Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to trace developments in the fashion business commitment to sustainability over two decades and identify the drivers that progressively changed fashion brands’ perspective on sustainable supply chain management. Design/methodology/approach – The research methodology is in the lines of Donald Schon reflective practice. Reflection-on-action is based on one of the authors practice in consultancy to fashion companies and in dialog with NGOs. The professional experience has been reconsidered through the analysis of the literature on sustainability initiatives and review of case histories. Findings – The time span considered captures fashion brands sustainability awareness in its statu nascenti (nascent state) revealing a trial and error process that led to progressive refinements of both means and ends. Change drivers identified are: go beyond monitoring, adopt a comprehensive approach, look beyond first tier of suppliers, integrate sustainability to core business practices and bring transparency to the supply chain. Originality/value – Existing literature surveys show that authors used to focus on specific issues and concentrate on individual case studies, under-representing the complex set of factors that companies, institutions and NGOs address, including the effect of past decisions, successes and mistakes. The paper is a first step to fill the gap and provides an up-to-date overview of current developments aimed at both scholars and practitioners, especially CSR and marketing managers and NGOs campaigners.

Purpose This paper aims to highlight the relevance of second-hand clothing (SHC) in the Ethiopian textile and apparel value chain by investigating its potential and establishing a connect to sustainability from a consumption point of view. Design/methodology/approach Primary and secondary methods of research were used in this research. Structured observational technique was used to identify the retailers in the city. In total, 70 retailers of SHC were identified and 15 big size retailers were interviewed with open end questions through judgment sampling method. Findings From the analysis of the field research and scientific literature, the authors strongly believe that SHC has an important space in the consumer retail segment of the country. This trade remains in the shadow but is sustaining livelihoods of citizens. The SHC trade provides an automatic balance to the future excessive consumption which is a result of mass production and hence should be encouraged further on various dimensions. Originality/value Existing literature exhibits statistics of the trade and impact in East African Community (EAC) missing out on Ethiopia as it is not a member of the EAC. Moreover a connection of SHC to sustainability established has never been established in the past for under-developing countries, and it is one of the critical factors in the success of used clothing and future of textile and apparel business. This research also provides channelized solutions to the business for smooth implementation of SHC in Ethiopia and other under-developing countries.

Purpose One of the oldest civilizations of Africa, Ethiopia is today at the advent of industrialization in various business sectors. Agriculture being a primary source of income (50 per cent of the GDP) is now transforming into more dynamic and new sectors. Textile and apparel is one of the sectors that has received a lot of attention from the government and the objective is to become sourcing destinations of the world. The purpose of the paper is to provide an overview of the current advances to the stakeholders, academia and industry from concept to the consumer. The aim of the paper is to present a transition of advances made in textile and apparel business that the country has made in the past decade and also to examine the potential of the consumer for this country. The consumer in the country is young and brings a lot of novel opportunities for textile and apparel industry. Design/methodology/approach This analysis is an empirical journey of the author’s research in academia and textile and apparel industry in Ethiopia. Findings This paper establishes a connection between the stakeholders, academia, industry and beneficiaries of this business so that it could become a guideline for future business investors. It also highlights the problems within this sector and provides a clear idea for domestic companies to compete with global competitors in terms of upcoming future business trends. Originality/value Presently, in the atmosphere of fashion and textiles, there is air about Ethiopia being the next manufacturing hub of the world in Africa. However, no academic literature is available which summarizes the opportunities and tasks in this industry, and this paper caters to the need of the hour.

The fashion and textile sectors have proved to be the socio-economic booster for developing countries in the last two decades. This article looks into the challenges faced by the Indian fashion and textiles sector in and post-pandemic. The current COVID-19 crisis has presented the sector with a unique set of challenges that are indeed the future strategies.Primary and secondary research methods were used to explore the impact of the pandemic on the sector in India. A systematic literature review (S.L.R.) is carried out to collect secondary data from scientific journals and development corporations. For primary research, top managers and owners from ten large-size fashion and textile companies were qualitatively interviewed to validate the secondary data. The value chain analysis (V.C.A.) model was used to perform a stage-wise analysis to provides an assessment of the current scenario and recommend solutions accordingly.Existing literature discusses the impact on the Indian economy in general and there is no significant research on the fashion and textile sector. In accordance with the empirical evidence, the author has developed a digital value chain model that is novel to the sector. It shall help both the domestic and export sector to come back to business and prepare for a similar crisis in the future.

PurposeIn the last two decades, the fashion value chain traveled to developing parts of the world. To these nations, it paved a path for socio-economic development initially but lately, the aftermath has costed more. This article visualizes the gains and losses of fast fashion to these countries.Design/methodology/approachAn in-depth systematic literature review was performed to analyze the secondary data from academic journals and reports from international organizations. The authors have compiled their empirical journeys in academia, research and industry from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) based on Schon's (1983, 1990) theory of reflective practice. Further on, the article is structured using the value chain analysis (VCA) method which visualizes the aftermath of mass-producing fashion for the developed countries.FindingsIn this research it was found that LMICs have made substantial economic progress in the past two decades, however at a high social and environmental cost. It is the right time to find a balance between economic development and harm caused to the citizens of these nations.Originality/valueAt the moment the existing academic literature talks about unsustainable practices in the fashion sector around the world. This research precisely targets the LMICs where the aftermath is supposed to be much more severe. Further, it provides solutions and urges these nations to bring a substantial change throughout the value chain for a robust future.