n any event, Lie has since made

dramatic changes to its operations, pushing its %ay to the forefront of

sustainable fashion (3amas%amy !!8"*

>(e )oer o' Dissu!sion: )romoin* us!in!#ili& "i!

-ris!ns(ip -ppr e%i!ion

<u/ury brands are often tarred %ith the same brush as fast fashion

and other types of disposable fashion (Aapferer and 2astien !!9"*

+o%ever, because of their long$standing concern for Buality andcraft, lu/ury brands could effectively counteract some of the problems

endemic to fast fashion and provide leadership on issues relating to

sustainability* 'ome consumer researchers may refer to this as 4ethi$

cal mainstreaming50a process %hereby consumers are %illing to pay

a premium for such products (>hompson and osuner$2alli !!:

1C"* &ccording to these authors, this is another guise for bourgeois

consumerism0rather than Buestion the system, such practices may %ell

be supporting the very system it purports to critiBue* 7e, on the other

hand, suggest that a lu/ury brand company can be both 4green5 and

4gold*5 2lendell and Aleanthous (!!" provide provocative insightinto the meaning of 4deeper lu/ury5 to the consumer and producer*

.ncreasingly, they argue, the pursuit of lu/ury is lined to the brands




stance on important social issues, such as saving the planet* 7hether

mareters can effectively reposition costly lu/ury brands to play au$

thentically in a more holistic ecology of value (&dolphson !!=" is a pressing Buestion* learly, presenting lu/ury brands as fulfilling an eco$

logical need is controversial, in a %orld %here lu/ury is accessible pri$

marily to only the fortunate*

'ustainable fashion, in common %ith its lu/ury counterpart, em bod$

ies living harmoniously %ith nature, employing trained artisans in safe

and humane %oring conditions (Partridge !11"* 2ut if sustaina ble

fashion items are neither meeting consumer desires, nor being offered at

affordable prices, %ho %ill buy them- &ccording to Kan Les and r a$

mer (!!", %hen ased %hat they %anted from future eco$fashion, con$

sumers listed their primary reBuirements as durability, Buality, and style*

Lot coincidentally, durability, Buality, and style are e/periences

that materially interpenetrate lu/ury brands, along %ith a sense of

personal achievement* >he sustainable consumption challenge for such

brands is their need to embody artisanship, emphasi#ing authenticity,

and both environmental and societal respect* 'ince lu/ury brands

create desire through innovative design, and influence consumption

processes, they can become leaders in sustainability* >he methods by

%hich products are manufactured, purchased, used, and disposed of

affect the environment in many %ays* >he call to ecologically

sustainable fashion is appropri$ ate at a time %hen, clearly, people

consume more natural resources and produce more pollution than the planet can sustain* 2usinesses must begin to operate %ithin the

ecological carrying capacity of the planet*

Many lu/ury brands are already maing ecologically sustainable

fashion clothing and accessories, such as 'tella Mcartney, 6erragamo,

and Kivienne 7est%ood, among others* 7est%ood acno%ledges that

she is very concerned %ith climate change and that she tries to do some$

thing about it* 'he notes: 4>here is a real connection bet%een culture

and climate change* 7e all have a part to play and if you engage %ith

life, you %ill get a ne% set of values* Det off the consumer treadmill and

start to thin and it is these great thiners %ho %ill rescue the planet5(Ecouterre !1"* 'imilarly, 'tella Mcartney says:

Eco$friendly fashion is something .ve al%ays felt strongly about*

ou have to create demand so the customer base %ill gro%* 7eve

been doing organic for years in my o%n collection, in my linge$

rie and %ith the &didas collaboration* 7e touch on it across the

board* . thin its a bit more sincere to do that* .ts part and

parcel for us as a brand* (L2 Le% or !11"

