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This paper examines the issue of our over-consuming society and its consequences using the example of the fashion industry. As the fashion industry alone is one of the biggest culprits in the global environmental deterioration and overexploitation of resources, the paper mainly focuses on the environmental impact. As a solution, the paper presents the application “Lessly”, which can help individual consumers to change their shopping behaviour and become more sustainable in their choices. In particular, the paper outlines the development of the app and the design decisions. The main token of the app is a mascot which also shares the name of the app, “Lessly”. The name originates from the saying “less is more” – the slogan of the app, which intends to describe the counter-movement of the ever-accelerating fashion consumption. Thus, the Lessly app represents a convenient tool for positive consumer change and the potential for a better environment and future.

As more companies in the resource-intensive fashion industry start their transition journeys towards circular business models (CBMs), driven by social and regulatory pressures, understanding how companies navigate this transformative process is crucial. This thesis contributes to prevailing research by analysing the challenges faced by linear companies in the fashion industry when adopting more circular models through various initiatives, dividing them by the CBM they apply, and considering their corresponding solutions to these challenges. By interviewing nine companies and four industry experts, we investigated the CBMs: product life extension, circular supplies, resource recovery, and product-as-a-service. Our findings indicate some common challenges include uncertain market demands, high costs and complex logistics, which caused profitability concerns and impeded companies’ transitions. Meanwhile, some challenges were CBM or company-specific. Companies employing circular supplies and resource recovery models faced cost considerations related to material price and availability, while product life extension models struggled with material access and limitations within the organisation or network. Significant market challenges were observed for the product-as-a-service model. To cope with these challenges, companies maintained small-scale CBMs and/or gradually scaled them based on changing circumstances or built collaborative networks within the value chain. Strengthening internal human capital was another coping strategy.

The research adds to current management control system and textile and fashion management literature by developing a MCS framework which is specially targeting startups within the textile and fashion industry in order to implement and scale sustainability initiatives. The framework provides potential to impact and facilitate managers to foster sustainable development. Given the lack of research and the resulting lack of knowledge and understanding of sustainable development from a managerial perspective in the textile and fashion context, this research adds knowledge by examining fashion startups which find themselves at the development phase of MCSs.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the role of social media presence in thriving in and increasing brand awareness in the fashion retail industry of Sweden. The study investigates how social media usage affects brand awareness in the fashion industry of Sweden. The study also explored how respondents’ demographics influence the retail fashion brands' awareness campaigns/programs using various social media platforms in the fashion industry of Sweden. Method: This study has used exploratory research to examine the role of social media presence in increasing brand awareness in the Swedish fashion industry. The study used a qualitative method involving semi-structured interviews with the marketing, communication, and social media experts from the fashion retail brands of Sweden. The Swedish retail fashion industry was chosen as it is known for its minimalistic, functionality, and clean lines. The sampled retail fashion brands are chosen due to the nearby geographical presence of the researcher’s locality. Another factor that focused to interview the marketing, communication, and social media experts of these retail businesses was that they handle most of the social media activities within their businesses. Research findings: The study, through interviews with the digital marketers and social media experts of these brands as well as a review of related literature, concluded that social media marketing has a significant influence on fashion retail companies' efforts to build brand awareness. These retail businesses have benefited in terms of strong brand awareness, whether it be by simply having a social media platform presence or investing in social media paid ads. Most interviewees claimed to have seen an uptick in sales, and unquestionably a rise in customer interest. The study further concluded that demographics play a vital role in the brands' awareness campaigns/programs using various social media platforms in the fashion industry of Sweden. Theoretical Implications (Contributions): In the context of building brand awareness for fashion retail companies, this study has confirmed and added to existing marketing research. Based on the research's conclusions, it was concluded that social media marketing has a more positive impact on a company's exposure than other types of advertising. Additionally, the study's findings demonstrate the effectiveness of using free advertisements based on pages in social media networks like Facebook, and Instagram to engage users and keep them constantly aware of a brand's products online. Practical Implications: This study has positive ramifications for aspiring entrepreneurs who place a high priority on social media platforms. Additionally, it takes up less time and costs less money because it offers a selection of paid advertisements where you can choose how much money to spend. Other than that, having a free account and engaging in self-promotional activities like posting or keeping your online platform current with trends is a useful way to gradually increase the number of followers and customers while simultaneously raising brand awareness.

