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      White Rose Research Online URL for this paper:
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      Version: Accepted Version
      Article:
      Henninger, C.E., Alevizou, P.J. and Oates, C.J. orcid.org/0000-0001-8848-9178 (2016) 
      What is sustainable fashion? Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management. ISSN 
      1361-2026 
      https://doi.org/10.1108/JFMM-07-2015-0052
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 Page 1 of 22       Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management
 1                                                   
 2
 3                      What is sustainable fashion?  
 4         
 5        Abstract 
 6
 7        Purpose Ð The purpose of this paper is to examine what the term sustainable fashion 
 8        means from the perspective of micro-organisations, experts, and consumers.  
 9        Design/methodology/approach Ð This research is qualitative in nature, utilising a 
 10       multi-methods  case  study  approach  (semi-structured  interviews,  semiotics, 
 11       questionnaires). Grounded analysis was applied to analyse the data.  
 12       Findings Ð Findings indicate that interpretation of sustainable fashion is context and 
 13
 14       person dependent. A matrix of key criteria provides the opportunity to find common 
 15       elements.   
 16       Research limitations/implications Ð Due to the nature of this research the sample 
 17       size is limited and may not be generalised. Data were collected in the UK and are 
 18       limited to a geographical region. 
 19
 20                For Peer Review
          Practical  implications  Ð  An  important  implication  is  that  defining  sustainable 
 21       fashion is vital in order to avoid challenges, such as greenwashing, which were faced 
 22       in  other  industries  that  have  a  longer  history  in  sustainable  practices.  Micro-
 23       organisations should take advantage of identifying key sustainable fashion criteria, 
 24       which will enable them to promote their fashion collections more effectively.  
 25       Social implications Ð The criteria identified provide assurance for consumers that 
 26
 27       sustainable fashion is produced with social aspects in mind (fair wages, good working 
 28       conditions).  
 29       Originality/value Ð The paper proposes a matrix that allows micro-organisations to 
 30       clearly identify their collections as sustainable.  
 31       Keywords  Ð  sustainable  fashion,  micro-organisation,  sustainability,  fashion, 
 32
 33       sustainable fashion criteria, UK, case study research 
 34       Paper type Ð Research paper 
 35                             
 36        
 37       1. Introduction 
 38
 39       The second anniversary of the Rana Plaza factory incident marks an increased interest 
 40
 41       in sustainable fashion and ethical practices in the industry (Westervelt 2015). With 
 42
 43       sustainability  emerging  as  a  ÔmegatrendÕ  (Mittelstaedt  et  al  2014)  the  fashion 
 44
 45       landscape changes dramatically, whereby sustainable fashion becomes increasingly 
 46       mainstream (Watson & Yan 2013; Mora et al 2014). Extant research predominantly 
 47
 48       focused on sustainable fashion consumption (e.g. Joy et al 2012; Cao et al 2014) 
 49
 50       rather than on establishing an academic understanding towards sustainable fashion, 
 51
 52       which is part of the slow fashion movement (Jung & Jin 2014). This article utilises a 
 53       social constructionist approach to address this gap.    
 54
 55          Sustainable fashion is part of the slow fashion movement, developed over the 
 56
 57       past decades, and used interchangeably with eco-, green-, and ethical-fashion (Carey 
 58
 59       & Cervellon 2014). Sustainable fashion first emerged in the 1960s, when consumers 
 60       became aware of the impact clothing manufacturing had on the environment and 
                                                    1 
                                    Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management                        Page 2 of 22
  1                                                                                                
  2
  3               demanded the industry change its practices (Jung & Jin 2014). Although eco-fashion 
  4
  5               was negatively perceived at first this changed with anti-fur campaigns emerging in the 
  6
  7               1980s/90s, followed by an interest in ethical clothing in the late 1990s. Ethical fashion 
  8               is  associated with fair working conditions, a sustainable business model (Joergens 
  9
  10              2006), organic and environmentally friendly materials (Johnston 2012), certifications, 
  11
  12              and traceability (Henninger 2015). 
  13
  14                     Sustainable  fashion  as  part  of  the  slow  fashion  movement  is  often 
  15              misleadingly described as the opposite of fast fashion. Slow fashion is based on a 
  16
  17              philosophical  ideal  that  centres  on  sustainability  values,  such  as  good  working 
  18
  19              conditions  and  reducing  environmental  destruction  (e.g.  Bourland  2011; 
  20                               For Peer Review
  21              Pookulangara & Shephard 2013). It challenges the fast fashion paradigm by breaking 
  22
  23              down existing boundaries between the organisation and its stakeholders, slowing the 
  24              production process to a more manageable timeframe, moving away from the self-
  25
  26              concept,  and  focusing  on  empowering  workers  by  offering  a  choice  that  enables 
  27
  28              change (Clark 2008). According to ÔThe True CostÕ movie (2015) sustainable fashion 
  29
  30              is  more  than  a  simple  fad,  but  rather  considers  the  social,  natural,  and  economic 
  31              ÔpriceÕ  paid  in  fashion  production.  Yet  uncertainty  remains  around  what  the  term 
  32
  33              Ôsustainable  fashionÕ  entails  and  what  might  be  the  guidelines  for  producing 
  34
  35              sustainable garments (Watson & Yan 2013; The True Cost 2015).     
  36
  37                     The  slow  fashion  movement  and  sustainable  fashion  are  increasing  in 
  38
  39              importance (Battaglia et al 2014), yet consumer awareness remains low (Gonzalez 
  40              2015). Past research on sustainable fashion focused on consumersÕ perceptions and 
  41
  42              attitudes (Goworek et al 2013; Shen et al 2013; McNeill & Moore 2015), and its 
  43
  44              impact on consumer purchasing behaviour (Shen et al 2013). Although research has 
  45
  46              investigated  aspects  of  sustainable  fashion,  current  studies  lack  an  academic 
  47              understanding of what sustainable fashion is from a holistic perspective. This article 
  48
  49              contributes  to  literature  by  investigating  two  research  questions  from  a  social 
  50
  51              constructionist point of view:  
  52
  53               1)  What are the underlying principles of sustainable fashion from the point of view 
  54                  of micro-organisations, experts, and consumers? 
  55               2)  How  is  the  concept  of  sustainable  fashion  related  to  aspects  of  social 
  56                  constructionism?  
  57               
  58
  59              Understanding underlying principles of sustainable fashion is vital, in order to avoid 
  60
                  negative connotations such as greenwashing (e.g. Rahman et al 2014). Theoretical 
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