Crafting an Antidote to Fast Fashion: The Case of Toronto’s Independent Fashion Design Sector

Deborah Leslie, Shauna Brail, Mia Hunt

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The fashion industry has undergone a profound transformation in business practices and production systems over the past several decades. These shifts include the globalization of production chains and the emergence of a new model of ‘fast fashion’. This paper investigates the response of independent fashion designers in Toronto, Canada to the growing competition posed by fast fashion. It identifies a number of strategies utilized by designers to compete, arguing that they are increasingly adopting a new model of ‘slow fashion’ which opens up possibilities for forging locally and ethically based relationships in the fashion sector.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)222–239
JournalGrowth and Change
Volume45
Issue number2
Early online date12 Feb 2014
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2014

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