This paper describes a Master of Art and Design research project developing a social entrepreneurial design process in fashion. This is a multi method approach focussed upon a Participatory Action Research methodology, to develop creative practice and a relational business model for female refugee outworkers and myself a fashion designer resulting in long term rewarding employment. The project has two primary strands for discussion. Firstly, visual documentation and analysis of textile and garment development incorporating the refugees’ cultural references. Using drawing, embroidery, dyeing and construction skills of the participants in a collaborative design and production process with the researcher, has resulted in the development of a womenswear collection of T shirts. Secondly; the process findings and outcomes of the pilot study which often cross the boundaries of aesthetics, technology, craft, and ethics; drawing together western and developing world cultures in a creative dialogue will be presented. In conclusion, the aims, objectives, outcomes of and potential of this socially sustainable design model, which could be applicable to refugee agencies and New Zealand fashion designers, will be gauged and discussed.

<p>Background</p><p>Internationalization is a rapidly increasing trend of firms and markets in today’s business</p><p>environment where fashion companies have evolved to be one of the most successful and</p><p>dynamic international retailers. Though a majority of SMEs in the retail fashion industry have</p><p>the potential to become international, many never do due to a number of barriers. When</p><p>making decisions regarding international strategies, it is important for companies to analyze</p><p>and understand the foreign market to determine if there is an opportunity for success on the</p><p>market. However, many SMEs fail to do a thorough market analysis prior to</p><p>internationalizing and never reach their full potential on the market.</p><p>Purpose</p><p>The purpose of this thesis is, through a market analysis, to determine if Sweden is a suitable</p><p>market for a Canadian SME in the men’s retail fashion industry.</p><p>Method</p><p>A qualitative study was carried out to help determine the purpose of the paper where data was</p><p>collected through a single case study of the company Phresh Image. Primary research was</p><p>conducted through interviews with the CEO of Phresh Image as well as focus group meetings</p><p>to collect data regarding the company and the potential customers. The interviews were</p><p>structured after the theoretical framework and included participants described by Phresh’s</p><p>target group. Secondary data was collected regarding Sweden and the Swedish retail industry</p><p>and used to compare the domestic market to the foreign market.</p><p>Conclusion</p><p>By answering the research questions, the thesis found that Sweden is a suitable market for a</p><p>Canadian SME in the men’s retail fashion industry. Branding, quality design were among the</p><p>most influential characteristics for Swedish consumers and retail companies in the fashion</p><p>industry must take these into consideration when internationalizing to Sweden. Canada’s and</p><p>Sweden’s economic, political and cultural environments proved to be rather similar though</p><p>some adaptation of a company’s marketing mix may be required. In addition, exporting was</p><p>shown to be the most suitable way for retails to enter into Sweden providing limited barriers</p><p>and low risk.</p>

<p>H&M has been in China for three years. The consumers in China are still enthusiastic with this brand when the first store in the capital city, Beijing. In this paper, we use the concept of brand identity and brand image and outline a conceptual model for understanding and studying the customer experience of H&M in China. Case study illustrates how this model works in the design and management of the branding in H&M.</p>

The purpose of this study was to compare Far Eastern influences on Western women's dress as represented in both a high fashion and mass fashion magazine between 1910 and 1925. Vogue was selected as the high fashion magazine and Ladies Home Journal as the mass fashion magazine. The questions that were addressed were: was there a difference in the influence of the Far East on high fashion styles and mass fashion styles, was there a time lapse between the appearance of fashion styles influenced by the Far East within Vogue and Ladies Home Journal, and was the trickle-down theory applicable when examining Far Eastern influence on high fashion styles and mass fashion styles. The data were collected by conducting a content analysis of both the written and visual material within Vogue and Ladies Home Journal. For each magazine the January, April, July, and October issues were examined, totaling a 128 issues between the years 1910 and 1925. The written examples found within both magazines were placed into three categories; Chinese, Japanese, and Far Eastern/Oriental. Visual examples found were placed into three categories also; Chinese, Japanese, and Combination. An example of Far Eastern influence on written or visual material was based on predetermined guidelines. It was hypothesized that there would be a difference in the frequency of Far Eastern influence seen in high fashion styles as represented in Vogue and mass fashion styles as represented in Ladies Home Journal between 1910 and 1925. The sign test was used to compare the two samples Vogue and Ladies Home Journal and test this hypothesis. It was determined that there was not a significant difference found in either the written or visual material therefore this hypothesis was rejected. The second hypothesis was that there would be a difference in the period of introduction of fashion styles influenced by the Far East between Vogue and Ladies Home Journal. There was no apparent difference between the period of introduction of fashion styles influenced by the Far East in Vogue and Ladies Home Journal between 1910 and 1925 when examining total frequencies of both written and visual material. Some differences were evident when examining categorical breakdowns which led to neither the acceptance or rejection of the hypothesis due to the differing results. / Graduation date: 1994

This paper studies the impact of market orientation strategy on brand awareness. Zara, a Spanish leading fashion retailer and an example of a brand using this strategy, is compared to three other multinational brands operating in Stockholm, Sweden, namely Topshop, Mango and United Colours of Benetton. The latter brands are known to use advertising to create brand awareness. Fashion magazine attention was used as a measure of brand awareness. Data on the brand awareness was gathered by browsing three leading Swedish fashion magazines – Elle, Glamour and Damernas Värld – and the fashion section of the biggest Swedish tabloid, Aftonbladet. It was found that market orientation can compete with advertising as a marketing strategy to create brand awareness, but only in part of the market segment. This was concluded from the fact that Zara was featured in some of the magazines, but not all of them.

