No. SI1 (2025): Special Issue
Essays

Fashion as Flourishing: A theoretical approach going beyond sustainability

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  • Paulina Ryden
Paulina Ryden
Stockholm University
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/fh-3135

Published 14-07-2025

Keywords

  • flourishing,
  • being,
  • caring,
  • earth logic,
  • local

How to Cite

Ryden, P. (2025). Fashion as Flourishing: A theoretical approach going beyond sustainability . Fashion Highlight, (SI1), 544–551. https://doi.org/10.36253/fh-3135

Copyright (c) 2025 Paulina Ryden

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

As a theoretical framework, the concept of flourishing according to John Ehrenfeld, can be used to consider the future of fashion. Redefining sustainability in terms of flourishing, can be a way for fashion companies as well as consumers, to be guided through the radical change that is needed within the fashion industry. Through applying a qualitative method of textual analysis, the paper reveals how flourishing can be integrated into a future fashion industry, with a focus on Being and caring as the main characteristics. The data is gathered from the fashion company babaà’s website and analyzed in relation to earlier research on systemic change within the fashion industry. This, in order to provide practical steps for fostering flourishing within the fashion industry.  In conclusion, one of the biggest impact a company like babaà can have, is through how they tell their story to their consumers as well as through showing how they as a company let caring steer their choices, with a specific focus on locality. This article builds on Ehrenfeld’s concept of flourishing by illustrating its significance in fashion communication.

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References

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