Background The rules of marketing are changing all the time and companies have to develop new types of marketing to survive in the hard competition today. Technology has taken marketing in a new direction, where online marketing is the most dynamic and fast-moving field within marketing today. Social media is a part of online marketing that has increased a lot over the past years. Companies in the apparel industry are using social media frequently today as a way to communicate with their customers and are now being able to communicate and reach to their consumers to a much lower cost than ever before.Research Question: - What should a small and medium sized enterprise in the fashion industry consider when approaching social media successfully as a marketing strategy?Method: This thesis is based on a qualitative study with mainly in-depth interviews. We have held interviews with several respondents within our research field but with knowledge in different areas. We believe that this gives an overall perspective to the problem.Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to increase our knowledge of how social media can be used as a marketing tool by SMEs in the fashion industry.Conclusions in short: Our main conclusion to the research is that to work with social medium in a successful way as a small or medium sized fashion company you need devotion. There is no ”right” way, and the strategy takes time. Everything should be well planned according to the nature of the business and the goals. Furthermore it is important to realize that social media is not focused on creating sales, but instead on building relationships and giving you as a business owner an insight to your customers’ minds. / Program: Master in Fashion Management with specialisation in Fashion Marketing and Retailing

Syfte: Uppsatsens huvudsyfte är att kartlägga och beskriva hur modebranschen förhåller sig till fenomenet kopiering. Genom att kategorisera olika attityder gentemot kopiering samt de aktörer som står bakom attityderna, analyseras även varför vilka aktörer har specifika attityder kopplat till fenomenet.Design/Metod/Ansats: Uppsatsen presenterar, med hjälp av kategorier, de attityder och aktörer som är representerade i debatten om kopiering. Ett urval har gjorts i fråga om vilka media och texter som ska analyseras i ramen för studien. Dessa texter har sedan analyserats så till vida att kategorier av attityder kunnat identifieras i texterna. I ett andra steg har de aktörer som står bakom de identifierade attityderna kategoriserats. Slutligen har en analys gjorts gällande varför vissa attityder kan sammankopplas med vissa aktörer. Resultat: Studiens referensram och uppsatsens empiriska studies resultat har vid analys kunnat visa på vilka attityder gentemot kopiering som finns representerade i modebranschen, samt på vilka aspekter som påverkar hur, och förklarar varför, en aktör resonerar och förhåller sig till kopiering på det sätt som görs.Originalitet/Värde: Uppsatsen belyser nya typer av kopiering som är aktuella idag och kompletterar på så vis tidigare forsking inom området, vilken framför allt behandlat piratkopiering. Dessutom fokuseras modebranschens interna och professionella aktörer istället för konsumenter, vilket också syftar till att belysa ämnet kopiering utifrån en nytt perspektiv.Objective: The main objective of this paper is to identify and describe how the fashion industry is related to the phenomenon of copying. By categorizing different attitudes toward copying, and the actors behind the attitudes, analysis is made as to why the actors have specific attitudes associated with the phenomenon. Design/Methodology/Approach: The thesis presents, using categories, the attitudes and actors that are represented in the debate on copying. A selection has been made on what media and texts are to be analyzed in the study. These texts were then analyzed in the sense that the categories of attitudes were identified in the texts. In a second step, the actors behind the identified attitudes also were categorized. Finally, an analysis is made as to why certain attitudes are associated with certain actors.Results: When analyzed, the study of reference and the thesis empirical study results, show the attitudes toward copying that are represented in the fashion industry. The analysis also present the aspects that affect how, and explains why an actor think and relate to copying in the manner set out.Originality/Value: The thesis highlights new types of copying that are relevant today and the thesis is therefore complementary to previous research in the area, which has mainly focused on piracy. Furthermore, the thesis is focused on the fashion industry's professional actors rather than consumers, which also serves to illustrate the subject of copying from a new perspective. / Program: Textilekonomutbildningen

Purpose The purpose of this thesis is to investigate how to release the potential of industry-university collaborations promoting sustainability-oriented innovation by analyzing the projects between the University of Borås and the Swedish fashion industry. As a result, it is the aim to develop a model which increases the effectiveness of these project collaborations and thus drives forward sustainability-oriented innovations in order to increase sustainable development within universities and companies. In the scope of this model, factors are identified, which if managed correctly, increase the probability of the collaboration. The outcome is a good practice model for successful industry-university research collaborations. Methodology This research follows a qualitative approach, including abductive reasoning. Therefore, a comprehensive literature review is conducted, delivering the basis for semi-structured interviews which provide empirical data. The results of the interviews are coded according to a template discussion, analyzing frequently used words and phrases resulting into focus areas for this research. Findings The results show that the sustainability-oriented innovation projects promote the companies’ strategic sustainable development on a long-term perspective. The industry and the university receive comprehensive knowledge which is created through synergy effects. The investigation discovered that the main driver for industry and university is the development of new sustainability-oriented innovative business models and the obtaining of new valuable knowledge. Out of the findings, a model could be created, presenting factors found to have significant impact on the success of the projects. Contribution This thesis contributes to academia as well as industry by developing a framework for the release of the potential beneficial impact of industry-university collaborations on strategic sustainable development. Further, the findings support and encourage the collaborative work between the fashion industry and universities towards sustainable development in Sweden. Thereby, this thesis supports the interconnection of different sectors by bundling their capabilities and knowledge to create innovation and progress in society.