Background Internationalization is a rapidly increasing trend of firms and markets in today’s business environment where fashion companies have evolved to be one of the most successful and dynamic international retailers. Though a majority of SMEs in the retail fashion industry have the potential to become international, many never do due to a number of barriers. When making decisions regarding international strategies, it is important for companies to analyze and understand the foreign market to determine if there is an opportunity for success on the market. However, many SMEs fail to do a thorough market analysis prior to internationalizing and never reach their full potential on the market. Purpose The purpose of this thesis is, through a market analysis, to determine if Sweden is a suitable market for a Canadian SME in the men’s retail fashion industry. Method A qualitative study was carried out to help determine the purpose of the paper where data was collected through a single case study of the company Phresh Image. Primary research was conducted through interviews with the CEO of Phresh Image as well as focus group meetings to collect data regarding the company and the potential customers. The interviews were structured after the theoretical framework and included participants described by Phresh’s target group. Secondary data was collected regarding Sweden and the Swedish retail industry and used to compare the domestic market to the foreign market. Conclusion By answering the research questions, the thesis found that Sweden is a suitable market for a Canadian SME in the men’s retail fashion industry. Branding, quality design were among the most influential characteristics for Swedish consumers and retail companies in the fashion industry must take these into consideration when internationalizing to Sweden. Canada’s and Sweden’s economic, political and cultural environments proved to be rather similar though some adaptation of a company’s marketing mix may be required. In addition, exporting was shown to be the most suitable way for retails to enter into Sweden providing limited barriers and low risk.

H&amp;M has been in China for three years. The consumers in China are still enthusiastic with this brand when the first store in the capital city, Beijing. In this paper, we use the concept of brand identity and brand image and outline a conceptual model for understanding and studying the customer experience of H&amp;M in China. Case study illustrates how this model works in the design and management of the branding in H&amp;M.

Fashion is a site of cultural production where issues of gender, identity and consumerism meet. While the rhetoric of the fashion industry often remains focused on innovation at the expense of women's lived experiences, independent fashion bloggers provide a necessary cultural critique of its practices. However, as the fashion industry pays more attention to bloggers in order to engage their growing readership, bloggers’ oppositional role has become more complicated. To explore the current context of these women’s writing in relation to a powerful economic industry, I analyze the role that ethos plays as a rhetorical concept and analyze how it is used by female bloggers who write about women’s fashion. In light of recent scholarship and of the current media landscape, bloggers’ use of ethos is important to their work even as it is complex and contradictory.

Customers are no longer what they use to be in the past, they are now highly educated, more specialized and more highly influenced by global culture than ever before. For businesses to be able to win the heart of customers, they need to do extra because these customers are the pillar that holds the organizations. One of the method to achieve this is called Customer Relationship Management (CRM). The focus of CRM is about managing customer knowledgem to better understand and serve them. The purpose of this study is to explore how e-business organizations use CRM in a B2C setting, and we did that from online fashion retail companies' perspectives. Our study has explored how how CRM objectives are described and how CRM is managed. To answer these questions, relevant literature was reviewed which resulted in a conceptual framework that guided the data collection. We carried out a multiple-case study with two fashion retail companies, one located in the UK, and the other in Sweden. Data was collected through a telephone interviews with high positioned employees who have experience working with CRM and related subject.

More research has been conducted regarding women's costume history than that of men's historic costume. One area in which little research has been conducted concerns men's boxer underwear. The need for additional research dealing with basic style changes of men's boxer undershorts was compelling to this researcher, as well as adding to the literature concerning men's historic costume. The purpose of this study was to research the availability of men's boxer undershorts post World War II (1946-1988). Specifically, based on pictorial underwear fashions illustrated in the Sears Annual Merchandise Catalog, this study documented and analyzed the availability of boxer undershorts as to fiber content, fabric structure, color, style features, and special design motifs during the time period studied. The objective of the study was to increase the knowledge of men's historic costume through an investigation into the styles of men's boxer undershorts. The historical continuity of fashion, as well as other theories concerning fashion change served as the theoretical framework for this study. The historical continuity process of fashion proposes that each new fashion is an evolutionary outgrowth and elaboration of the previous fashion (Blumer, 1969). Examples include past research by Young (1937), Kroeber (1919), and Robinson (1976), which indicated that changes in fashions took place in well-defined cycles. It is believed by some researchers that broad fashion trends follow an evolutionary process. However, specific fashion details and styles may be a result of social events, technological advances, and other cultural activities. Studies by researcher's such as Baker (1962), Nugent (1962), and Behling (1985-1986) found relationships between women's clothing and changes in society. To document and analyze men's boxer undershorts, Sears Annual Merchandise Catalog was selected. Spring/Summer issues in two-year issues were chosen between the years of 1946 and 1988, which yielded a sample of 237 boxer undershorts. With seriation of the boxer undershorts, a frequency distribution was completed. Five research hypotheses were tested to accomplish the objective of the study. Results indicated that there were differences between the frequency of occurrence among a) fiber content, b) color, and c) style features. However, there was not a significant difference of occurrence among fabric structure of men's boxer undershorts. In addition, due to lack of information concerning fabric design motifs, an analysis was not able to be performed concerning this hypothesis. These findings support the belief that there are broad changes in boxer undershorts which follow an evolutionary process, however, specific changes in details are a result of society's influence. This is evident in the changes concerning fiber content, color, and style features which were influenced by technological advances. The fact that fabric structure of boxer undershorts was not influenced by society suggests that this is a broad trend which follows an evolutionary process. Comparing these results with data collected from advertisments in a fashion magazine such as Esquire is suggested for further study. The data also suggest that further study comparing the trends in style features of boxer undershorts documented in this study with those of men's trousers of the same time period would provide another topic for research. / Graduation date: 1991