7hile fast fashion companies can emulate lu/ury products, they may beless able to match deeper elements of value, such as high ethical stan$

dards in sourcing, efficient use of material, lo%$impact manufacturing,

assembly, and distribution; and the availability of repair and upgrade




services* &ll these values represent an opportunity for lu/ury brands

to Iustify their share of purchases by affluent customers (2lendell and

Aleanthous !!", even as they address conventional criticisms, such asthe role of precious stones in financing conflicts, the impact of mining

operations on land (e*g* gold mining", %orers rights in companies and

supply chains, responsible mareting, and the trade in %ildlife$derived

products (>ungate !!9"* <u/ury brands need to also seriously consider

%hat Partridge (!11: '1!" calls 4supply chain democracy50that is

political, social and economic accountability*

.n some areas of the economy, consumers have demanded more in$

formation about product sourcing and manufacturing, including, to a

degree, in the fashion industry, %ith Lie dra%ing the %rath of pro$

testers around the %orld (if not, as referenced above, from our partici$

pants"* 6ast fashion companies such as >opshop and Dap (Mcougall

!!", have also come under relatively recent scrutiny concerning their

compromised manufacturing ethics* onsumers are demanding more

information about sourcing and manufacturing, %hich can be a point

of differentiation by companies* 'uch changes in the maretplace sug$

gest that there is a greater need to understand the relationship bet%een

ethical marets and mainstream consumer marets* &s 'ha% and 3iach

(!11: 1!9" note, 4it is through individual and collective struggle that

continually sets the parameters and maes meaning over %hat is consti$

tuted as Fethical %ithin the dominant maret*5

lar (!!9: =8" raises the issue of ho% the idea of 4slo% fash$

ion5 could be nurtured, by de$emphasi#ing %hat is seen and heard (i*e*

fashion 4bu##5", to one that values actual, tactile e/perience* +o% that

approach can be transferred to fashion remains to be seen* +o%ever, the

promise is evident, provided the focus is shifted from fashion as image,

to the materiality of fashion*

7hile dreams and desires feed consumer behavior, they must be con$

strained if sustainability is to be viable* oung consumers %ill need to

em$ brace a significant shift in consumerism: no longer routinely

pur chasing on impulse, and no longer routinely vie%ing their

acBuisitions thr ough the lens of short$term thining* .n fact, sustainablefashion should become their dream, and all staeholders in the fashion

industry should strive to$ %ard this goal, %ith lu/ury fashion playing a

maIor role in the tr ansition*

&esthetics plays a ey role in this transition, calling upon the con$

sumers ability to discern and value artisanal Buality* +eidegger argues

that a %or of art is never finished %hen the artist stops %oring on it;

rather, it needs a vie%er to mae present the 4being of a thing5 (&t%ood

!!=: =8"* >he same can be said of lu/ury: only once a lu/ury item has

become an element of a consumers self$definition, %ith its innate appeal

both reflecting and reinforcing the consumers individual aesthetic, canit be said to be fully complete*

<u/ury brands can become the leaders in sustainability because of

their emphasis on artisanal Buality; %hy toss an item designed to last, %ith




timeless0as opposed to deliberately time$limited0style- issuading

consumers from fast fashion poses a significant challenge, ho%ever, given

their acute addiction to its transient thrills* +o%ever, since identity iscontinually evolving, and reBuires a materially referential imagining of

an individual,s identity, an alignment of fashion %ith saving the envi$

ronment could mae dissuasion possible (Parins !!8"* 'uch a pr ocess

cannot be tied to the conceit of a self that is fully transparent to itself and

to %hom %e are able to assign agency (2utler !!"* &s 2inley (!!8:

)!" notes, 4&mbivalence itself is no longer the enemy of identity, but

the basis for an on$going proIect of the self, tuned to the endless pr e$

production of fluidity, mobility, and indeterminacy as a permanent state

through a variety of life choices, daily practices, and on$going proIects

of the self*5 7e tend to believe lie 2utler (!!" does, that the basis

for morality is not so much self$identity but the e/posure to other s0 the

continued desire and attempt to not close do%n the tas of narr ative

itself* 6ashion, especially sustainable fashion, lends itself to such cr eative

practice (Ent%istle and 3ocamora !!)"* &s 7ilson (!!=: C81" sug$

gests, 46ashion, the epitome of consumerism, is also its stealthiest cr itic*5

-%nole$*mens

>he authors gratefully acno%ledge receipt of an ''+3 grant Lo:

