During the last year there has been a globalization of trade. Because of the development ofmore sophisticated information's - and communication technology the boundaries and thephysical distance have been smeared out between company as well as countries. Furthermoreit generates that many companies have restructured to global value chains. Because of theincreased access the marketplace has become harder and more competitive than ever.Since the customers nowadays have more access to product information the consume patternsand behaviour has been changed. Through the increased knowledge the consumers requiresmore of the products. Today’s consumers values not only prise and quality but are alsodemanding quality products which are tailored to individual needs and tastes. Companiesfocus has changed from price to the ability to quickly respond on new trends and customerdemands. Fashion companies in the textile sector appear on a complex and unpredictablemarket where new trends and the demand shifts quickly. In order to be competitive on themarket the companies need to renew their range of fashion products several times in season.Fashion goods have a short life-cycle, measured in months or even weeks. Fashion productshave become a consumable and embarrassed in the concept fast fashion. Management of aneffective purchase process is therefore very important in order to meet the requirement onhaving the right product, in right quality, in right quantity at the right time.The purpose of the thesis are to investigate, describe and analyze the connection between thecase companies H&M and Zara´s different ways of deliver fast fashion in relation toward theconsumers understanding of them as a trend conductive on the market.In our paper we have been using a hermeneutist perspective. We have interpreted thecollected material, sow as responders attitudes about the case companies purchasingstrategies. The approach has been adductive and then we have been waged from bothcollected theory and empiric materials. The collected empiric material endure in a qualitativequestionnaire survey that lies to shallow for our analysis and conclusion. In the essay has boththe secondary and primary data compliments each other in order to achieve the study's aimand to answer to our problem wording.Through our analysis, we can come to the conclusion that the customers' view about Zara andH&M´s ability to deliver a fast fashion is very even in that sense that no company was beingidentified as better than the other. We can also make the conclusion that the customers'assumptions not only come from the products visible in store, but also from their own attitudetowards fashion and the company's accessibility and interaction with the customer. Anotherconclusion was that one of the most important attributes is a product fashion degree and that itis important that companies can apply a ”quick response” strategy in order to be successful onfashion the market. / Program: Textilekonomutbildningen

AbstractThe fashion industry is today one of the most interesting, exciting and fast-moving industriesin the world. On the streets we can see people wearing all kind of brands, both fast fashionbrands and luxury brands. Some people mix different brands, while some people stick toeither fast fashion or luxury brands. Today people wear different brands to express theirpersonal style but also social and class relationships.The purpose of this study is to find out why some consumers prefer to purchase luxury brandsinstead of fast fashion and what added value is given to them so they choose luxury. It alsodeals with what kind of people purchase luxury brands and if there are any differences. Tosucceed with this study I have therefore made a qualitative study where interviews were madewith several store managers at luxury brand stores in central Stockholm and observations.I found from this research that the consumers of luxury brands purchase luxury because of thequality that they receive and the service. The consumers are very quality conscious andbelieve it is more sustainable to purchase something that has good quality than buyingsomething that is cheap with poor quality. They also choose luxury brands because ofexpertise from the personnel, and personal contact between the store assistants and theconsumer. Consumers purchase a whole concept when they choose luxury. They chooseluxury because of the experience they receive that cannot be given at fast fashion stores.I also found from this research that there is a mixture of consumers who purchase luxurybrands. There is all kind of consumers, everything from upper class, brat wannabes, andmiddle class, younger consumers to old grand parents. Some purchase luxury brands for thequality and some for the status it gives them.Besides of why consumers choose luxury brands and what consumers who actually purchase Ifound that consumer of luxury brands have changed in the past ten years. It used to be onlyupper class but more and more luxury brands have widen their target group by offeringproducts that are less expensive so more people can afford it, but still in the frame of what isluxury.Key definitions: Fast fashion, luxury brands, upper class, brat wannabes, and social class. / Program: Magisterutbildning i fashion management med inriktning modemarknadsföring

Purpose:The purpose of this thesis has been to study, describe and analyze how luxury fashion brands have responded to fast fashion. Background:It has been stated that the life of luxury fashion brands has become more difficult since the proliferation of fast fashion brands. The Italian luxury fashion designer Giorgio Armani has said that "Fast fashion is a growing reality in our sector". Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of American Vogue has credited Zara for creating a ‘seasonless cycle for fashion’. Fast fashion brands such as H&M, Zara, Mango and Topshop have through interpreting catwalk trends with a speedy time-to-market been extremely successful at attracting the fashion conscious consumer. Even loyal high-end customers have started to mix their luxury fashion with fast fashion. Luxury fashion brands once dismissed the fast fashion brands as irrelevant to their high-end business, which however have started to drain away sales from the luxury fashion brands.Method:A qualitative research approach was taken to meet the purpose of collecting the relevant data. An interview was made with PR and Marketing Manager at Group 88, Robert Meeder who manages brands such as Gucci, Burberry and Bottega Veneta in Copenhagen. We also did a content analysis on articles collected that address the issue of how different luxury fashion brands have responded to fast fashion for the empirical study.Conclusion:Luxury fashion brands have responded to fast fashion by inclining towards the fast fashion model or reacting against it. Some of the reactions have been to offer lower priced lines under their own sub-brands. They have also allowed their customers to buy products during online webcasts in order to ensure early deliveries. Improvements have been made within logistics in order to speed up the time-to-market. The luxury fashion brands are also working more ‘seasonless’ than before and focusing on their heritage to portray a slower and more indulgent image to the consumer. / Program: Magisterutbildning i Fashion Management

