Fashion Designers as Entrepreneurs: Challenges and Advantages of Micro-size Companies

Aakko, Maarit; Niinimäki, Kirsi

doi:10.1080/17569370.2018.1507148

Cited by 15 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Product of unique design and style may not capture the market if the entrepreneur does not do proper market research before launching the product. The glamor of the fashion industry requires a huge marketing effort that may cannibalize the sales figure (Aakko and Niinim€ aki, 2018). The current fashion industry is competitive, and it is hard to forecast consumers' preferences, meet sales goals, and establish a position in the market becomes more critical for a fashion business (Wright et al, 2019;Malem, 2008).…”

Section: Item Generationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fashion entrepreneurial self-efficacy: development and validation of a domain-specific scale

Lang

Liu

2022

JFMM

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PurposeThe purpose of this research is to develop a multidimensional measurement of fashion domain entrepreneurial self-efficacy (FDESE) based on which fashion entrepreneurs will be able to better develop strategies to gain and sustain success in their business development. The research is crucial to advocate fashion entrepreneurship and will provide direction for fashion business incubation services.Design/methodology/approachThis research included three stages with mixed qualitative and quantitative approaches: conceptualizing construct definition and specifying domain(s) to generate initial items, scale purification and scale validation. This study started with reviewing the literature and individual interviews among 19 fashion entrepreneurs, which generated 72 initial items. An online survey was then conducted with individuals who are running or have the intention to run fashion businesses, yielding 249 useable samples for scale purification, which generated 21 items for the validation phase. Lastly, another online survey was administered to individuals who are currently running fashion businesses which resulted in 258 valid responses included for scale validation.FindingsA measure of FDESE that is both reliable and valid was developed, including 21 items across four distinct dimensions: passion for fashion business (five items), marketing and branding (seven items), financial management (five items) and creativity (four items).Originality/valueThis study is the first attempt to develop practical scales measuring self-efficacy that focus on fashion domain entrepreneurship. The newly developed FDESE scale indicates that entrepreneurship not only involves marketing skills, financial knowledge, creativity, leadership, and proactivity but also requires passion and persistence.

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Section: Item Generationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fashion entrepreneurial self-efficacy: development and validation of a domain-specific scale

Lang

Liu

2022

JFMM

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“…In the context of small companies, for example, sustainability seems to be driven by designers' personal devotion, and therefore their moral ambitions may override large profit margins [13]. Commonly, this relates to materials-organic and recycled fabric alternatives, for instance, are often more expensive than standard options [58] as well as harder for smaller companies to obtain [66]. This means that companies are obliged to prioritise their sustainable approaches and balance between values and profit [13].…”

Section: Sustainability In Fashion Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Mixed-Method Study of Design Practices and Designers’ Roles in Sustainable-Minded Clothing Companies

Karell

Niinimäki

2020

Sustainability

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The way in which the current fashion industry operates needs to fundamentally change. In this endeavour, designers are considered central figures throughout the sustainable fashion literature. However, too little is known about clothing designers’ practical contributions to sustainability. Therefore, this study investigates how sustainability is integrated into design practices in sustainable-minded clothing companies and determines the role of clothing designers in this respect. A mixed-method study was conducted based on a sequential exploratory strategy. The data were collected in two stages: a preliminary phase based on five expert interviews and a survey phase, which involved 31 clothing designers from around Europe. The data analysis was also divided into two phases: thematic analysis of the interviews and content analysis of the survey. The findings indicate that the sustainable design practices within these companies predominantly focus on material choices and aspects that support product longevity. Yet, there is little empirical evidence to support claims regarding garments’ true longevity. Knowledge regarding materials, recycling and best practices is also lacking among clothing designers. Lack of knowledge and company strategies frequently dictate and restrict the design work. This further highlights the fact that designers’ opportunities to influence environmental and social change are more limited than earlier literature suggests.

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“…Both material suppliers and retailers mentioned that financial sustainability and macro-economic situation are important factors. Finance has been regarded as a typical challenge amongst small fashion entrepreneurs in many countries including UK, Australia and Finland (Craik 2015;Gu 2014;Aakko and Niinimäki 2018). Both upcyclers and retailers perceived ineffective marketing and a lack of suitable space as main challenges.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi-Stakeholder Perspectives on Scaling up UK Fashion Upcycling Businesses

et al. 2020

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Fashion Designers as Entrepreneurs: Challenges and Advantages of Micro-size Companies

Cited by 15 publications

References 18 publications

Fashion entrepreneurial self-efficacy: development and validation of a domain-specific scale

Fashion entrepreneurial self-efficacy: development and validation of a domain-specific scale

A Mixed-Method Study of Design Practices and Designers’ Roles in Sustainable-Minded Clothing Companies

Multi-Stakeholder Perspectives on Scaling up UK Fashion Upcycling Businesses

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