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This paper aims to deal with the issue of business model change in industrial markets. It considers the fast-fashion supply chain by addressing the following research questions: What are the paths of change of the supplier’s business model to match the business model of fast fashion customers? How can a supplier’s business model be adapted to customer’s requirements in these paths of change?

Empirically, the paper presents a multiple case study of 10 semi-finished textile suppliers, carried out through a long-term research programme in the Italian textile industrial district of Prato.

The multiple-case study shows some key drivers of change in the suppliers’ business models. Three main paths emerged from the interactions with fast fashion clients. Paradoxes in the supplier’s business model changes are identified and discussed.

The paper proposes implications for suppliers interacting with fast fashion clients and discusses how the adaptation of business models may be interpreted. This study points out how matching the business model of the customers does not call for alignment of similar features.

The paper deals with an understudied topic within the literature: business models change in business to business markets, taking into consideration the perspective of the supplier. It considers buyers-seller relationships in industrial supply chains as being part of a chain of business models and the need for the supplier’s business model to adapt and match one of the clients. The paper proposes two potential interpretations of such adaptation.

The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the factors affecting consumer’s fast fashion brand loyalty by examining US college students’ perceptions and loyalty toward fast fashion.

Using consumer-based brand equity approach, a research model which examines the factors affecting consumer’s brand loyalty in the fast fashion context was proposed. It was hypothesized that consumer’s perceptions of fast fashion, including brand awareness, perceived quality, perceived value, brand personality, organizational associations, and brand uniqueness, affect consumer brand loyalty. Based on the valid data from 419 US college students, this study employed structural equation modeling to investigate the factors affecting US college students’ brand loyalty toward fast fashion.

Results reveal that for the US college students, brand awareness, perceived value, organizational associations, and brand uniqueness are the contributing factors to generating consumer’s loyalty toward fast fashion brands.

Due to the fact that fast fashion has become a key feature of the global fashion industry over the last decade, there is phenomenal growth in the availability of fast fashion brands in the US markets. This study provides valuable insights about young consumers’ perceptions of fast fashion brands and the factors’ contributions to their brand loyalty.

The purpose of this paper is to identify both the inspiration sources used by fast fashion designers and ways the designers sort information from the sources during the product development process.

This is a qualitative study, drawing on semi-structured interviews conducted with the members of the in-house design teams of three Australian fast fashion companies.

Australian fast fashion designers rely on a combination of trend data, sales data, product analysis, and travel for design development ideas. The designers then use the consensus and embodiment methods to interpret and synthesise information from those inspiration sources.

The empirical data used in the analysis were limited by interviewing fashion designers within only three Australian companies.

This research augments knowledge of fast fashion product development, in particular designers’ methods and approaches to product design within a volatile and competitive market.

This study aims to develop and test a methodical approach to assessing the effectiveness of business models in fast fashion.

The approach allows one to identify the key features of companies' adaptation strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper analyzes the economic profitability of the fast-fashion industry and establishes business opportunity trends. The author identifies a set of general characteristics of business related to supply and demand before and during the pandemic crisis. The study relies on descriptive statistics and statistical processing methods, including regression analysis, arithmetic mean and the indicator of market economy dynamics.

The study found that the fast-fashion business model allows companies to adapt to the new market norms because of its dual strategy: demand-driven transparency and supply-driven sustainability, within the logic of consumption. The results indicate that focus on sustainability and transparent stakeholder engagement helps companies to remain relevant in the fashion industry.

The results of the study can be used by general managers of companies, marketers and administrative managers to select strategies and make decisions under the current and future fashion industry demands in markets at different developmental stages.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between the fast fashion formula and the process of firm internationalization. Possible answers are sought to the following research question: does the fast fashion formula drive the internationalization process (driving the change), or does the internationalization process change the model (changing the model).

The paper presents and discusses the data collected during a ten‐year longitudinal case analysis of an Italian fast fashion company. Three main steps in the firm's international expansion are identified, and the firm's strategies for managing its fast model in each are then discussed.

The findings highlight how the process of internationalization has exerted pressure on the firm's business model. In particular, the case reveals that the company's international development has had a strong impact on three main components of its fast fashion model.

The paper contributes to previous work on fast fashion by focusing on the sustainability of such models during international expansion, a key theme which has to date received little attention in ongoing academic debate on the fast fashion phenomenon.

The rise of fast fashion has changed the face of global fashion. Despite sector growth, critics have questioned the level of obsolescence, encouragement of over-consumption and fast fashion's unsustainable business practices. Specifically, mounting concerns surround the impact on environmental, worker and animal welfare. Accordingly, the aim of this current work is to understand the influence of consumer's values on ethical consumption in a fast-fashion context.

An online survey was designed to collect responses relating to personal values and ethical concerns towards animal and worker welfare issues, as well as environmental concerns. A total of 350 US-based fast-fashion consumers completed the survey via Amazon MTurk. Factor analyses and structural equation modelling were used to analyse and test a theoretically hypothesised model.

