THE SIX PRINCIPLES OF FASHION
To keep in mind the six principles of luxury fashion this research draw 3 different fashion scenarios what could inspire you in which way you want to go with your sustainable activities.
We built on six principles of fashion to access how each principle corresponds to luxury fashion’s sustainability opportunities and challenges.
When thinking about the sustainability challenges and opportunities of luxury fashion, we should not forget that the primary role of luxury fashion and fashion in general is to bring beauty and creativity to the world through a process of constant change. In this sense, in fashion there is no stability in beauty. Compromising this aesthetic aspect of fashion in the name of an environmental agenda would mean the dead of fashion and the end of this major cultural and economic endeavour – after all, fashion is an economic activity that stands at the crossroads of art and commerce and exerts an immense influence over the world (Godart, 2012).
We built on Godart’s six principles of fashion to access how each principle corresponds to luxury fashion’s sustainability opportunities and challenges. These principles are, in order of historical appearance: affirmation; convergence; autonomy; personalisation; symbolisation; and imperialisation. Based on this assessment, we then offer principle based action points for fashion brands and their stakeholders, or any group or individual who can effect of is affected by the achievements of the organization’s objectives (Freeman, 1984). Within the literature on stakeholder theory, there have been studies on how to identify the types of opportunities and threats posed by major of stakeholder engagement is arguably effective in transforming the ways in which firms approach their ethical issues in business, and in enhancing public perceptions of these firms (Smith et al, 2011). Building on these studies, this paper examines how the fashion industry’s key stakeholders and in particular fashion producers (fashion brands and individual designers) and consumers, can jointly push for eco sustainable fashion without negating the core principles of the field.
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Luxury's fashion lmitations and opportunities for sustainability
Principle
Limitations
for sustainability
Opportunities for sustaiability
1. Affirmation
Consumers’ desire to assert their individuality and social affiliation by being ‘in fashion’, which prompts regular changes of clothes. This leads to, and is reinforced by, inflated production cycles.
Institutionalising the practice of sustainable fashion by changing consumers’ perception of buying sustainable fashion items as a socially accepted or ‘in fashion’ practice
Local styles converge with dominant fashion design trends that are formulated, updated and disseminated by big fashion capitals. These dominant designs are not always compatible with local climates.
2. Convergence
Increasing consumers' preference for purchasing sustainable fashion items (principle 1: affirmation) in order to prompt th convergence of producers around producing sustainable fashion.
The fashion industry maintains its autonomy when it comes to the choice of fashion styles and designs. This autonomy makes it difficult for third party actors to push the sustainability agenda in the production process.
3. Autonomy
Encouraging actors within the fashion industry to develop aesthetically appealing designs that are also high on the eco- sustainability agenda.
Market audiences share their belief in individual fashion designers’ creative autonomy. This makes it difficult for third party actors to push the sustainability agenda in de production processes.
4. Personalisation
Encouraging each designer to use his/her autonomous influence to set a pro- sustainability trend and let it spill over from the fashion industry to other social spheres.
Fashion brands symbolise a power engine behind a stylistic trend change in the fashion industry. This may not go hand in hand with the notion of sustainability.
Encouraging each fashion brand to leverage on, and reshape its existing identity to include a pro-active message on environmental issues.
5. Symbolisation
Business groups play a major role in the industry. The sheer size and power centrality of these business groups can make adoption of changes in favour of sustainability difficult.
6. Imperialisation
Using the power of business groups to influence individual fashion brands and even other luxury segments via ripple effects to adopt and implement a large-scale sustainability agenda.
Tabel 1.1 De beperkingen en kansen voor duurzaamheid bij luxe merken.
Bron: Is sustainable luxury possible? By Frederic Godart en Sorah Seong Gardetti.
Verkregen uit het boek Sustainable luxury: Managing social and environmental performance in Iconic brands M. A. and Torres, A. L. (eds.) (2014) – P. 17-18