Non-venomous predatory mammals and reptiles: socio-ecological impacts of their trade in luxury fashion

Purpose This paper aims to synthesize the existing literature on virtual reality (VR) in the luxury fashion industry, discuss the current practical applications of VR technologies and review previous research undertaken in the luxury fashion field. Design/methodology/approach This paper conducts a systematic review and thematic analysis of existing literature to evaluate current research concerning VR and the luxury fashion industry. This search initially returned a total of 1,131 sources. After establishing and applying criteria of exclusion and inclusion, a total of 46 articles were selected for the thematic analysis. Findings Five major themes were identified, including virtual luxury fashion consumption, VR in marketing communication, virtual try-on, VR retail (including virtual fashion retail spaces) and virtual worlds (including customers’ virtual representation as avatars). The importance of these themes for the study of VR in luxury fashion is supported by relevant studies in the literature. Originality/value Whilst research into VR use within luxury fashion has increased recently, it remains fragmented. Given the absence of a comprehensive review addressing this topic within the literature, this paper will help scholars and fashion brands better understand the effects of VR on the luxury fashion industry. By integrating current practice and existing research, this paper contributes to a better understanding of how and where VR is used in luxury fashion contexts.

• Circular economy is unexplored in Lean-related literature despite its use in fashion. • Application of Lean techniques in luxury fashion production process is limited. • Integrating Lean with Industry 4.0 would boost sustainability in luxury fashion. The luxury fashion industry is resource-intensive and faces challenges such as overproduction, waste generation, and resource depletion. Characterized by exclusivity, and high-quality craftsmanship, the sector struggles with issues like destroying unsold goods to maintain brand exclusivity, which has become increasingly problematic, particularly with upcoming EU environmental regulations. As a result, the need for sustainable solutions has become more urgent. Lean management practices, recognized for their waste reduction and resource efficiency benefits, offer potential solutions. However, research on lean in luxury fashion remains scarce, with most studies focusing on mass-market fashion. This study addresses this gap by conducting a systematic literature review to examine the integration of lean management practices in luxury fashion production, particularly their contributions to sustainability and circular economy principles. The review identifies the current state of knowledge, emerging trends, and challenges in implementing lean practices in luxury fashion. Findings indicate that lean methods improve efficiency and process quality in the textile industry while promoting sustainable performance. However, the sector’s unique characteristics create barriers to adoption. The study highlights Industry 4.0 technologies as an enabler for enhancing lean’s sustainable impact. It offers valuable contributions to both scholars and practitioners by expanding knowledge on lean’s applicability in luxury fashion and demonstrating its potential to enhance competitive advantage, quality, and cost efficiency. Additionally, it emphasizes the need for tailored methodologies to implement lean effectively, fostering greater sustainability and circularity in the industry.

The luxury fashion and lifestyle sector is at a critical juncture, facing the dual challenge of achieving sustainability while maintaining differentiation from lower‐fashion segments. This research compiles the body of knowledge on luxury fashion, sustainability, and business models in emerging economies; pinpoints systematic and recurrent changes in the luxury fashion value chain; and creates a sustainable luxury business model that effectively incorporates emerging economies as consumer markets and value producers. Using a systematic meta‐narrative literature review approach, the study examines 644 peer‐reviewed publications on luxury, sustainability, business models, and developing economies that were published between 2000 and 2025. The luxury fashion industry's major trends and sustainability issues are identified through a descriptive study. The authors incorporate empirical insights from academic research and business interaction in growing Asian economies, guided by Schön's (1983, 1990) theory of reflective practice. The two main analytical frameworks used for business model building are value chain analysis (VCA) and stakeholder theory. The findings reveal a critical gap in existing luxury fashion literature, which predominantly positions emerging economies as low‐cost production hubs rather than strategic markets and stakeholders. The proposed business model demonstrates how stakeholder‐centric governance combined with value chain optimization can support sustainable value creation, balancing economic performance with social and environmental responsibilities. This research contributes theoretically by integrating stakeholder theory and value chain analysis into a unified framework for sustainable luxury fashion in emerging economies. Managerially, it offers strategic guidance for luxury firms seeking to innovate their business models by embedding sustainability into sourcing, production, and market development. Practically, the study emphasizes the importance of engaging emerging economies as co‐creators of value and as conscious consumers, thereby supporting long‐term resilience, legitimacy, and profitability in the global luxury fashion industry.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming industries, and the luxury fashion industry is no exception. Its influence is stronger than ever, transforming design processes, boosting sustainability, and enhancing customer experiences. With AI tools like generative design platforms, brands can develop innovative designs faster and more efficiently. New technologies, like AI-powered design platforms and chatbots, are helping the fashion industry become more sustainable, personalized, and secure. The luxury fashion industry, known for its long history and exclusive appeal, is now using new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) to improve customer experiences and to stay ahead of the competition. Accordingly, the present chapter aims to explore the potential of AI in improving the performance of luxury fashion brands. This study will bring significant insights to researchers and organizations by exploring the potential benefits of AI in transforming luxury fashion brands.

