The global apparel market is estimated to increase from US$1,105 billion in 2012 to US$2,110 billion in 2025 (Statista, 2014), with women’s wear accounting for approximately 55% of the total within the United Kingdom (UK) (Verdict, 2015). In 2013 and 2014 market research performed by Mintel identified the ‘shopping experience’ as one of the key factors in women’s shopping habits, noting that consumers aged 16-24, in particular, tended to browse online but to buy in-store, still seeing shopping for clothes as a day out with friends (Mintel, 2013). Nevertheless, the growing influence of social media was noted, and by 2015 this age group had overtaken the 25-34 year olds to become the main online clothes shoppers. Despite this, young people aged 16-24, all of whom potentially qualify as digital natives, still show a preference for shopping in-store (Mintel, 2015), although preliminary research indicates that more of them are now shopping alone than with friends. This suggests that there has been a shift in consumer shopping habits within the youth sector, with less importance being placed on the shopping experience. Given that, this study aims to explore the social media behaviours of the youngers aged between 18-24 with a particular focus on fashion consumption. Crowd sourcing has been identified as an emerging practice found in several sectors including fashion (Yeomans, 2013). Preliminary research suggests that the shift is just a perceived one and that technology savvy young fashion consumers are using smart-technology to upload ‘chelfies’ (‘selfies direct from the changing rooms’) to crowd source opinion about proposed purchases (Soar and Torn, 2015), using social media to replace ‘physical friends’ with ‘digital friends’. To explore this phenomenon further, this study employs qualitative research method and uses semi-structured interviews. The result of this research provides evidence of crowd sourcing behaviours via social media, as well as indicates the complex communication mechanism that embeds within fashion consumption among the generation of the youth.

Most Korean companies in the fashion industry are SMEs, and the role of the CEO and management ownership is important for enhancing the firm’s competence and developing strategies. The study aims to examine the effect of management ownership on company financial growth. In particular, the study focuses on the moderating effect of company age and size on Korean fashion SMEs’ financial outcomes. Financial data based on company financial statements from 2012 to 2014 was collected by the Data Analysis, Retrieval and Transfer System of Korea’s Financial Supervisory Service. A total of 295 companies’ (domestic fashion businesses) data was analyzed by the bootstrap method. The median sales value in the financial year 2014 was 47,492,403,958 KRW, and the company size was divided by it. The companies were in business for an average of 20 years. According to the results, the management ownership had a negative effect on Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) for the three-years, and the relationship between the two variables was moderated by company age. Additionally, the interaction effect of management ownership and company age on 3-CAGR was also moderated by company size. When the companies had spent only a few years in business, a negative effect of management ownership for small firms and a positive effect of management ownership on financial growth for medium firms were found. These results suggest that small companies starting business need to manage their company governance structure to make flexible decisions, and after retaining financial growth, the companies can expand their businesses based on strong ownership.

The social responsibility of fashion companies has become a crucial factor considering company image and awareness. Businesses have thus increased their CSR activities. However, few studies have shown clear and consistent results regarding the effectiveness of CSR activities. Therefore, this study focuses on the evaluation of the direct effect of CSR on trust and corporate reputation including its moderation by consumer's perceived fit and motivation. A total of 284 completed questionnaires were obtained from adult consumers in the fashion market with promotional leaflets for CSR activities as stimuli. The results were as follows. First, the dimensions for CSR activities were categorized as follows: Social welfare responsibility, environment protection, economic responsibility, social regulation compliance, customer protection, and culture and arts support. Further social regulation compliance, and economic and social welfare responsibilities positively affected corporate trust and reputation. Second, the main effect of perceived CSR activities and fit on corporate trust and reputation was significant, and the interaction effects of the social welfare, environment protection, and culture and arts support of CSR activities and fit were significant. Finally, the interaction effect of perceived CSR activities and motivation on corporate trust and reputation was not significant, but the main effect was significant. Implications of how to manage and enhance the effectiveness of CSR activities are offered.