Arbetets bakgrund är en studie av hur produktutvecklings- och produktionsstegen ser ut i teorin för klädföretag som produktutvecklar genom ”snabbt marknadsbesvarande genom korta ledtider” och producerar genom det ”progressiva buntsystemet”. Jag presenterar de olika processerna och vilka svårigheter de bär med sig. I arbetets metoddel är samma processer studerade i praktiken hos intermediära företag och fabriker i Kina och tre nordiska ”fast-fashion”-företag. Detta görs genom intervjuer med respondenter från de olika aktörerna i värdekedjan. Vidare har jag även studerat dessa företags produktionsresultat. Detta för att se om det finns samband mellan modeföretagens praktiska arbetssätt för produktutveckling och kvalitén på deras produktionsresultat. I diskussionen ramas de mest effektiva metoderna för produktutveckling in och jämförs med modeföretagens förhållningssätt. Utifrån intervjuer och produktionsresultat drar jag slutsatsen att ju mer designers och personal med teknisk kunskap samarbetar internt i desto högre grad säkerställs bolagets produktionskvalité, samtidigt som korta ledtider bibehålls. Därtill är det till stor fördel för kvalitén om modeföretagen aktivt söker konsultation från deras sina leverantörer vid varje produktionstillfälle, angående exempelvis vilka materialval och lämpliga makningsdetaljer som passar bäst för den specifika leverantörens fabrik. Bolagen bör dessutom fokusera mer på att skapa individuellt anpassade kommunikationslösningar, utveckla långa leverantörsrelationer, använda utförligt beskrivna kvalitetsmanualer och arbeta med högre närvaro av kvalitetskontrollanter på fabrikerna än vad de gör idag. Utifrån fallstudierna ser jag ett tydligt samband: ju större ett bolag är och ju längre tid modebolaget det varit etablerat på den kinesiska marknaden desto mer har de utvecklat ovanstående parametrar, och uppnår därför högre kvalité och smidigare produktionslösningar än de bolag som inte varit etablerade lika lång tid. / Program: Textilingenjörsutbildningen

Do second-hand clothing donations ‘do good?’ Thrift stores promote the message that second-hand clothing (SHC) donations ‘do good’ when they solicit donations from individuals. I argue that this narrative of ‘doing good’ overemphasizes the social and economic value of donated clothes and conceals the negative aspects of overconsumption and the problems associated with the commercial export of SHC. The aim of this thesis is to better understand the relationship between fast fashion, clothing consumption and disposal patterns, and the global trade in SHC donations by examining what motivates individuals to donate SHC to thrift stores, and how thrift stores are linked to the international trade in SHC. I began to map SHC donations from households to thrift stores. I used a global production network (GPN) framework to examine the social, political, and economic relations that contribute to how value is created, increased, and extracted in this commodity chain. Using a case study approach, I conducted 30 interviews with individuals who donated used clothing and I conducted research at four different thrift stores that sell SHC in Victoria, BC. / Graduate / 2020-04-17

Negative voices about fast fashion have become much louder in the last couple of years. Stories about sourcing, production and disposal of products became headliners in respectable newspapers and material for shocking documentaries. However, the fast fashion retailers are still expanding their territories and even new chains emerge. Observing the ongoing dialogue between the dissenting votes against fast fashion, its producers and consumers lead to the assumption that there might be a gap between young consumers’ attitude towards fast fashion and their corresponding behavior. Such a gap has been examined in many research areas before concerning for example the consumption of more ethical products, the attitude towards corporate social responsibility or health related matters. To investigate the assumed gap in fast fashion consumption further a deductive approach has been used and focus groups have been conducted which offered great insight into the opinions and beliefs of the fast fashion main target group. Multiple hypotheses have been drawn from these findings and an online questionnaire was implemented to back up those results.In order to assemble the questionnaire and analyze the results several theories regarding the forming of attitude and behavior haven been used and explained in further detail, including the Hierarchy of Effects, The Consistency Theory, The Techniques of Neutralization, The Theory of Reasoned Action and the Theory of Planned Behavior. Conclusively it can be said that young consumers do have to a certain degree a negative attitude towards fast fashion but still name it as their first shopping choice. Even though not all hypotheses which have been drawn could be fully confirmed, a gap is definitely visible between consumers’ attitude and their behavior and the reasons for it are of high interest. However precise reasons or which factors exactly interfere when the purchase decision is made discarding the concerns cannot be pointed out and only trends could be depicted. The factors forming attitude and behavior are numerous and underlay various concepts which have to receive further attention in order to solve all issues of the attitude-behavior gap in fast fashion. / Program: Master in Fashion Management with specialisation in Fashion Marketing and Retailing

