Fashion as Creative Economy: Micro-Enterprises in London, Berlin and Milan

Fashion is under scrutiny due to environmental concerns, exploitation, and the impact of digital technology on traditional companies. This book explores the working lives of independent designers in London, Berlin, and Milan and analyzes the urban policy regimes that shape their businesses. It introduces key concepts such as the "milieu of fashion labor," social fashion, and fashion diversity and advocates for a decentralized industry to promote more diversity and less exclusivity.

Format: Hardback
Length: 224 pages
Publication date: 16 December 2022
Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Ltd

Fashion is experiencing unprecedented attention like never before. Activists are advocating for environmental responsibility, and widespread discussions have emerged highlighting the exploitation prevalent across global supply chains and the reliance on unpaid labor. Digital technology is exerting a significant impact on traditional fashion companies, while small-scale independent fashion designers are delivering radical innovations in design and operating in more socially inclusive manners.

This book makes a valuable contribution to the emerging field of fashion sociology. By centering its analysis on the working lives of independent designers and conducting ethnographic research and interviews in London, Berlin, and Milan, the authors explore the urban policy regimes in these cities. They examine how these regimes shape microenterprises and the emerging political economy, as well as the necessary structures for designers to thrive. They also introduce key concepts such as the "milieu of fashion labor," "social fashion," and "fashion diversity," and map out the evolving landscape of digital fashion-tech and e-commerce.

Drawing upon lessons from European initiatives and recognizing the potential of microenterprises and start-ups to shape the future of fashion, the authors advocate for a significant decentralization of the industry to promote greater diversity and reduced exclusivity.

Weight: 340g
Dimension: 216 x 140 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781509553846