Purpose Online brand community (OBC) research has been directed at examining the consequences of consumer–brand relationships on various behavioural issues, with little to say about reciprocity and variants of millennials’ loyalty in the luxury fashion industry. The purpose of this paper is to advance knowledge of millennials’ participation in OBCs and reciprocity. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative study utilised an interpretive research approach and focused on the voices of millennials who had experience with OBCs. This study builds on social influence theory and extends existing understanding of millennials’ participation in OBCs by highlighting the constructs of customers’ reciprocity structures that lead to loyalty towards luxury fashion brands. Fifty semi-structured interviews were conducted, and the emergent data were qualitatively analysed using thematic analysis. Findings This paper developed an emergent theoretical framework that identifies and conceptualises four archetypical categories of millennial consumers in the luxury fashion industry: traditionalists, inspirers, self-containers and expellers. The framework illuminates varying strategies and explains how certain strategies might be more effective with different categories of consumers. Originality/value This study builds on social influence theory and extends existing understanding of millennials’ participation in OBCs by highlighting the constructs of customers’ reciprocity structures that lead to loyalty towards luxury fashion brands.

<p>Sustainability currently is a hot topic in the luxury fashion industry. While customers ponder the feasibility of combining sustainability and luxury fashion, many practitioners have already incorporated sustainability as part of their corporate social responsibility initiatives. This thesis analyzed 32 years of digital newspaper articles on Women’s Wear Daily (WWD) to explore sustainability trends based on the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) framework through topic modeling and content analysis. The results empirically support the increased awareness and importance of sustainability in the luxury fashion sector over time, provide theoretical implications for applying the TBL framework to the longitudinal dataset, and offer insights to business practitioners on expanding their sustainability efforts in the luxury fashion industry. </p>

Fashion is one of the most polluting industries in the world. While many practitioners have already incorporated sustainability as part of their corporate social responsibility initiatives, there is a lack of research on how luxury fashion brands communicate their sustainability commitments and achieve sustainability. In this study, we aim to fill in the knowledge gap by identifying the longitudinal changes in perception, strategy, action, and outcome of sustainability in the luxury fashion industry. We analyze 32 years of digital newspaper articles on Women’s Wear Daily (WWD) to explore sustainability trends based on the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) framework leveraging different content analysis techniques (e.g. topic modeling, sentiment analysis). Our results support the increased awareness and importance of sustainability in the luxury fashion sector over time, provide theoretical implications for applying the TBL framework to the longitudinal dataset, and offer insights to business practitioners on expanding their sustainability efforts in the luxury fashion industry. The outcomes of this study enable managers to make better decisions around the long–term sustainability strategies and futureproof the luxury fashion industry’s sustainability movement.

<p>Sustainability currently is a hot topic in the luxury fashion industry. While customers ponder the feasibility of combining sustainability and luxury fashion, many practitioners have already incorporated sustainability as part of their corporate social responsibility initiatives. This thesis analyzed 32 years of digital newspaper articles on Women’s Wear Daily (WWD) to explore sustainability trends based on the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) framework through topic modeling and content analysis. The results empirically support the increased awareness and importance of sustainability in the luxury fashion sector over time, provide theoretical implications for applying the TBL framework to the longitudinal dataset, and offer insights to business practitioners on expanding their sustainability efforts in the luxury fashion industry. </p>

In the last two decades, the luxury fashion industry has generated much interest and discussions among academicians and managers since it has became a consolidated economic sector in the late 1990s (Truong, McColl & Kitchen, 2009). Despite the significance of luxury fashion sector both in terms of market value and rate of growth, there are few empirical studies concerning luxury brand management (Kapferer, 2008; Okonkwo, 2007) mainly focused on specific topics such as: brand protection (Clarke & Owens, 2000; Elsemore, 2000), brand extension (Dias & Ryab, 2002; Sjodin, 2008; Stankeviciute & Hoffmann, 2010), counterfeiting (Gistri, Romani, Pace, Gabrielli & Grappi, 2009; Nia & Zaichkowsky, 2000) or luxury brand personality (Fionda & Moore, 2009; Phau & Prendergast, 2000). The same definition of luxury brand is still open for debate in the literature (Atwal & Williams, 2009). From a product perspective, luxury brands can be distinguished from non-luxury brands by product-related associations. Theref...

Due to the significant market size and growth rate of the luxury fashion industry, environmental impacts of the luxury products become more and more serious. Currently, many luxury companies continuously adopt Information Technologies, especially Digital Enterprise Systems (DET) that support strategically designing product life cycle in environmentally sustainable approaches. Made-to-Measure (M2M), customized luxury products that is one of impactful product differentiation strategies of global luxury companies, has some issues of M2M related to limited business scalability and environmental impact. To overcome these issues, some Korean luxury fashion companies use DET technology systems in M2M product life cycle management, since the DET systems assist to reduce waste materials as well as to protect the environment. This study will help the product designers and executives, in charge of M2M in the luxury fashion industry, recognize that the use of innovative technologies such as the DET systems, is essential for luxury companies’ green M2M capability enhancement and for longevity of the firms in the luxury fashion industry.

