Performing market categories through visual inscriptions: The case of ethical fashion

Abstract

Whereas categories are important cogs of market dynamics, their construction process has been largely overlooked to date. Drawing on the Actor–Network Theory, the article tackles this issue by redefining categorisation as a translation process transforming multiplicity into unity through inscriptions. This process sheds light on the very practices of categorising, the devices involved and their agency. Combining multiple data sources, it describes how organisers and exhibitors at a trade fair use visual inscriptions like pictures and movies, logos and maps, catalogues and fashion parades to define ethical fashion, make compromises between ethics and aesthetics, and project a fashionable image of the nascent category. This offers new insights into the construction of markets by breaking down the performative process of categorisation and revealing the visual mediations involved.

Dynamics between market categories: A study of the (in) visibility of the plus-size fashion market

“…In line with the pioneering work of Gieryn (1983) and Lamont and Molnár (2002) on market boundaries, research has focused on the social, discursive and symbolic dimensions of boundaries. More recently, Blanchet (2018) highlighted the role of visuals (photos, films, logos, catalogues, etc.) in the categorisation of markets.…”

“…By giving insufficient visibility to their plus-size collections in this way, brands operating on the mainstream fashion market make it difficult to implement development strategies on this market. It is interesting to note that these mechanisms also involved (albeit inversely) the practices identified by Blanchet (2017Blanchet ( , 2018 in the case of ethical fashion. The actors of ethical fashion try to give it visibility and prove that it is profitable.…”

“…Materiality as a tool of invisibility. As pointed out by Blanchet (2018), commercial offers allow consumers to visualise a market category. But the offer is integrated as part of a material approach that can accentuate or attenuate the visibility of market categories depending on the consumers being targeted.…”

Dynamiques entre catégories de marchés : une étude de l’(in)visibilité du marché de la mode grande taille

“…Ainsi en donnant une visibilité insuffisante à leur collection grande taille, les marques du marché dominant de la mode rendent difficiles les stratégies de développement sur ce marché. Il est intéressant de noter que ces mécanismes reprennent (mais en un sens inversé) les pratiques identifiées par Blanchet (2017 ; 2018) dans la mode éthique. Les acteurs de la mode éthique cherchent à la rendre visible et à prouver sa rentabilité.…”

Fashion Design in ROWE Fashion PLMs

“…Its mechanism was simple, and the application of the method has acted as a drug for the organizational structure of companies, causing irreversible changes in their corporate system and marketing strategy. The epidemic spread very quickly, not sparing any market category [2], even the prestigious Haute Couture. With the dramatic increase in demand for diversity, interactivity, and virtuality, the industry's work methods and requirements have also changed.…”