=1!$!!=$1=9 in anada and an internal grant from the +ong AongPolytechnic Gniversity in +ong Aong*

Re'eren%es

&brahamson, Eric* !11* 4>he .ron age: Ggly, ool and Gnfashion$

able*5 Organization Studies C: )1J9*

&dolphson, * !!=* 4& Le% Perspective on Ethics, Economics, and

Ecology*5 Journal of Business Ethics =: !CJ1)*

&guilera, 3* K*, * E* 3upp, * &* 7illiams and * Danapathi* !!*

4Putting the ' 2ac in orporate 'ocial 3esponsibility: & Multi$level>heory of 'ocial hange in Organi#ations*5 Academy of Manage-

ment Review C(C": 8C)J)C*

&spers, P* and <* 'ov* !!)* 4Encounters in the Dlobal 6ashion 2usi$

ness*5 Current Sociology =: =J)C*

&t%ood, * &* !!=* 4+eidegger and Dadamer: >ruth 3evealed in &rt*5

Eudaimonia !he "eorgetown #hiloso$hic Review 1(1": =8J=* 2ansal,

P* and A* 3oth: !!!* 47hy ompanies Do Dreen: & Model

of Ecological 3esponsiveness*5 Academy of Management Journal

=C(=": 1JC)*

2arnes, <* and D* <ea$Dreen%ood: !!)* 46ast 6ashioning the 'upplyhain: 'haping the 3esearch &genda*5 Journal of %ashion Mar&et -

ing and Management 1!(C": 9J1*




2aumann, @* !!' (i)uid (ife* ambridge: Polity Press*

2eard, L* !!8* 4>he 2randing of Ethical 6ashion and the onsumer:

& <u/ury Liche or a Mass Maret 3eality-5 %ashion !heory 1(=":==J)8*

2inley, '* !!8* 4<iBuid onsumption*5 Cultural Studies (":

99J)C*

2lendell, * and Aleanthous, &* !!* 4eeper <u/ury: Ruality and

'tyle 7hen the 7orld Matters*5 Dodalming: 776$GA*

2onini, '* and * Oppenheim* !!8* 4ultivating the Dreen onsumer *5

Stanford Social *nnovation Review 6all: )J)1*

2utler, * !!* "iving an Account of Oneself' Le% or: 6ordham

Gniversity Press*

achon, Derard P* and 3obert '%inney* !11* 4>he Kalue of 6ast 6ash$

ion: Ruic 3esponse, Enhanced esign, and 'trategic onsumer 2e$

haviour*5 Management Science &pril: (=": 8J9*

arrigan, M* and &* &ttala* !!1* 4>he Myth of the Ethical on$

sumer0o Ethics Matter in Purchase 2ehaviour-5 Journal of Con-

sumer Mar&eting 18 (": )!J*

lar, +* !!9* 4'lo% 6ashion0&n O/ymoron or a Promise for the

6uture-5 %ashion !heory 1(=": =J=)*

onstable, L* !!* Maids to Order in +ong ,ong Stories of Migrant

-or&ers* .thaca, L: ornell Gniversity Press*

rofton, 'tephanie and <uis opico (!!)"* 4@ara$.ndite/ and the

Dro%th of 6ast 6ashion*5 Essays in Economic and Business +istory

SSK: =1JC*

Ecouterre* !1* 4'hQt ame Kivienne 7est%ood 'ays: Dreatest +its

Edition*5 Ecouterre* http:NN%% %*ecouterre*comNshit$dame$vivienne$

%est%ood$saysNvivienne$%est%ood$says$=N-e/tendT1 (accessed &pril =,

!1"*

Elsie, M* !!C* 4Managing 2rands in the Le% 'taeholder Environ$

ment*5 Journal of Business Ethics' ==: CJ=)*

Emberley, K* 1998* 4Kenus and 6urs: >he ultural Politics of 6ur*5

<on$ don: .* 2* >auris ? o*

Ent%istle, * and &* 3ocamora* !!)* 4>he 6ield of 6ashion Material$i#ed*5 Sociology =!(=": CJ1*

