Large product assortments commonly lead to that fast fashion retailers have a large number of transport cartons, with varying sizes, to distribute products from manufacturing sites to distribution centers. Ultimately, the transport cartons have a large impact on the supply chain efficiency, as they affect several nodes in the supply chain network. Previous research has considered transport cartons’ impact on individual supply chain nodes, but little research has been devoted to evaluate the transport cartons impact on the supply chain network as a whole. Thus, this thesis aims to contribute with knowledge to bridge the gap in literature by investigating how a company’s transport cartons affect the overall supply chain efficiency, by applying a holistic perspective. The thesis was conducted as a case study in collaboration with Hennes & Mauritz (H&M), aworld-leading fast fashion retailer. The research identifies opportunities and challenges related totransport carton usage, and how the cartons impact supply chain efficiency. Moreover, the research evaluates the costs associated with different sets of transport carton sizes, based on acost estimation model constructed on data provided by H&M. It is concluded that a small set oftransport carton sizes could increase supply chain efficiency and generate potential cost savingsdue to mainly two reasons. First, a small set of transport cartons could lead to efficient containerloading. Second, it could lead to efficient carton handling and optimal space utilization in thedistribution centers. / Till följd av stora produktsortiment har snabbmodeaktörer ofta ett stort set av transportkartonger, med varierande storlekar, för att distribuera produkterna från tillverkning till varuhus. Eftersom transportkartongerna påverkar fler noder i försörjningskedjan, har de följaktligen stor påverkan på hur effektiv försörjningskedjan är. Tidigare forskning har utvärderat hur transportkartongerna kan påverka enskilda noder i försörjningskedjan, men lite fokus har ägnats åt att utvärdera kartongernas effekt på försörjningskedjan, sett ur ett helhetsperspektiv. Detta examensarbete syftar till att bidra med kunskap för att överbrygga detta gap genom att undersöka hur ett företags transportkartonger påverkar den totala försörjningskedjans effektivitet genom att tillämpa ett helhetsperspektiv. Examensarbetet genomfördes som en fallstudie i samarbete med Hennes & Mauritz (H&M), som är en av de världsledande aktörerna inom snabbmode. Studien identifierar möjligheter och utmaningar relaterade till transportkartonganvändning, och hur kartongerna påverkar försörjningskedjans effektivitet. Vidare utvärderades kostnaden av att ha olika uppsättningar av transportkartonger, baserat på en beräkningsmodell grundad på data från H&M. Resultaten visade att ett litet set av transportkartonger kan ha positiv påverkan på försörjningskedjans effektivitet och generera kostnadsbesparingar till följd av två huvudsakliga anledningar. Den första anledningen är att ett litet set förenklar effektiv containerladdning. Den andra anledningen är att det kan leda till mer effektiv kartonghantering på lager och bättre utnyttjande av lagerutrymme.

Under det senaste decenniet har e-handeln inom detaljhandeln procentuellt ökat vilket har lett till nya sätt att konsumera på. Just digitaliseringen av modehandeln har lett till uppkomsten av fast fashion, en ny affärsmodell med ohållbar miljöpåverkan som placerar modeindustrin i topp tre bland de mest förorenande industrierna i världen. För att vända denna trend behöver modeföretagens webbutiker genomsyra ett hållbarhetstänk för att kunna påverka sina konsumenter att konsumera mer hållbart. Detta kan göras med hjälp av en kombination av övertygande teknologi och UX-design. I denna uppsats genomfördes en kvalitativ studie i form av användartest för att kartlägga användning och upplevelser av en webbutik, detta för att kunna säga hur modeföretag kan designa sina webbutiker för att påverka konsumenter att konsumera hållbart. Resultatet sammanställdes i olika förslag på hur företag kan designa sina webbutiker för att främja hållbar konsumtion. / Over the past decade, e-commerce in retail has increased in percentage terms, which has led to new ways of consuming. The digitalization of the fashion retail has led to the emergence of the concept of fast fashion, a new business model with an unsustainable environmental impact which puts the fashion industry in top three among the most polluting industries in the world. To reverse this trend, the webshops of fashion companies need to imbue a sustainability mindset in order to influence their consumers to consume more sustainably. This can be done using a combination of persuasive technology and UX design. In this essay, a qualitative study is carried out in the form of user tests to map out the use and experiences of webshops, in order to tell how fashion companies can design their webshops to influence consumers to consume sustainably. The results were compiled into various proposals for how companies can design their webshops to promote sustainable consumption.