The concept of sustainability has become apparent in the fast fashion business. In recent years many companies have started to label the more sustainable garments in order to make it easier for the consumer to make conscious decisions while shopping. However, this raises many questions due to unclear use of sustainability terms and the contradiction between environmental and ethical aspects in regards to the fashion industry. The purpose of the thesis is to raise a discussion concerning the use of sustainability labels within fast fashion. In order to reach the purpose, the following questions were developed: “What do different sustainability labels mean according to the fast fashion business?”, “What knowledge do the customers have about different sustainability labels?” and “Do the labels have an impact in the buying decision making process?”We have done an explorative study to investigate a phenomenon and highlight a potential problem in this field of studies. Since the aim of the empirical research is to gain insight of the consumers' attitudes and knowledge, the study is to a large extent qualitative. We conducted a survey in which purposive sampling was used as we wanted the respondents to fulfil certain criteria. In addition to the survey, we also conducted research on a number of fast fashion companies to get an idea of what information the customers would be naturally exposed to. The results from the study show that sustainability labels within fast fashion have not experienced their intended success among their largest consumer group. It has not yet reached desired effects on the consumption behaviour, the interest for sustainability nor the knowledge among the young female respondents. One can therefore discuss the utility of using labels within fast fashion. / Program: Master in Fashion Management with specialisation in Fashion Marketing and Retailing

Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR, kan förklaras som ett företags frivilliga samhällsansvar, där grunden för ett lyckat arbete handlar om att finna balans mellan ekonomiskt, miljömässigt och socialt ansvarstagande. Företagen ska inte bara fokusera på dess lönsamhet, utan också bidra till etisk social och miljömässig förbättring, faktorer som idag har blivit en självklarhet för att bidra till en hållbar utveckling men också för att bygga, stärka och bevara varumärket. Ett varumärke anses ofta vara ett företags främsta tillgång vilket också kan skapa värde för ett företag och på så sätt ses som en konkurrensfördel. Företagets varumärkesimage är i sin tur kundens uppfattning om varumärket och är något kunden skapar på en egen hand. En varierande bild av företaget kan då uppstå, eftersom individer har olika uppfattningar om ett varumärke.Gina Tricot är det företag som ligger i fokus för studien då vi anser att de är ett välkänt varumärke inom fast fashion branschen. Fast fashion är en affärsstrategi vars mål är att reducera ledtiderna från idé till butik och strategin syftar till att tillfredsställa kundernas behov av de senaste trenderna på mycket kort tid.Syftet med rapporten är att få en fördjupad förståelse för vad CSR innebär men också hur CSR kan bidra med positiva effekter och gynna Gina Tricots varumärke och dess varumärkesimage. Rapporten har både kvalitativa och kvantitativa utformningar, där datainsamling har skett genom intervjuer med medarbetare på Gina Tricot och en marknadsundersökning utformad som en enkät till tänkbara konsumenter. Den insamlade empirin har analyserats utifrån de litterära och elektroniska källorna vi använts oss av samt vetenskapliga artiklar. Källorna har behandlat CSR, kundbeteende, varumärke, varumärkesimage och fast fashion branschen. Vi kan utifrån resultatet urskilja en något motsägelsefull ställning till hållbarhet och miljömedvetenhet. Att intresset och den rätta attityden finns framkommer i resultatet, men då ingen av respondenterna anser att man medvetet väljer etiskt och ekologiskt tillverkade plagg, framkommer det även att det finns en problematik och ett glapp mellan attityd och handling. Ytterligare en slutsats vi kan dra utifrån empirin är att CSR kan ge både positiva och negativa effekter på ett företag, där det är viktigt för ett företag att se CSR som ett strategiskt tillbehör till den övriga affärsverksamheten och inte som en genväg till framgång. För att Gina Tricots CSR-arbete ska kunna stärka deras varumärkesimage, krävs både ett välutarbetat CSR arbete men också att Gina Tricot är medvetna om kundernas upplevda varumärkesimage.Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR, can be explained as a company´s willingness to contribute in society where the foundations for a successful job is about finding the balance between economic, environmental and social responsibility. Companies must not only focus on its profitability, but also contribute to ethical social and environmental improvement, factors which has become second nature to contribute to sustainable development but also to build, strengthen and maintain the brand. A trademark is often considered a company's greatest asset, which can also create value for a company and thus be seen as a competitive advantage. The company's brand image is the customer's perception of the brand and is something the customer creates on his own. A different picture of the company may then occur because individuals have different perceptions about a brand.Gina Tricot is the company that is the focus of this study since we believe that they are a well-known brand within the fast fashion industry. Fast fashion is a business strategy that aims to reduce lead times from concept to store and a strategy aimed at satisfying customer needs for the latest trends in a very short time.The purpose of this report is to gain a deeper understanding of what CSR means but also how CSR can contribute to a positive impact and benefit the Gina Tricots brand. The report has both a qualitative and quantitative design where data collection was done through interviews with employees at Gina Tricot and a market research designed as a survey for potential consumers. The collected empirical data is analyzed from literature, scientific articles and electronic sources. The sources have dealt with CSR, customer behavior, brand, brand image and the fashion industry.We can discern from the results somewhat contradictory position on sustainability and environmental awareness. That the interest and the right attitude is evident in the results, but none of the respondents consider to deliberately choose ethically and ecologically produced clothing, it becomes clear that there is a problem and a gap between attitude and action. Yet another conclusion we can draw from the empirical data is that CSR can give both positive and negative effects on a company, where it is important for a company to see CSR as a strategic tool to the rest of the business and not as a shortcut to success. If Gina Tricots CSR work is to strengthen their brand image, it requires both a well-defined CSR work but also that Gina Tricot is aware of customers' perceived brand image. / Program: Butikschefsutbildningen

