The Routledge Companion to Fashion and Business
1st Edition
Will be published approx. on 21. August 2026
Book
Hardback
638 pages
978-1-032-82726-1 (ISBN)
Description
The Routledge Companion to Fashion and Business brings together the latest research in one authoritative volume and engages with the past, present and future of fashion business to explore current and emerging issues. Fashion has expanded its reach into every area of our lives, satisfying a human desire for novelty and expression through self-adornment. Yet overproduction and lack of self-regulation have resulted in an industry previously renowned for its creativity and influence, now making headlines because of its negative environmental and social impacts. Fashion businesses and their customers have shown a desire to move towards a more sustainable, circular fashion system, necessitating changes in design, production, promotion, retail and life cycle management. Fashion straddles many disciplines, including design, economics, psychology, marketing, management and retail, sociology, material and cultural studies, human geography and business ethics. Six thematic parts illustrate the breadth and significance of the fashion industry, written by those actively and currently engaged in its creation, management and critique.
Part I introduces the economic history of fashion and the significance of the textiles industry as a driver of industrialisation. Part II introduces key concepts in fashion psychology, consumer behaviour and trend prediction as well as contemporary fashion promotion platforms and practices. Part III explores the links between fashion and place, the changing landscape of fashion retail and the contribution of cultural heritage to emerging economies. Part IV shows how the past influences today's fashion business through archives and exhibits, second-hand vintage and charity retail, reproduction of historical dress and circular fashion initiatives. Part V highlights fashion's environmental and social impacts, reflecting on how fashion activism, regulations, policies and emergent practices can deliver a more sustainable fashion industry. Part VI comprises contributions from activists, entrepreneurs and individuals at the cutting edge of fashion business, offering an engaging collection of opinion pieces that reimagine the future of fashion business.
With contributions from a range of highly esteemed international academics, cultural commentators and industry insiders, The Routledge Companion to Fashion and Business is an authoritative reference work for scholars, students and practitioners.
Part I introduces the economic history of fashion and the significance of the textiles industry as a driver of industrialisation. Part II introduces key concepts in fashion psychology, consumer behaviour and trend prediction as well as contemporary fashion promotion platforms and practices. Part III explores the links between fashion and place, the changing landscape of fashion retail and the contribution of cultural heritage to emerging economies. Part IV shows how the past influences today's fashion business through archives and exhibits, second-hand vintage and charity retail, reproduction of historical dress and circular fashion initiatives. Part V highlights fashion's environmental and social impacts, reflecting on how fashion activism, regulations, policies and emergent practices can deliver a more sustainable fashion industry. Part VI comprises contributions from activists, entrepreneurs and individuals at the cutting edge of fashion business, offering an engaging collection of opinion pieces that reimagine the future of fashion business.
With contributions from a range of highly esteemed international academics, cultural commentators and industry insiders, The Routledge Companion to Fashion and Business is an authoritative reference work for scholars, students and practitioners.
Reviews / Votes
"This is a truly comprehensive collection of case studies, industry insights and academic essays covering the breadth of fashion and business. It is impressive in terms of its extensiveness and the number of global thought leaders from industry and academia who have contributed to this companion, making it a 'go to' read for students, academics and practitioners working in the field of fashion and business. The book covers all the topics which might be expected in a fashion and business companion text, yet takes a contemporary interpretation of them including economics, marketing, cultures, business models, consumer behaviour and more, as well as introducing some of the unique current issues and challenges for fashion including sustainability, resale and digital fashion."Professor Liz Barnes, Head of Manchester Fashion Institute, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK
"The Routledge Companion to Business and Fashion offers an unparalleled breadth of analysis across the world-spanning system of fashion. Across over 60 chapters, the book's thematics include the economics of fashion, its trends and consumer psychology, fashion cultures, fashion places, and sustainability.
This is an essential book for fashion professionals, researchers and students, providing insights across the business, culture, and economies of fashion production. The book includes a diversity of voices: academics, industry professionals, and activists from around the world.
There are contributions on the fashion systems and businesses from Europe, Asia, Africa, and North and South America, extending from reflections on the new influencers of K-pop idols, to craft in India, to doing fashion business in Africa, to explorations of the fashion cities of South America and Europe.
Central to the book is the acknowledgement that the current system cannot continue in its present form. It includes powerful perspectives from those calling for new fashion business models founded on care and regeneration, as well as practical cases of circularity in action and the innovative materials disrupting business-as-usual.
The book is an extraordinary collation of leading thinkers in fashion business, and will prove inspirational and timely for all interested in the present state and future directions of the industry."