Marketing is crucial to the success of any company, and in line with an increased emphasis on sustainability, many companies now include sustainability issues in their communications. The clothing company Lindex's campaign ”Reinvent the Model” aims to reshape the female ideal and promote diversity in their marketing. They do this, among other things, by including different skin colors, ages and bodytypes in the marketing. The study ”Advertising for what, clothes or bodies?” examines Lindex's campaign and its portrayal of beauty ideals. Through a qualitative multimodal critical discourse analysis, based on Fairclough's three-dimensionalmodel, the campaign is analyzed with a focus on lexical choices, denotation, connotation, interdiscursivity, ideology and hegemony. The concepts of discourse andcommodified feminism also form the basis of the study's theoretical perspective. The results show that Lindex portrays beauty ideals as problematic and negative. The campaign mixes marketing, body positive, feminist and documentary discourses to challenge prevailing beauty ideals within the fashion industry. The body positive and feminist discourse is emphasized by ordinary women sharing their experiences around beauty ideals. Quotes in the campaign create a negative view of the female body as bodily flaws are discussed. The hegemonic view of beauty ideals is questioned in the campaign, but the result of making a comprehensive campaign about women's appearance means that the female body continues to be scrutinized and used as akind of marketing material. The conclusion is that, from an ideologically critical perspective, the campaign partially challenges the hegemonic view of beauty but at the same time maintains and commodifies norms around the female body.

This thesis sets out to examine whether there is a relationship between financial performance and CSR in fashion companies. Furthermore, there are significant regional differences in different markets; for instance, the European Union aims to counter the negative impact of fast fashion as part of a grander plan to become climate neutral by 2050. Therefore, a regional comparison is of particular interest as environmental regulations are increasing. Since the USA and the EU are home to the largest and most valuable brands to date, these regions will be examined in this thesis. This relationship is measured by using ESG scores as a proxy for CSR. The results stipulate that the relationship between financial performance and CSR activities is weak. Nevertheless, regional context is found to be a significant moderator variable in this relationship. The results indicate that CSR practices are more important in terms of financial performance in the EU.

In contemporary times, the concept of brand activism has emerged among consumers and companies alike, particularly within the fashion industry. Consumers are increasingly seeking brands that demonstrate a commitment to societal and environmental concerns, leading to a rise in brand activism within this sector. The purpose of this research is to investigate and comprehend how consumers perceive fashion brand activism according to their gender. The empirical findings were acquired using a quantitative approach by an Internet-mediated questionnaire. The data were subsequently analysed and compared with existing literature reviews to highlight both similarities and disparities. This thesis demonstrates that while both men and women generally perceive fashion brand activism in similar terms of authenticity and inauthenticity, women tend to have a stronger affinity towards these brands due to shared values. In comparison, men often view them neutrally or negatively, suggesting potential disparities in emotional investment or perceptions of social commitment. Overall, although authenticity is universally considered, gender influences consumer perspectives on activist fashion brands. All conclusions proposed by the authors account for the predominant demographic characteristics of the sample population. Consequently, these generalisations primarily apply to students of French nationality.

In today’s digital era, the rapid rise of social media (SM) has transformed consumer behaviourespecially among university students. This study examines the influence of social mediamarketing (SMM) on the purchase intentions of university students within the fashion industry,focusing on a sample from Zambia. Addressing a gap in existing research on this demographic,the study explores how various dimensions of the SMM affect purchasing decisions.The study utilised the exploratory study approach, data were gathered through a semi-structuredquestionnaire distributed among university students in Zambia. Descriptive statistics and Pearsoncorrelation analysis were used to evaluate the relationships between the independent anddependent variables. A total of 96 valid responses were received and included in the finalanalysis. The findings revealed insights into these relationships, the correlation between entertainment,interaction and awareness was found to be weak (r=0.418) indicating that these factors do notgreatly influence student’s decision to purchase fashion products. In contrast, fashion trendinessand interest in a brand shows a moderate positive relationship (r = 0.422, p = 0.000), meaningthat when SM highlights current fashion trends, students are more likely to be interested.Similarly, the customisation of SM experiences with the desire for fashion products was found tobe moderately positive (r = 0.510, p = 0.000) suggesting that tailoring content to individualpreferences encourages purchases. The strongest relationship observed between e-word of mouthand purchase action (r = 0.726, p = 0.000) signifying that positive online recommendationsgreatly . influence students to buy fashion products. The study recommends that brands invest in monitoring SM trends, collecting extensive data oncustomer preferences and maintaining a positive e-word of mouth. Future research could exploreadditional variables influencing fashion product purchase decisions and consider larger samplesize for broader generalisation. This research contributes to the understanding of SMM influenceon consumer behaviour and offering insights for marketing strategies in the fashion industry.

As live shopping has become more popular in recent years, as seen in China, this concept has slowly spread to Europe and also the Scandinavian countries. However, the purchasing behaviour of consumers varies, which modifies the circumstances and methods in which businesses might apply this concept to achieve results. This qualitative study explores how  Swedish fashion retailers should use live shopping to influence females buying behaviour. The method used for data collection has been through an industry interview with a marketing specialist and consumer interviews. The conclusion is that live shopping can be a powerful tool if implemented with strategic considerations that tailor the preferences and experiences of Swedish female consumers. Companies need to invest in leveraging social media effectively, and focus on detailed, high-quality content. Promotions should balance immediate appeal with long-term value, and live shopping should aim to inspire and inform consumers, fitting seamlessly into their thoughtful purchasing process. By addressing these factors, Swedish retailers in the fashion industry can influence female purchasing behaviour through live shopping.