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Globalisation has led to a rising need for sustainable efforts, not least in the fast fashion industry which is associated with unsustainable procedures in order to meet consumers’ needs and desires. In the fast fashion industry, collections of ecological fabrics, fair working conditions as well as higher quality are examples of sustainable actions. Additionally, the increasingly globalised world has created a demand to comprehend how the deeply rooted national culture affects consumers in the international fast fashion industry. The main target segment of the fast fashion industry is the Millennial generation and should thereby be further emphasised. The relevance of these topics led to the formulation of following research question: How does national culture affect Millennials’ perception of sustainability and intended buying behaviour in the fast fashion industry? The literature review introduces the five identified themes which are considered relevant in relation to the area of research; the Millennials, sustainability, fast fashion, sustainable consumer behaviour and culture. To finalise the literature review, a conceptual framework is presented which explains the connection between the themes. Furthermore, the thesis adopts a qualitative research method with an abductive approach. Therefore, four cross-cultural focus groups of 28 Millennials with seven different nationalities are conducted. This method is considered the most suitable for this thesis’ research area and purpose. Further, the empirical findings and the analysis are combined into one chapter which creates a discussion between the literature review, especially Hofstede’s dimensions of national culture, and the gathered data. Finally, the conclusion includes the answer to the research question, theoretical and practical implications, limitations and suggestions for further research. The results of this thesis indicate that national culture affects the perception of sustainability and the intended buying behaviour in the fast fashion industry in a complex manner, since the impact of national culture depends on the combination of dimensions. Furthermore, certain dimensions appear to be more dominant and decrease the impact of others.

Background: The globalisation of the fashion industry has allowed competition to increase and speed up the production. This has influenced supply chains to give up on ethical factors in order to push sales of cheap, Fast Fashion. The concept of Slow Fashion developed to challenge the unsustainable business models of fast fashion, implementing conscious production. However, it is hard to compete with cheap price and rapid production and therefore the promotion plays a crucial role in the survival of Slow Fashion companies. Even though green marketing and demarketing have been investigated as promotional strategies, no research has been dedicated towards promotion strategies that benefit Slow Fashion business models through keeping the company values.   Purpose: This paper seeks to identify how it is possible to promote the Slow Fashion business model to motivate the customer to choose Slow Fashion.   Method: In order to fulfil the purpose and answer the research question, a qualitative study was implemented through semi-structured, in depth interviews of which the results were compared and analysed with existing research and theories. The interviewees were all selected from their expertise regarding the subject. Participating companies were selected through convenience sampling and the experts participating through snowball sampling   Conclusion: The results shows that providing the consumer with transparency, information and anti-consumption would be a successful way to promote Slow Fashion businesses in order to stay competitive. However, it is uncertain if using one of these strategies leads to a competitive advantage. One has to keep the same message through all elements of the promotion in order to stay true. The proposed promotion strategy ought to be involving the consumer through communities and repair shops and going together as a movement of the whole industry.

