The (only) future of fashion? The role of small sustainable entrepreneurship in driving transformational change

Book chapter


Elf, P. and Werner, A. 2024. The (only) future of fashion? The role of small sustainable entrepreneurship in driving transformational change. in: Scott, K., Curtis, B. and Pajaczkowska, C. (ed.) The Future of Fashion Education: Speculation, Experience and Collaboration London, UK Taylor & Francis (Routledge). pp. 199-207
Chapter titleThe (only) future of fashion? The role of small sustainable entrepreneurship in driving transformational change
AuthorsElf, P. and Werner, A.
Abstract

In this short essay, we, by drawing on recent research, set out what is required to prefigure an alternative, sustainable and responsible fashion industry. To have a future, the fashion industry needs a rapid transformation; from the mainstream fashion industry’s obsession with novelty and growth, often ignoring the costs to society and the environment to genuine alternatives. Although operating mostly in niches, a growing number of small fashion entrepreneurs already pioneered sustainable ways of doing fashion. These fashion entrepreneurs are agents for change in their industry seeking an active negotiation and harmonisation of sustainability and the demands of business in capitalist modernity. We present innovative approaches and the very process of how many sustainable fashion entrepreneurs overcome tensions and generate opportunities in an attempt to drive a profound transformation of the industry towards sustainability.

Keywordssustainable fashion; SMEs; innovation; fashion futures
Sustainable Development Goals12 Responsible consumption and production
Middlesex University ThemeSustainability
Research GroupSustainable Development Research Cluster
Page range199-207
Book titleThe Future of Fashion Education: Speculation, Experience and Collaboration
EditorsScott, K., Curtis, B. and Pajaczkowska, C.
PublisherTaylor & Francis (Routledge)
Place of publicationLondon, UK
SeriesResponsible Fashion
ISBN
Hardcover9781032826165
Electronic9781003505426
Paperback9781032826264
Copyright Year2025
Publication dates
Online18 Oct 2024
Print18 Oct 2024
Publication process dates
Deposited29 Oct 2024
Output statusPublished
Accepted author manuscript
License
File Access Level
Open
Copyright Statement

This is an Accepted Manuscript of a book chapter published by Routledge in The Future of Fashion Education:
Speculation, Experience and Collaboration on 18 October 2024, available online: http://www.routledge.com/9781032826165

It is deposited under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003505426-21
Related Output
Is part ofhttps://doi.org/10.4324/9781003505426
LanguageEnglish
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