Fifteenth International Conference on Design Principles & Practices

Abstract

Amidst the COVID-19 global pandemic, luxury goods companies contend with challenges such as ‘unsold inventory’, the increasing importance of activist engagement, and the strength of supply-chain management––simultaneously highlighting issues around sustainability, and the need for cultural and social change in production (Achille & Zipser, 2020). Market uncertainties further instigate consideration of some of the persistent inequities that have plagued the fashion industry for years. Are these products sustainable environmentally? What are some considerations in designing a more socially and environmentally sustainable supply chain in the luxury fashion industry? In light of these uncertainties and opportunities, there is an opportunity to re-examine and re-assess how luxury fashion companies can utilize design ethics and activism to ‘reproduce, rebuild, and reshape a culture by improving its methods, practices, and tools of communication’ and effectively implement corporate social responsibility (Poshar, 2020, ed. Scherling & DeRosa). Arguing for the importance of design ethics and activism among leading global fashion brands, this article incorporates a descriptive research design and case study examples.