Anthony Kent

Co-creation and the development of SME designer fashion enterprises

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the co-creation of small and medium enterprise (SME) designer fashion brands during internationalisation. Design/methodology/approach – As an exploratory study, this research utilises grounded theory methodology and incorporates the use of 38 semi-structured in-depth interviews with designer fashion enterprises (DFEs) and their support network of sales and PR agencies. Findings – Co-creation was identified as an important element for the successful integration of the entrepreneurial DFE into the global fashion industry network. Within relationship marketing, the concept of co-creation emphasises consumer experience, influence and power in the development of brand value. However current understanding of co-creation inadequately explains the development of the entrepreneurial designer fashion brand, requiring examination of the concept using grounded theory. The findings of this research highlight how these SMEs react and respond to the interpretation of the...

The relationship between design and marketing in the fashion industry

This Special Issue investigates key factors in the relationship between designers and marketers in management roles. Several previous studies have investigated the nature of the relationship between marketing and design, viewing them as existing within different cultures and modes of thinking. For example, Roberts-Lombard and Holland (2011) identified key differences in approaches to working practice, in that designers in their study were innovative and creative via design, as well as non-profit-orientated, in contrast to marketers whose creativity was more profit-orientated, driven by the requirements of target customers. Similarly, Beverland and Farrelly (2011) refer to stereotypical views of designers as ‘impractical idealists’ concentrating on the shape of products and looking to the future, whereas marketers can be perceived as lacking imagination and focusing mainly on how products fit with consumer needs at the present time. As a result of their research, Beverland and Farrelly (2011) proposed that improved relations between marketers and designers via the deployment of ‘cultural intelligence’ should contribute to improvements in New Product Development (NPD). Similarly Svengren Holm and Johansson (2005) identified differences in the mindsets of designers and marketers and identified five key factors of co-operation between the two specialisms: 1) attitude towards the product 2) professional identity 3) attitudes towards corporate identity 4) relation to value creation and 5) approach to consumer and market research. Other researchers have proposed practical solutions to integrate design and marketing effectively, e.g. by locating these departments in close proximity and conducting cross-functional reviews (Leenders and Wierenga, 2002). However, previous research in this field has concentrated largely on product design, rather than fashion, with limited reference to design in relation to other aspects of the marketing mix, hence the requirement for a journal issue on this topic.

Commercialisation and the Authenticity of Vintage Fashion

This chapter provides an overview of vintage fashion retailing and how it has been typified by its evolution. By first reviewing the environment and giving an in-depth background to vintage fashion retailing, it moves onto defining what the concept of vintage entails, how it can be sourced and supplied. The chapter utilises a practice-based approach to analyse the market of vintage fashion retailing and demonstrates how retailers, suppliers and consumers, each knowledgable in specialist areas of interest, define the buying and selling of merchandise.

Co-Designing for Care: Craft and Wearable Wellbeing

This chapter examines the design of wearable medical devices. Design is understood to be a process and output that concerns the form, function and the meaning of the designed object. However, participation in the design process by users can actively influence the output. Involvement in the co-creation of personal medical devices (PMDs) contributes towards patients’ wellbeing and increases their adherence to device usage. The chapter takes a case study approach to the design of orthotics in which patients are involved as co-designers, considering the solutions crafted by traditional and digital technologies within the framework of a biopsychosocial model of healthcare. The chapter concludes with insights into the benefits to patients and healthcare services from orthotics conceived and worn as desirable objects.