6letcher, A* !!8* Sustaina.le %ashion / !e0tiles 1esign Journeys*

O/ford: Earthscan*

6ung, K* A*, 7* A* 6ung and * * 7ind* !!8* Com$eting in a

%lat

-orld' Gpper 'addle 3iver, L: 7harton*

Duiltinan, * !!9* 4reative estruction and estructive reations:

Environmental Ethics and Planned Obsolescence*5 Journal of Busi-

ness Ethics 89: 19J8*

+eisley, * and '* <evy* 1991* 4&uto$driving: & Photo Elicitation >ech$niBue*5 Journal of Consumer Research 1(ecember": =91J!C*

oergens, * !!)* 4Ethical 6ashion: Myth or 6uture >rend-5 Journal

of %ashion Mar&eting and Management 1!(C": C)!J1*

http://www.ecouterre.com/shit-dame-vivienne-






Aapferer, * L* and K* 2astien* !!9* 4.n the 2eginning >here 7as

<u/$ ury*5 .n !he (u0ury Strategy, pp* CJC!* <ondon and

Philadelphia,P&

Aogan Page*Ao#inets, 3* and * +andleman* !!=* 4&dversaries of onsumption:

onsumer Movements, &ctivism, and .deologies*5 Journal of Con-

sumer Research C1(ecember": )91J!=*

<angen%ater, D* !!9* 4Planet 6irst*5 *ndustrial Management 1(=":

1!J1C*

Mcougall, * !!* 4.ndian F'lave hildren 6ound Maing <o%$

ost lothes estined for Dap*5 !he O.server October 8*

Mihm, 2arbara: !1!* 46ast 6ashion in a 6lat 7orld: Dlobal 'ourcing

'trategies*5 *nternational Business and Economics Research Journal

une 9()": J)C*

Moisander, ohanna and '* Personen* !!* 4Larratives of 'ustainable

7ays of <iving: onstructing the 'elf and Others as a Dreen on$

sumer*5 Management 1ecision =!(=": C9J=*

L2 Le% or* !11* 4'tella Mcartney >als Eco$6ashion and +er

2rands Dro%th*5 L2 Le% or* http:NN%% % *nbcne%yor*comN

blogsNthr eadnyN>+3 E&$'tella$Mcar tney$>al s$Eco$6ashion$

&nd$+er$2rands$Dro%th$11CC)=*html (accessed &pril =, !1"*

Liinimai, Airsi* !1!* 4Eco$lothing, onsumer .dentity and .deol$

ogy*5 Sustaina.le 1evelo$ment 18: 1!J)!*

Parins, .* !!8* 42uilding a 6eminist >heory of 6ashion*5 Australian

%eminist Studies C(8": !1J1*

Partridge, * * !11* 4&ctivist apitalism and 'upply hain iti#enship:

Producing Ethical 3egimes and 3eady$to$7ear lothes*5 Current

Anthro$ology ('C": '9J'111*

Petit, &* !!* 4>e/tiles and 'ustainability, Maing it 7or in Prac$

tice*5 <ecture, anuary 1)* <ondon: 3oyal ollege of &rt*

3amas%amy, K* !!8* 4o$creating Kalue through ustomers E/peri$

ences: >he Lie ase*5 Strategy and (eadershi$ C)(": 1J9*

3eport of the 7orld ommission on Environment and evelopment*

198* Our Common %uture' >he 2rundtland ommission to the

Gnited Lations* O/ford: O/ford Gniversity Press*3it#er, D* !11* !he Mc1onaldization of Society, )th edn* Le%bury