Professor Alice Payne, Dean, School of Fashion & Textiles, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
Postgraduate
Illustrations
10 s/w Tabellen, 17 s/w Zeichnungen, 46 s/w Photographien bzw. Rasterbilder, 63 s/w Abbildungen
10 Tables, black and white; 17 Line drawings, black and white; 46 Halftones, black and white; 63 Illustrations, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 246 mm
Width: 174 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-032-82726-1 (9781032827261)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Natascha Radclyffe-Thomas | Babette Radclyffe-Thomas
The Routledge Companion to Fashion and Business
E-Book
approx. 08/2026
1st Edition
Routledge
€68.49
Not yet available
Natascha Radclyffe-Thomas | Babette Radclyffe-Thomas
The Routledge Companion to Fashion and Business
E-Book
approx. 08/2026
1st Edition
Routledge
€68.49
Not yet available
Persons
Natascha Radclyffe-Thomas, EdD, is Professor of Marketing and Sustainable Fashion at Ravensbourne University, London, an award-winning researcher and National Teaching Fellow named in The SustainabilityX (R) Magazine's Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards (TM) and is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Babette Radclyffe-Thomas, PhD, is News Editor at The Costume Society, UK, an award-winning fashion journalist, consultant and academic with the world's first PhD in Vogue China and is a fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
Babette Radclyffe-Thomas, PhD, is News Editor at The Costume Society, UK, an award-winning fashion journalist, consultant and academic with the world's first PhD in Vogue China and is a fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
Content
Introduction Part I: An Economic History of Fashion 1. Textiles and Global Trade Routes 2. Industrialisation and Fashion 3. Cotton, Capitalism and Colonialism 4. Colonialism, Slavery and the Global Fashion Industry 5. Designers: Through the Looking Glass! Part II: On Trend On Trend: Understanding Why We Buy 6. Why We Buy: Fashion and Psychology 7. Culture: The Econometrics of Emotion and How Cultural Dynamics Drive Modern Luxury 8. Fairground Attraction: Fashion Business, Inspiration and Interaction 9. Trend Prediction: Art or Science? 10. Fashion and Big Data, AI On Trend: The Changing Face of Fashion Promotion 11. From Product to Brand: The Evolution of Brand Management in Fashion 12. Vogue China: Launching the World's Most Famous Fashion Magazine in China 13. Fashion Promotion and the Cultural Production of the Black Woman 14. The Met Gala: Fashion, Fundraising, and Celebrity Culture at the 'Party of the Year' 15. Writing for the Trade: Drapers Record 16. The Enduring Appeal of Fashion Illustration On Trend: The New Influencers 17. From Trendsetters to Trailblazers: The Evolution of Fashion Influencers from Micro Fame to Macro Impact 18. Digital Fashion Now: The Evolving Role of the Fashion Designer in the Digital Age 19. K-pop Idols: Fashion's New Influencers 20. What's the Hype: Defining Cool for Gen Z Part III: Fashion and Place Fashion and Place: Fashion Cities 21. A Tale of Two Cities? Antwerp, Hasselt and Flemish Fashion Branding 22. Fashion Cities: Paris, A Specific Positioning in the Global Fashion Landscape 23. Fashion Cities: London, A Place of Fashionable Trade and Spectacle 24. Hai Pai Style: Shanghai Chic and the Evolution of a Chinese Fashion City 25. Copenhagen: A Fashion Capital of Creativity, Culture, Collaboration and Community 26. Fashion Cities: Sao Paulo: Isaac Silva Brand, Acredite no seu Axe Fashion and Place: My Favourite Shop 27. Department Stores: Icons of Selling 28. The Rise and Fall of Fashion on the British High Street 29. Fashion Retail Now and Next 30. TOPSHOP 1997-2007: The Global Fashion Authority Fashion and Place: Cultural Heritage 31. Fashion and Cultural Heritage: From Appropriation to Appreciation, the Case of Dior 32. Made in Italy, Made in France and Made in the USA: From Trade Wars to TikTok Fashion Wars 33. From Cultural Icon to Threads of Resistance: The Afghan Coat and Social Sustainability 34. Doing Fashion Business in Africa 35. Wrapped in Identity: Gender, Fashion, and the Bangladeshi / British Bangladeshi Story 36. Craft and Fashion: The Red List Part IV: Coming Around Again Coming Around Again: Curating Fashion 37. Decentring Fashion and the Museum through Fashion Curation 38. Taking Fashion Seriously: The Costume Society at Sixty 39. Fashioning Korea through Exhibitions - Hallyu! The Korean Wave 40. Frida Kahlo: Art, Fashion, Identity, and the Dior Imagination 41. The NEXT archive Coming Around Again: New Lives for Old Fashion 42. A Modern Renaissance for Vintage Fashion 43. History is Always in Fashion: The Reconstruction of Historical Dress 44. The Intersection of Fashion-Tech and Resale: Key Technologies and Applications Transforming Secondhand Consumption in a Digital Age 45. Charity Shop Retail: Transforming High Street Fashion 46. Designing Out Textile Waste: The Redress Design Award 47. Fashion Loops: H&M's Circular Fashion Part V: Fashion's Sustainability Reckoning 48. Can fashion save the world? And why should it? The State of Sustainable Fashion 49. Luxury and Sustainability Leadership: The Case of Emerging African Brands 50. Who Made My Clothes? A Fashion Revolution 51. The True Cost: Ten Years On 52. Changing Fashion Policy: The New York Fashion Act 53. Architects of Desire: Why fashion marketing is crucial for sustainability 54. Craft and Sustainable Fashion in India: A Tapestry of Climate and Cultural Resilience 55. Fashion and the Environment: Algae-Powered Fashion 56. EU Labour Legislation in Fashion: Origins, Implementation, and Industry Impact Part VI: Disrupting Fashion Business: Wayfinding for Fashion's Future 57. No Fashion on a Dead Planet: XR Fashion 58. Finding Opportunity in Sustainable Innovation 59. Regenerative Renaissance: A New Model for Fashion Business 60. Supply chain solidarity: a route to building worker power and disrupting exploitation in fashion 61. Total Ethics Fashion 62. No More Fast Fashion