Seeing as fashion companies today have a proclaimed desire to act sustainably, we wanted to explore their explanations regarding the paradoxical phenomenon which is based on having CSR strategies, yet still advocating for consumption. The consumption rate in today’s society is not sustainable, and it appears that it has lead to some confusion regarding where to start or how to handle the paradoxes. Massive amounts of wastage, environmental pollutions and social issues in the supply chain are only a few components in the fashion industry which is full of paradoxical phenomena and tensions. This study aims to explore companies who have well established CSR principles, yet still contribute to mass production within the supply chain which consequently leads to overconsumption. Paradox perspective acknowledges tensions between and among various desirables, yet interdependent and at times conflicting sustainability objectives. In this study we look at the three aspects of CSR, and the tensions that exists when competing demands and goals of these aspects needs to be considered by the fashion companies. By viewing the three aspects of CSR through three dimensions (rearward, nearby and forward), we have analyzed our interviews and identifying different paradoxes that existed. The paradox of need for profit, the paradox of sustainability communication and the paradox of sustainable consumption. Conclusions drawn from these existing paradoxes are that fashion companies might be using more sustainable materials, but that the massive volumes of garments remain. Fashion companies are flexible with their goals of CSR, but stubborn with their methods of doing business, when the opposite is in fact required in order to improve the three aspects of CSR in various dimensions.

The purpose of this thesis is to examine how Virtual Reality can be applied in the product development in the fashion industry. Therefore, the research focuses on potential areas of application as well as opportunities and challenges the implementation of Virtual Reality implies. A narrative literature review is conducted, thoroughly investigating the topic of product development and presenting the four application areas, namely Virtual Training, Virtual Prototyping, Virtual Manufacturing, and Virtual Factory, as well as identified opportunities and challenges. For the empirical part, semi-structured interviews are executed with five product developers of the fashion industry who are chosen based on a snowball sampling approach. The gathered data is evaluated using a thematic analysis. The findings of this study indicate that the areas Virtual Prototyping and Virtual Training were perceived as relevant for the product development in the fashion industry. However, Virtual Prototyping was regarded as most important, for instance, due to the decreased need for physical prototypes resulting in time and cost reductions. Further, the research shows that there are several opportunities and challenges when implementing the Virtual Reality technology in the product development in the fashion industry. This thesis indicates the potential of Virtual Reality in the product development for the fashion industry by showing major opportunities at different stages for the product development process. Nevertheless, there are several challenges that have to be considered in the implementation and handling of Virtual Reality.

The purpose is to examine the role of online video advertising in brand awareness. In order to provide marketers information regarding the impact online video advertising has on its customers, as online video advertising is increasing in relevance in terms of creating brand awareness.

<p>Media society is under a constant development and in line with this change, firms must adapt to the market. We have investigated what fashion companies in fact are doing to communicate in the dynamic market. We wanted to find out how to communicate and how they can market themselves in a new and innovative way to create long-term customer relationships. We have used a theoretical frame of reference based on marketing communication, fashion marketing, branding and relationship marketing theories. We have assumed four themes throughout the survey which are: customer contact and relationships, emotion in communication, branding and relational communication. The survey has been conducted by using qualitative methodswere we have interviewed three fashion companies and three consumers as well as a professor of communications. We have also examined and critically assessed the data we collected. Furthermore we have presented the empirical result of the interviews according to the previously mentioned themes. We have discussed above mentioned areas and different tools to create long-terms relationships within the fashion industry. In conclusion, we state that the one of the most effective strategy is to add more resources to create feelings among their customers with the companies advertising. It is also important to build up a strong brand that can represent the whole company.</p>

