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This review is divided into three sections describing the state of the Canadian clothing market; the trade situation and the penetration of the market by American retailers, giving an interesting insight into the ongoing internationalisation of the sector. It is based upon articles published in Apparel Insights (The Canadian Apparel Market Newsletter) and the material is reproduced with permission from the aforementioned ‘Apparel Insights — A Canadian Quarterly Apparel Market’, a newsletter published by Apparel Management Insights, PO Box 694, Postal Station B, Ottawa, ON KIP 598, Canada (publisher: Constantine Campaniaris; editor: Jim Heppell). Data from the Canadian Apparel Market Monitor were provided by Randy Harris of Kormos, Harris and Associates.

Grounded theory, supported by leading designers, argues for an integrated approach covering end users and designers. However, no substantial work on apparel design has been done so far where a balance is maintained by combining the opinions of consumers and the designers. The purpose of this paper is to provide an analytical framework for designing apparel considering both consumers’ opinions and fashion designers’ views.

An algorithm is proposed for reducing attributes and their levels to carry out conjoint analysis and assign utilities to different attributes and their levels. After selecting the best three design combinations based on their utilities, the authors have arrived at optimum design combinations. Through Delphi method, the opinions of a few fashion designers about these selected design combinations have been collected for matching with optimum design.

An optimum design is suggested for a formal office shirt, for North Indian women, by integrating opinions of designers and consumers.

Attribute and level reduction technique is an original contribution to the literature. Further, the authors’ approach to apparel design may provide a guideline to apparel manufacturers when designing their products. Knowledge of optimum design combinations gained through this approach may help apparel manufacturers and retailers in bringing efficiency in stock keeping unit management by keeping more stocks of apparel with optimum design combinations and thus ensuring a better return on investment made on their stocks.

Strategic management.

MBA-Entrepreneurship, Strategic management, Marketing management.

The case explains a concept called crowd designed fashion by a startup venture, Hashboosh.com. The business model appeared unique and suitable for the requirements of the market, but there is a question regarding its sustainability due to breeding its own competition. In the backdrop of the case, the students can analyse the organisation by identifying the internal strengths and weaknesses of the organisation as well as the external threats and opportunities, thereby devising a strategy for the organisation to progress.

The case will enable students to analyse an organisation in terms of its internal strength and weakness as well as external threats and opportunities. It enables students to gain strategies for firms by analysing the firm’s internal and external factors. It will offer students a practical understanding for conducting competitor analysis. It will enable students to devise a marketing plan for small firms based on its internal and external analysis.

Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

CSS 11: Strategy.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the ways in which butch lesbians manage and negotiate their sexual identity in the workplace.

A qualitative study using online ethnographical enquiry to explore lesbians' experiences of performing butch identity in the workplace. Ethical and other issues relating to online ethnographic research are also explored and discussed.

Identity negotiation is a key issue and lesbians face the constant pressure of identity management. This is not simply a personal perspective but a defence mechanism to counter the heteronormative culture within organisations. Strategies for dealing with these tensions evident in the literature and reflected in this study range from “passing” (passing as a heterosexual) to defying expectations of heteronormativity and remaining constant to individual butch identity.

The paper can assist HRD professionals and leaders in developing organisation cultures which embrace and include difference and help obviate oppression. It may also be of interest to researchers and policy makers in the fields of diversity and equality and LGB issues.

The findings here will be of interest to social audiences including LGBT individuals, activist groups and support groups. Wider understanding of female masculinity and butch identity may help leverage greater tolerance and acceptance.

This study responds to calls for more LGBT research in the workplace and organisational context. The findings develop the understanding of identity negotiation in conditions of heteronormativity. It is also argued that this study of the experiences of lesbians in the workplace is positioned as an alternative site of understanding organisations, with learning to offer gendered leadership.

