Practices and Implications of Product Development and Sustainable Consumption in the Clothing Sector

This PhD examines the practices of clothing product development, particularly in connection with retail buying, and their implications with regard to sustainability. These are two fundamental dimensions of the clothing sector, yet they have not received adequate attention in the literature. My research redresses this gap in three key ways. Firstly, there tends to be an assumption in much of the literature that the US system of retail buying is applicable universally. However, my research revealed that own-label buying processes in the UK clothing sector operate differently to those referred to in US texts. Secondly, my research found that other roles that work alongside buying and design teams are significant in clothing product development (e.g. merchandisers, textile designers and technologists), although this has been under-reported or omitted in previous studies. Thirdly, sustainability is a prominent issue which is affecting product development in the clothing sector increasingly, ultimately impacting upon consumer behaviour in terms of selection, purchase, maintenance and disposal of garments, yet it was virtually absent from existing studies. The overall aims of this critical appraisal document are to introduce the two key strands of my research into clothing product development practices and their implications for sustainability, to locate my research within existing studies, and to outline the impact of my publications for my field of research. [Taken from introduction]