Under de senaste 15 åren har modeindustrin växt och blivit både snabbare och billigare och begreppet fast fashion har etablerats. Fast fashion är en affärsstrategi inom modeindustrin vars mål är att reducera ledtiderna från idé till butik. Strategin syftar till att tillfredsställa kundernas begär av de senaste trenderna på mycket kort tid. Fast fashion branschen kan sägas stå i motsägelse till en hållbar utveckling, då den representerar korta modecykler där kläder tenderar att bli ”slit och släng” varor. Idag går utvecklingen dock mot en ökad medvetenhet i gröna, miljörelaterade frågor vilket har lett till att fler produkter marknadsförs som gröna produkter. En ökad miljömedvetenhet hos konsumenten har skapat ett behov hos företag att kartlägga den gröna konsumenten. Ur ett företag - och marknadsföringsperspektiv är en förståelse för vad den gröna konsumenten eftersöker en förutsättning, då det är ineffektivt att utveckla gröna produkter om inte kunden attraheras av dem.Syftet med uppsatsen är att uppnå en ökad förståelse för modekonsumentens attityder och uppfattningar kring hållbart mode inom fast fashion branschen på den svenska marknaden. Uppsatsen har en kvalitativ utformning och datainsamling har skett genom två fokusgrupper. Den insamlade empirin har analyserats utifrån den teoretiska referensramen. Den behandlar teorier kring konsumentbeteende med inriktning mot fast fashion konsumenten och den gröna konsumenten. Vidare behandlas segmentering med fokus på grön segmentering och slutligen marknadskommunikation med inriktning mot hållbar och grön kommunikation. Resultatet från de undersökta kunderna är tänkta att generera uppslag för fast fashion företag vid utformning och kommunikation av produkter och aktiviteter kopplade till hållbart mode.Vi kan utifrån resultatet från båda fokusgrupperna urskilja en något motsägelsefull hållning till miljömedvetenhet. Det är tveksamt huruvida de undersökta kunderna ser en problematik i klädkonsumtionen kopplat till miljöproblem. Vidare uppvisar de en skepsis gentemot fast fashion företagens hållbara mode då de ifrågasätter trovärdigheten och äktheten. Gällande hur hållbart mode kan kommuniceras kan sägas att intervjupersonerna eftersöker en tydlighet i hur budskapen kommuniceras. En slutsats i uppsatsen är att den höga omsättningen på produkter framkallar ett ”Köp nu”-beteende hos kunden vilket bekräftar fast fashion kunden som till stor del impulsstyrd i sina inköp. Det är inte behovet av att exempelvis köpa en ny jacka som i första hand styr kundens inköp utan snarare att hon köper för köpandets skull. Denna mentalitet hos de undersökta kunderna bekräftar att fast fashion-mode behandlas som ”Slit och släng”-produkter.Två nyckelord som har vuxit fram ur det empiriska materialet är tydligt och konsekvent. Dessa nyckelord måste vara ständigt närvarande för att fast fashion företag ska kunna kommunicera hållbarhet på ett sätt som appellerar till de undersökta kundernas attityder. Sammanfattningsvis kan sägas att om fast fashion företag lyckas kommunicera hållbarhet på ett attraktivt sätt kan vinsterna bli stora. Genom att positionera sig som ett fast fashion företag som erbjuder hållbart mode kan konkurrensfördelar skapas.Over the past 15 years, the fashion industry has grown in size and become both faster and cheaper and the concept of fast fashion has been established. Fast fashion is a business strategy in the fashion industry which is based on reducing lead times from concept to store. The strategy aims to satisfy customer requests of the latest trends in a very short time span. The fast fashion industry is in a way contradicting a sustainable development, as it represents short fashion cycles where clothes tend to be regarded as disposable products. Today however, we are moving towards a greater awareness concerning green, environmental issues which has resulted in more products that are being marketed as green products. This increased environmental awareness among consumers has created a need for companies to identify “the green consumer”. From a business - and marketing perspective, an understanding of what the green consumer is looking for is a pre-condition, since it is inefficient to develop green products unless they are what the customer desires.The purpose of this paper is to obtain a better understanding of the fashion consumer’s attitudes and perceptions on sustainable fashion concerning the fast fashion industry. The thesis has a qualitative design and the data has been collected through two focus groups. The collected empirical data has been analyzed with the theoretical framework in mind. The theoretical framework deals with theories of consumer behavior with emphasis on the fast fashion consumer as well as the green consumer. We also look at market segmentation with emphasis on green segmentation and finally marketing with a focus on sustainable