The research aims at exploring Millennials’ opinions about sustainability in luxury fashion and its scope is threefold. First, it evaluates the perceived coherence between luxury fashion and sustainability at a conceptual level, assesses the centrality of sustainable principles, and clarifies the role of luxury fashion brands within the green trend. The second purpose adopts a higher level of detail, testing young adults’ awareness and perceived relevance of specific sustainability elements within the luxury fashion industry. Eventually, the study explores the causes of the discrepancy between a pro-environmental attitude and actual sustainable purchasing in luxury fashion, as well as the post-purchase justifications for unsustainability. The topics are explored through focus group discussions involving the Millennials and results include a strong coherence between luxury fashion and sustainability, accompanied by consumers’ challenging expectations from companies. The predominance of social sustainability and the attention to basilar unsustainable practices emerge, together with the relevance of supply chain monitoring. The research also provides an overview of the causal relationships between the barriers that contribute to an attitude-behaviour gap, and an indication of the justifications that facilitates it.JEL codes: M30, M31

This study explores how Virtual Reality (VR) is changing the luxury fashion shopping experience, specifically how it affects consumer behaviour, brand engagement, and their purchase decision. The main objective of the study is to examine the strategy that luxury fashion brands can adopt to integrate virtual reality (VR) efficiently, recognize the variables that influence the purchase of luxury fashion through VR, evaluate the influence of VR on consumer engagement metrics, and understand the ways in which VR fosters trust and confidence in luxury fashion brands. A survey of 109 participants who have engaged with VR in the luxury fashion environment revealed that many critical variables, including the realism of the VR experience, ease of navigation, and customisation choices, had a major influence on customer behavior. In addition to increasing their confidence in making purchases, participants reported that immersive virtual reality experiences enhanced their capacity to examine detailed product information. Numerous participants said that virtual reality encounters strengthened their connection with luxury fashion brands, amplifying their sense of trust and allegiance. The study also shows that customers were more inclined to connect with and promote luxury brands using virtual reality (VR) if they could access engaging elements such as virtual try-ons and tailored recommendations. Notwithstanding its favorable impact on consumer involvement, the research also recognized several limitations, including the limited accessibility of virtual reality technology and the need for better authenticity and engagement. The study looks at these challenges and provides insightful analysis of the connection between luxury fashion and virtual reality. It also gives helpful recommendations for luxury fashion brands that want to be innovative and deliver more engaging, personalized shopping experiences. Future studies may concentrate on getting beyond these technical obstacles and reaching a larger audience via VR experiences, guaranteeing greater accessibility and more in-depth interaction with luxury fashion.

Eco-sustainable fashion engages in environment-related practices with the specific aim of reducing environmental damage during and after the production process. This chapter examines the concept of luxury, and luxury fashion in particular, and discusses the specific sustainability opportunities and challenges faced by the luxury fashion industry. Since the essence of fashion is change, luxury fashion gives exclusive access to enforced change. Luxury fashion is recurrent change at its highest level, and it is distinguished from other luxury segments by its constant pressure for change. Since luxury fashion consumers are most sensitive to such cyclical changes in style, luxury fashion faces the problem of how to pursue eco-sustainability when it distinguishes itself from the lower segments of the fashion industry by driving the mechanism of systematic, recurrent change. Some scholars have tried to tackle the sustainability challenges faced by mass market fashion segments.

The chapter aims to provide an overview of whether mass-market digital marketing strategies are an oxymoron in the luxury fashion industry by focusing on China as a case study. The authors carefully review current market reports, media articles, and academic publications in order to shed light on who the current Chinese luxury fashion consumers are, how they are characterised, what their digital preferences are and how they engage with luxury fashion purchases. It provides an insight into key communication platforms used in China, how and why they have developed, and in how far they differ from Western platforms. The chapter concludes by highlighting what is currently known in the industry, yet under-researched in the field of academia, and thus, provides avenues of future research.KeywordsChinaDigital strategiesLuxury fashionGeneration ZGeneration YSocial media

COVID-19 leads to a reinforced need to address sustainability at the economic, environmental, and social pillars, and the six categories of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of businesses, that is, their self-commitment to integrate sustainability in their policies and strategies and to become more effective and efficient. Luxury fashion businesses refer heavily but not identically, to their CSR, by formally issuing CSR reports and Codes of Ethics, and informally voicing their pro-CSR statements. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic hit and brought important changes. This burning issue translates into three objectives in this paper—assessing the CSR statements of International and Czech Luxury Fashion Industry businesses (i) at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, (ii) during the COVID-19 pandemic, and (iii) identifying new trends. To address them, a holistic and interdisciplinary case study exploration was performed entailing 10 International Luxury Fashion businesses and 10 Czech Luxury Fashion businesses. The resulting data were explored via Meta-Analysis and content analysis, teleological interpretations, etc. The critical and comparative review revealed six interesting trends indicating a shift in perception of sustainability and CSR caused by COVID-19. The review offers propositions for how the COVID-19 threats could become an opportunity for rebuilding this industry.