This study measures the levels of satisfaction regarding retail attributes and apparel fit among speciality‐size (petite, tall, large) college women. Previous studies have measured satisfaction among older speciality‐size women, but none has focused on younger women. The study utilised a conceptual framework based on Renoux's theory of retail satisfaction which consisted of three dimensions: shopping system satisfaction, buying system satisfaction, and consuming system satisfaction. Renoux's theory of retail satisfaction was applied to speciality‐size college women when considering apparel purchases. Female students from nine geographically diverse universities completed the questionnaire. The 358 respondents were categorised into three speciality‐size groups based on their height or clothing size. Respondents who were not categorised as being speciality‐size were placed in an average category. Analyses of variance were used to measure the levels of satisfaction. Findings indicated large‐size college females were the only group who had significant dissatisfaction in regard to shopping and buying systems (retail attributes). The results were surprising because there are numerous stores specifically targeted to large‐size females; however, these stores do not appear to be satisfactorily meeting the needs of the large‐size college females who participated in this study. Petite, tall and large‐size college females indicated dissatisfaction with various apparel fit variables, with the large‐size group being most dissatisfied. The results indicated that apparel manufacturers should re‐evaluate their sizing standards; perhaps a universal, international sizing standard is warranted.

Zone at Harvey Nichols and the new Way In at Harrods both opened last autumn, aiming at high fashion shoppers who have traditionally spurned the conventional department store. Both opened to a blaze of publicity in magazines such as The Face (a favourite with the most avant of the avant garde), while prestigious design journals have waxed lyrical about the original shopfitting. But how do these new lifestyle departments really shape up to high street fashion competition?

The purpose of this paper is to clarify what factors affect the recent trend of having self‐planning functions within Japanese apparel wholesalers.

A questionnaire survey was conducted involving Japanese apparel wholesalers and applied the probit and multinomial Logit regression analyses.

The main findings are as follows: large‐scale wholesalers who are located in urban areas tend to have their own planning functions, whereas small‐scale wholesalers who are located in rural areas tend not to have self‐planning functions and handle goods planned by other suppliers; wholesalers who handle a wide range of apparel and conduct business with retailers located in the same area tend not to have their own planning functions; the apparel wholesalers who have business dealings with many suppliers have the ability to promote themselves to the retailers; and the apparel wholesalers who have self‐planning functions tend to obtain goods from within Japan and other countries and sell goods throughout Japan.

Small‐scale and rural apparel wholesalers face difficult circumstances due to their size, location and lack of self‐promotion ability. In contrast, large‐scale and urban wholesalers are able to ensure greater independence due to their size and location.

This paper focuses on the important role of wholesalers in the Japanese apparel industry and, by using the empirical approach, can clarify factors affecting the recent trend of having self‐planning functions within Japanese apparel wholesalers.

Examines a list of the 50 largest retail firms in Europe in terms of sales. Looks at their differences and similarities and also forecasts their future. Draws valuable lessons for other organizations in the sames marketing areas.

When George Davies started his Next chain of fashion shops over two years ago he may not have realised what a revolution he was putting in train. Based on the realisation that purchasing power had moved from the young to the older 25–45 woman, — “women,” he says, “who care about fashion first and price second,” the Next group by the end of this year will have 162 outlets trading including a handful in Germany. Naturally, he has not been without his imitators. Names like Now, Visuals, Look, Surprise and Principles proliferate; variety chains like BHS and Marks & Spencer have been forced to take a long hard look at their fashion ranges; even the department stores have faced up to a changing scene. In this special feature Penelope Ody makes a close examination of the effervescent fashion sector. And the future? It could be, she hazards, that the over‐50 will be the new flavour of the month.

This paper examines the likely influences on the sourcing of textiles by UK retail buyers. It reports the results of secondary data analyses on the retail market and primary data from personal interviews with 102 textile buyers. The main influence on the British market from changes in international agreements will be a greater opportunity to source from low‐cost markets. This could negatively affect traditional sources such as Italy and Portugal. The structure of the UK market is analysed to provide a basis for the selection of interviewees. Buyers who were interviewed tended to fall into two groups, younger but well qualified and older, less well qualified but more experienced. The younger group included more females. They tended to refer important decisions to others, although this correlated more with experience than with gender. Conclusions are drawn on the implications of the study for textile marketers, particularly those from other EU countries. By enhancing their understanding of the structure of the UK retail sector, suppliers are able to devise strategies that take into account the specific nature of distribution of textiles and clothing in the UK, and consequently increase their ability to compete in this changing market.