and green communication. The results gathered from the surveyed customers will hopefully generate ideas for fast fashion companies on how to communicate products and activities related to sustainable fashion.Based on the results from the two focus groups we can discern a somewhat contradictory attitude towards environmental awareness in general. Whether the surveyed customers realize that clothing consumption is linked to some environmental problems is rather doubtful. Furthermore, they exhibit skepticism towards the sustainable fashion offered by fast fashion companies as they question the credibility and authenticity. They also express the need of a clearer and more accessible marketing communication concerning sustainable fashion. One conclusion of this paper is that the high turnover of products creates a "Buy Now"-behavior which confirms the fast fashion customer as largely an impulse buyer. It is not the need for say, a new jacket that primarily govern the customer's purchase, but rather that she is buying for buying's sake. This mentality confirms that fast fashion clothing often is treated as disposable products.Two keywords which have emerged from the empirical material are clear and consistent. These keywords should permeate fast fashion companies in their effort to communicate sustainability in a way which appeals to the surveyed customers attitudes. In summary, if fast fashion companies are able to succeed in communicating sustainability in an attractive way, the gains can become significant. By positioning itself as a fast fashion company offering sustainable fashion a competitive advantage is created. / Program: Textilekonomutbildningen

In this thesis we examine the colour forecasting process, its methodology and how it is communicated and used in fashion companies. The study is foremost based on qualitative research and on semi-structured interviews with people within the forecasting industry. We have divided the data collection process that constitutes the basis of the actual forecast into steps, which consist of gathering both objective facts and more soft, subjective experiences. After having collected the data, colour forecasters start their analysis by breaking them down into thematical categories that depict specific patterns (themes). We have identified colour expertise, intuition, creativity and inspiration as the factors that help the forecaster interpret those patterns. The final forecasted colour stories are being presented in different media and contexts. Besides design style, market, customer base and lead-time, it is foremost the differentmanagement philosophies of either building creative, solid collections or fast fashion that define how to use the colour forecasting material. To help the reader understand the process we have constructed a model (aDaMas). / Program: Master in Fashion Management with specialisation in Fashion Marketing and Retailing

Cross-cultural communication challenges arise for managers in international corporations on a daily basis, and in order to evaluate why these challenges occur we conducted a case study in collaboration with the fast-fashion corporation Gina Tricot. Our work challenges the influential theory that cultural proximity leads to less miscommunication within the business environment. By using Griffith’s model on a fashion-based corporation, our thesis demonstrates that geographical distance is not an aiding factor in superior communication within multinational corporations, however, the longevity of relationships have a more deciding impact.   Global expansion and the rapid development of technology contribute to faster communication possibilities across boarders, therefore the highly international, dynamic and quick communication based fast-fashion industry becomes an interesting object when studying cross-cultural communication. Moreover, this research will investigate which specific areas of business communication that creates the greatest challenges for international managers within the fast-fashion corporation Gina Tricot’s cross-cultural operations.   Our secondary sources are mainly based on previous models and guidelines for effective cross-cultural communication, with David Griffith’s model of “Communication Effectiveness” as a main resource. Furthermore, it enabled us to test how well Griffith’s model applies in the fast-fashion industry. Our primary data was obtained by a close collaboration with Gina Tricot in a case study fashion, by conducting personal interviews with retail and purchase managers. Trough our research and analysis we concluded that the core flaw with previous models is based in their rigidness and lack of flexibility to adapt to different circumstances. We base our conclusions on the notion that as human behaviours is dynamic and highly unpredictable, so is also culture and therefore even communication.