<p>In fashion, as in the rest of the economy, the globalisation of taste, power and production now plays a major role. The industry is dominated by fashion capitals like Paris, London or New York, populated by star designers like Tom Ford, Karl Lagerfeld or Jean-Paul Gaultier and controlled through MNC giants like Prada, Gucci, DKNY and Dior, who together influence consumer preferences on a global scale. However, there are numerous smaller actors that compete successfully in the fashion industry. Sweden is one such example, where fashion is a growing. </p><p>In this thesis, there is a focus on group of small and medium sized Swedish fashion firms with a brand focused business strategy. Their products are design intensive, but their main competitive advantage rests on the brand and brand management. This group of firms are proficient at ‘putting fashion into clothes’ (Weller 2004). In other words, their main competitive advantage rests neither on price, nor on the most experimental design. More exactly, they produce clothes for a fashion conscious but not too adventurous consumer group. In the thesis it is argued that they are better described as trend forerunners than as trend setters. The subject of this thesis is this group of firms within the Swedish fashion industry and the aim is to improve understanding of their innovation processes, competitiveness, and the systemic character of the business they are a part of. </p><p>As with most other fashion firms in high cost countries, Swedish companies has outsourced the garment production. They secure their competitive edge through high value added activities like design, marketing and retail. This points to the fact that fashion has both material and immaterial dimensions: it relates to clothing, design, textile and quality, but also to consumers’ subjective feelings and attitudes towards the clothes and their brands. This is a study of the interface between these dimensions, with a focal point on the production of immaterial and symbolic value. The systemic nature of fashion can hardly be overestimated. This goes for both the practical part of clothes production, but also for the production of a belief system created not only by fashion producers but by a whole set of institutional actors. This thesis has an analysis of fashion firms’ relations to business partners, competitors, media, and consumers. It is argued that the nature of these relations is critical for competition and success.</p><p>The thesis is a collection of papers, which illuminates different parts of innovation, competition and business strategies in the fashion industry. The papers cover the central activity areas for fashion firms: how branding is affecting industrial structure and innovation, how symbolic is value created, and how ‘cool’ is used as a strategic resource. </p>

In fashion, as in the rest of the economy, the globalisation of taste, power and production now plays a major role. The industry is dominated by fashion capitals like Paris, London or New York, populated by star designers like Tom Ford, Karl Lagerfeld or Jean-Paul Gaultier and controlled through MNC giants like Prada, Gucci, DKNY and Dior, who together influence consumer preferences on a global scale. However, there are numerous smaller actors that compete successfully in the fashion industry. Sweden is one such example, where fashion is a growing. In this thesis, there is a focus on group of small and medium sized Swedish fashion firms with a brand focused business strategy. Their products are design intensive, but their main competitive advantage rests on the brand and brand management. This group of firms are proficient at ‘putting fashion into clothes’ (Weller 2004). In other words, their main competitive advantage rests neither on price, nor on the most experimental design. More exactly, they produce clothes for a fashion conscious but not too adventurous consumer group. In the thesis it is argued that they are better described as trend forerunners than as trend setters. The subject of this thesis is this group of firms within the Swedish fashion industry and the aim is to improve understanding of their innovation processes, competitiveness, and the systemic character of the business they are a part of. As with most other fashion firms in high cost countries, Swedish companies has outsourced the garment production. They secure their competitive edge through high value added activities like design, marketing and retail. This points to the fact that fashion has both material and immaterial dimensions: it relates to clothing, design, textile and quality, but also to consumers’ subjective feelings and attitudes towards the clothes and their brands. This is a study of the interface between these dimensions, with a focal point on the production of immaterial and symbolic value. The systemic nature of fashion can hardly be overestimated. This goes for both the practical part of clothes production, but also for the production of a belief system created not only by fashion producers but by a whole set of institutional actors. This thesis has an analysis of fashion firms’ relations to business partners, competitors, media, and consumers. It is argued that the nature of these relations is critical for competition and success. The thesis is a collection of papers, which illuminates different parts of innovation, competition and business strategies in the fashion industry. The papers cover the central activity areas for fashion firms: how branding is affecting industrial structure and innovation, how symbolic is value created, and how ‘cool’ is used as a strategic resource.

Background – Celebrity endorsement has been researched to a great extent, however the main focus of the previous research has been about the effectiveness and the neg-ative/positive information about the celebrity and the brand. Additionally, previous studies on gender differences have been conducted; however it has not been done in consideration with celebrity endorsement in the fashion industry. Purpose – This study aims to examine if there is a difference between how men and women perceive celebrity endorsement in the fashion industry. The purpose is to gain a deeper understanding of factors that affects how genders perceive celebrity endorsement, and lastly to research if the celebrity endorsement has a positive or negative effect on the brand endorsed. Method – The theoretical framework was tested through focus groups conducted with students from Jönköping University. It was also researched through an online questionnaire that was spread to the author’s personal networks via social media. The questions have been designed according to the AIDA-framework to help address im-portant steps that the consumer goes through. Conclusion – The findings suggests that there is a difference between how men and women perceive celebrity endorsement. The women analyze different cues to a greater extent and tend to be more skeptical, while the men focus mostly on the prominent cues. Moreover, the findings show that both men and women are more at-tentive to a male celebrity endorser than a female celebrity endorser.