Par, &: Pine 6orge Press*

'caturro, 'arah* !!8* 4Eco$tech 6ashion: 3ationali#ing >echnology in

'ustainable 6ashion*5 %ashion !heory 1(=": =)9J88*

'chran, &* !!=* 43eady to 7ear evelopment- 6oreign .nvestment,

>echnology >ransfer, and <earning by 7atching in the &pparel

>rade*5 Social %orces 8C(1": 1CJ)*

'ch%art#, '* 19C* 4Lormative E/planations of +elping 2ehaviour: &

ritiBue, Proposal and Empirical >est*5 Journal of E0$erimental So-

cial #sychology 9(=": C=9J)=*'eidman, * !!* +ow e 1o Anything Means Everything * +oboen,

L: ohn 7iley ? 'ons*

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/




'ha%, eirdre and Aathleen 3iach* !11* 4Embracing Ethical 6ields:

onstructing onsumption in the Margins*5 Euro$ean Journal of

Mar&eting =(N8": 1!1J)*'ov, <* !!* 4+ong Aong 6ashion esigners as ultural .ntermedi$

aries: Out of Dlobal Darment Production*5 Cultural Studies 1)(=":

CJ)9*

'olomon, M* and L* 3abolt* !!=* Consumer Behaviour in %ashion*

Engle%ood liffs, L: Prentice$+all*

'piggle, '* 199=* 4&nalysis and .nterpretation of Rualitative ata in

onsumer 3esearch*5 Journal of Consumer Research 1(ecem$

ber": =91J!C*

'tillman, >* !!C* 4Mconalds in Ruestion: >he <imits of the Mass

Maret*5 !he American Behavioral Scientist =(": 1!J)*

'ull, onald and 'tefano >urconi* !!8* 46ast 6ashion <essons*5 Busi-

ness Strategy Review 'ummer: J11*

>homas, '* !!8 46rom 4Dreen 2lur5 to Eco 6ashion: 6ashioning an

Eco$<e/icon*5 %ashion !heory 1(=": J=!*

>hompson, * 199)* 4aring onsumers: Dendered onsumption

Meanings and the uggling <ifestyle*5 Journal of Consumer Re-

search (March": C88J=!*

>hompson, raig and D* osuner$2alli* !!* 4Enchanting Ethical

onsumerism: >he ase of ommunity 'upported &griculture*5

Journal of Consumer Culture (C": JC!C*

>oatli, L* !!8* 4Dlobal 'ourcing .nsights from the lothing .ndus$

try: >he ase of @ara, a 6ast 6ashion 3etailer*5 Journal of Economic

"eogra$hy 8: 1JC8*

>oatli, L* and O* Ai#ilgun* !!9* 46rom Manufacturing Darments for

3eady to 7ear to esigning ollections: Evidence from >urey*5

Environment and #lanning =1: 1=)J)*

>ungate, M* !!9* (u0ury orlds* <ondon: Aogan Page*

Kan Les, L* and * ramer* !!* 4.nfluencing Product <ifetime

through Product esign*5 Business Strategy and the Environment

1=(": 8)J99*

7elters, <* !!8* 4>he Latural <oo: &merican 'tyle in the 19!s*5 %ashion !heory 1(=": =89J1!*

7erhane, P* 1998* 4Moral .magination and the 'earch for Ethical

e$ cision$maing in Management*5 Business Ethics 2uarterly

('pecial .ssue": J98*

7ilson, E* !!=* 4Magic 6ashion*5 %ashion !heory 8(=": CJ8=*

7inge, >* M* !!8* 4Dreen is the Le% 2lac: elebrity hic and the

FDreen ommodity 6etish*5 %ashion !heory 1(=": 11J=*

@altman, D* 199* 43ethining Maret 3esearch: Putting People 2ac

.n*5 Journal of Mar&eting Research C=(=": ==JC*

fast fashion sustainability

Documents