Fashion brands are influenced by multiple identities. Even though, for example, the brand name might still be associated with one or more creative founders (Gucci, Prada, Chanel, Hermès, Adidas, Joop) the brand image, and moreover the overall brand reputation are influenced by many different identities. For instance, a specific product identity (e.g., Gucci’s Bamboo Bag), the identity of the city or country of origin (Florence, Italy), the identities of well-known key customers as brand ambassadors (Sophia Loren, Vanessa Redgrave, Lady Diana, Naomi Watts etc.). Of course, also fashion brands who are not directly associated with the name of creative founders are composed of the effects of several identities. In the case of e.g. Nike especially successful athletes (Steve Prefontaine, Michael Jordan etc.), specific sports and sport events, and product lines tailor-made for them did help to build a strong brand reputation. All in all, it seems to be expedient to understand fashion brands as more of less complex systems composed of several identities. To deal in more detail with such “brand systems” is becoming particularly important against the background of several strategic challenges – e.g., when fashion brands are growing older and the creative founders lose their specific gravitational power, when in the process of internationalization new countries gain more and more importance who’s citizens might not have a strong access to the existing brand reputation drivers, or simply when in the context of the growing global competition the fashion brand needs to be “refreshed”. Against the background of cultural differences, or even - as within countries - lifestyle differences between different groups of customers, it can also be quite possibly that very different reputation drivers account for the success of a brand. Thus, it is necessary to identify, in different contexts, the relevant reputation drivers, and to analyze which interplay of those drivers might be particularly promising. Is it the creative founder, the corporate heritage, the country and/or city of origin, a special designer, a specific corporate culture, an outstanding product design, attractive key customers etc.? Which combination of such identity factors leads to what kind of success (e.g., brand loyalty, brand trust, price premium)? Will, for instance, heritage especially lead to brand trust, whereas an outstanding product design and specifically attractive key customers create the readiness for a higher price premium? And, is it necessary to create sub-brands to especially highlight specific identities in the process of building a brand system (e.g., the sub-branding of a Michael Jordan product line in the case of Nike)? Or is sufficient to only communicate an alignment with the brand (e.g., ads showing Naomi Watts wearing a Gucci Bamboo Handbag)? In other words, which kind of brand system, and which kind of brand communications has to be designed to attract specific target groups and to sustain competitive advantages? The present contribution aims to present a conceptual framework for analyzing “brand systems” in the fashion industry. Concomitantly, an approach of measuring such brand systems will be presented. Furthermore, a concept for analyzing the impact of several sub-identities on the development of the overall brand reputation and brand success against the background of existing contingencies will be outlined. With the introduction and discussion of such a conceptual framework it especially is intended to initiate the launching of an international research project which attempts to find an answer basically to the following question: Which via an integrated branding and brand systems communication carefully crafted composition of sub-identities might be how successful under what kind of situational conditions?

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between working environment and quality of life of fashion vendor company workers by using working environment variables such as job stress, job burnout, job satisfaction, and turnover intention. Preliminary test was conducted by interviewing fashion vendor company workers in order to find out factors that were more suitable for their working environment. Main survey was conducted to 200 fashion vendor company workers and 194 responses were analyzed. The results of correlation analysis showed that job stress, job burnout, job satisfaction, turnover intention, and factors of quality of life had significant relationships. Boss stress, role stress, achivement decrease, and personal condition satisfaction showed a significant relationship with turnover intention. The results of path analysis showed that job stress had a positive relationship with job burnout and job burnout had a negative relationship with job satisfaction. Both job stress and job burnout had a positive relationship with turnover intention, whereas job satisfaction had a negative relationship with turnover intention. Also, the results showed that job burnout and turnover intention had a negative relationship with quality of life of fashion vendor company workers, whereas job satisfaction had a positive relationship with quality of life of fashion vendor company workers.

The purpose of this study is to identify the key decision-making variables that lead fashion company employees to participate in the fashion education programs offered by university lifelong education centers. This study also examined the education satisfaction level and preferred education method and evaluated a university lifelong education program by surveying a fashion company employees who completed a fashion education program. As decision making variables, this study included participation purposes, obstacles, and evaluation criteria. While questionnaires were used to identify the decision making variables, education satisfaction level, and preferred education method, focus group interviews were used to evaluate the university lifelong education program. The findings showed that the respondents enrolled in the program mostly because of personal motivations and considered the workload and time limitation as participating obstacles. They considered educational content as the most important evaluation criteria for participating in the program and were highly satisfied with the program they completed. This study suggests how university lifelong education centers may structure their fashion education programs to better appeal to the employees of fashion companies.