There has been an increase of the consumption rate and consumers are buying garments that they dispose in too early of a stage of the product lifecycle. This has caused an increase regarding landfill of waste. The aspect of implementing environmental oriented material science and garment technology has not been taken into consideration in the design process, something that quickly became an issue when the consumption rate increased. Therefore it is essential to rethink and restructure the business models applied today. The implementation of a circular economy, which focuses on giving textiles and garments a second life and basing production on used fibres whilst not harming the natural resources in the process, is a good start of the long journey to recovery which lies ahead. Both fast fashion companies and premium lifestyle brands are nowadays applying and integrating new business models into their daily operations, Tommy Hilfiger is an example of such a company. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to explore the relationship between material science, garment technology and the concept of circular economies from a premium lifestyle brand perspective The researcher will explore how material science and garment technology can prevent faulty items and short product lifecycles. Furthermore, the researcher will investigate how a company develops underwear collections with regards to material science, garment technology, and the concept of circular economies. The company Tommy Hilfiger will be implemented as an exponent throughout this report. Research questions: • What is the relationship between material science, garment technology, and the concept of circular economies? • What does a premium lifestyle brand take into consideration regarding the concept of circular economies when developing a collection of underwear? Methodology: This thesis was conducted by applying a qualitative method and by implementing a deductive approach. The gathering of secondary data was done through assembling suitable concepts and theories. The researcher collected the primary data through a participating observation and four qualitative interviews. The participating observation corresponded of an internship at the European headquarters of Tommy Hilfiger in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The researcher executed the interviews via email with key people within the departments of Design, Production, Central Sourcing and Production, and Corporate Responsibility. Conclusion: Material science and garment technology are correlated given that the choice of material and manufacturing technique utilized in production determines the durability and sustainability level of the fabric output. Therefore the two concepts are further correlated to the product aspect, which can enable a closed textile value chain loop, of a circular economy based business model. A premium lifestyle brand takes the aspects of design out waste, build resilience through diversity, work towards using energy from renewable sources, and think in consecutive processes into consideration regarding the concept of circular economies when developing a collection of underwear.

Kommunikationen mellan en produktutvecklande modeleverantör och deras producenter är en pågående process. Kommunikation i allmänhet binder samman människor genom tal och skrift, men kan också vara en bidragande faktor till oenighet. Kommunikation i alla dess former används dagligen och är ett viktigt verktyg som måste fungera korrekt. Om brister i kommunikationen uppstår kan diskussioner väckas till liv och inom modeindustrin kan samarbeten ställas in och kontrakt annulleras. Kommunikationen mellan den produktutvecklande modeleverantören och deras producenter kan bli missförstådd och inte tolkad utifrån det uppsåt företagen planerat. Det kan leda till problem med ledtider, försäljningssiffror och försenade leveranser. Syftet med studien är att analysera varför eventuella problem sker i kommunikationen mellan svenska produktutvecklande modeleverantörer och deras producenter i utlandet. Följande kandidatuppsats är uppdelad i kapitel 1 – 6 och kommer besvara syftet genom att granska kommunikationen mellan de två parterna, vilka kommunikationssvårigheter som finns samt vilka parametrar som är viktiga för att kommunikationen ska fungera. Den primära teorin utgörs av det empiriska resultatet som består av intervjuer med nio svenska produktutvecklande modeleverantörer. Personliga intervjuer valdes för att tillgå så stor andel information som möjligt rörande ämnet. Dessutom har observationer av den Textila Värdekedjan, Supply Chain Management, Sustainable Supply Chain Management, Total Quality Management, Quick Response, Fast Fashion samt Organisationskultur genomförts. Även andra viktiga strategier och aspekter som handlar om kommunikation har analyserats. Studien visar att brister i kommunikationen uppstår dagligen för svenska produktutvecklande modeleverantörer. Kommunikationssvårigheter uppkommer av bland annat språkbarriärer och kulturella skillnader. Konsekvenser av misstag i kommunikationen kan vara förödande och ha stor påverkan på relationen mellan de svenska produktutvecklande modeleverantörerna och deras producenter. Följaktligen presenteras studiens slutsats samt förslag på vidare forskning. Slutligen redovisas använda källor och bilagor.