Inom modebranschen växer konkurrensen sig allt större och fler modeföretag satsar på fast fashion som konkurrensstrategi. Konsumenterna har idag ett starkare modeintresse än någonsin vilket gör att företagen genom korta ledtider kan ta fram moderiktiga produkter till ett lågt pris för att tillfredsställa konsumenternas efterfråga. Den ökade konkurrensen gör att det blir viktigare för modeföretagen att samspela med sina olika attribut för att skapa en stark position på marknaden. Företagets tjänster har blivit ett av de omdiskuterade attributen. Där modebutiker bör satsa på att förbättra sin servicekvalitet genom att ge en högre nivå i sitt kundbemötande för att öka kundlojaliteten och konkurrenskraften. Enligt en mystery shopper undersökning av Nylund (2012) visade det sig att många butiker inte uppfyllde en godkänd och acceptabel servicenivå. En av de butiker som uppmärksammades ha en låg nivå i sitt kundbemötande var Gina Tricot.Med bakgrund till mystery shopper undersökningen har vi fått i uppdrag av Gina Tricots huvudkontor i Borås att studera vad kunderna vill ha i ett kundbemötande för fast fashion butiken Gina Tricot. För att undersöka vad kunderna efterfrågar har en kvantitativ studie genomförts i form av en enkätundersökning. Mätinstrumentet SERVQUAL används för att mäta ett företags servicekvalitet och har varit ett hjälpmedel i vår studie. Undersökningen utfördes utanför fyra utvalda Gina Tricot butiker i Borås och Göteborg där ett urval på 200 personer tillfrågades att delta i undersökningen. Datorprogrammet SPSS har använts för att presentera vårt resultat. Undersökningen visar utifrån analysen att det är viktigt för kunden att bli uppmärksammad och att personalen ska visa ett högt engagemang när kunden får hjälp av personalen. Resultatet visar även att personalens produktkunskap är av betydelse för kunden. Utifrån resultatet ser vi att kunderna tycker det är viktigt med service i en fast fashion butik. Undersökningen har hjälpt oss att ta fram viktiga grundparametrar i kundbemötandet för fast fashion butiken Gina Tricot.

This thesis focuses on product design change in the fast fashion market and its impact on supplier companies. Theorizing from the relationship between product design and suppliers within an overarching framework of the supply chain and product design literatures, the research develops what impact product design changes have on supplier companies and how those changes connect to the performance of supplier companies. The multiple case study draws on interview data with 20 participants from a famous high-street fashion retailer and eight of its suppliers. This research validates that product design changes in the fast fashion market have physical and non-physical impacts across supplier company departments, and shows that these impacts connect significantly to the performance of supplier companies. This research contributes to the supply chain and product design literatures by providing an understanding of how product design changes create chain-like-effects, both internally and externally to supplier companies. This can catalyse supplier company strategy, which mitigates product design change to avoid this chain-like-effect. Practically, this thesis offers guidance for retailers and suppliers in creating solutions for the problems that they encounter during the product design change process by revealing the cause and effect relationship of product design changes and supplier companies. The results are currently limited to the fashion industry, and they are yet to be generalised to other buyer-driven commodity chains. Future research should focus on best practices for management to deal with the impact of product design change and in consideration in other industries.