This study found that self-transcendence values and openness to change values have a positive impact on consumers' levels of ethical concern towards animal welfare, the environment and worker welfare concerns within the fashion industry. Furthermore, a consumer's level of concern towards animal welfare and the environment positively influences a consumer's likeliness to purchase ethically marketed fast fashion.

This is the first study to investigate the role of consumer values and their influence on ethical concerns within the fashion industry and the impact of these concerns on intentions to purchase ethically marketed fast fashion. Responding to calls for further research into ethical consumption of apparel, this study includes all elements of ethical consumption identified, including animal welfare. This study identifies ethical areas of concern salient amongst fast-fashion consumers and provides a deeper understanding of the values impacting the level of ethical concerns surrounding animal welfare, the environment and worker welfare.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the market structure and the key drivers of the competitiveness of an agile and collaborative fast fashion supply chain using South Korea’s Dongdaemun fashion market – one of the world’s largest and most competitive fashion hubs – as an example.

A qualitative approach is employed with a two-stage study. The first stage is a preliminary study based on a desk research and several field visits, while the second is an in-depth interview study with seven informants collectively representative of the members of all echelons along a fashion supply chain.

The findings demonstrate that the Dongdaemun fashion market has a complex market structure and a unique business pattern. Supply chain agility and collaboration are two important components of its success, which are supported by five factors: self-sufficient structure, multiple-integrated network, strong entrepreneurship, close and long-lasting buyer-seller relationships, and quick-response product delivery and inventory replenishment.

This study extends our knowledge of supply chain management in the fast fashion industry and provides insights to assist in the development of supply chain strategies in other fashion markets and/or other industries. The extended conceptual framework as well as the proposed questions may serve as points of reference for future studies in the subject area.

The purpose of the study is to explore Shein’s “ultra-fast fashion” merchandising strategies as opposed to Zara and H&M, two of the most representative conventional fast fashion retailers.

The study was based on a statistical analysis of the detailed product assortment and pricing information of 12,000 apparel items at the stock-keeping unit level sold by Shein, Zara and H&M in the US market between January 2022 and December 2023.

Results show that Shein’s merchandising strategies differ statistically from Zara and H&M. Such distinctions can be observed through Shein’s deliberate adoption of a narrower product assortment, substantial investments in trendy clothing over plain-style staple items, a significantly lower product replenishment rate and a more conservative discount rate.

The findings offer unique insights into Shein’s business secret and deepen our understanding of the evolving fast fashion business model.

Uppsala internationalisation theory is highly utilised due to its simplicity and applicability. However, there are contrasting results on its assumption that firms follow a gradual internationalisation process. Literature shows that firm strategies (e.g. targeting a niche market) and firm resources (e.g. brand image and asset specificity) may decrease barriers of entry. Global fashion retailers possess these characteristics and may not follow a gradual internationalisation pattern. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to examine whether fashion retailers that target a niche market, have a strong brand image and asset specificity will follow a gradual internationalisation pattern suggested by Uppsala.

Two aspects of internationalisation (speed of internationalisation and market selection) were analysed. Market selection was measured by three aspects of distance (geographic distance, economic distance, and culture distance). Data were collected utilising secondary sources and internationalisation patterns were calculated using existing formulas.

Overall, results provided partial support for Uppsala model. After cautious expansion early in internationalisation, fashion retailers experience a period where rapid expansion exists. During initial internationalisation, geographically and economically close markets were chosen, which mirror the Uppsala model. However, no incremental patterns were observed thereafter. In addition, after initially moving to culturally close countries, firms moved to countries with close cultural proximity to each other rather than close to home market.

The findings are based on three cases of fast fashion retailers; thus, for further generalisation, if the findings will be applicable to other fashion firms which have different strategies and resources needs to be examined.

This study is one of the first attempts to research the applicability of Uppsala model to fashion retailers. By investigating fashion retailers that target niche markets, have strong brand image and asset specificity; the paper adds additional empirical evidence of situations where internationalisation does not follow the linear pattern that Uppsala model argues.

Detrimental impacts on social and ecological well-being of excessive fashion consumption and production practices are posing threats on future generations. Therefore, the need for sustainable solutions and endorsing them through social marketing efforts is more urgent than ever. From the consumption angle, this study aims to explore the driving forces behind consumers’ restless desire for the new and the growing need to consume sustainably.

This paper is conceptual in nature, and through a review of the literature in fashion, consumer, sustainability and social marketing studies, it examines why consumer desire for the new is so profound and how it conflicts with sustainability goals of the fashions industry. With a macrosocial approach, it reveals how multiple constituents of the fashion system can contribute toward sustainability goals.

This study explains consumers’ psychological and social needs driving their restless desire for the new and the role of fast fashion companies fuelling this desire. It also discusses the consequences of excessive fashion consumption and presents social marketing solutions at micro, meso and macro levels with upstream and downstream effects toward sustainability goals.

Considering the increasing consciousness about the negative impacts of excessive fashion consumption, this study suggests both practical and social implications that are associated with multiple stakeholders including consumers, fashion companies and public policymakers.

This study reveals in detail the challenges and potential social marketing solutions at micro, meso and macro levels, concerning the conflict between consumers’ restless desire for the new and the pressing need to consume more sustainably.