Fashioning sustainable innovation – exploring digital transformation in fashion through mass customisation and personalisation

Purpose This paper aims to provide insights into the link between sustainability, technology and Industry 4.0 (I4.0). The authors explore the reasons behind and ways by which digital solutions are implemented within the Swedish fashion industry. The authors demonstrate how I4.0 technologies are used in practice to enable a shift from mass production to mass customisation and mass personalisation, addressing sustainability issues such as overproduction. Design/methodology/approach The study follows an exploratory qualitative case study design, comprising 15 fashion retailers working with personalised solutions and two tech firms working with developing recommender services. A total of 19 interviews were carried out with representatives from fashion firms and tech firms active in the development and implementation of digital solutions for mass personalisation within fashion production. In addition, observations have been conducted online, mainly via firm websites, to complement the interview material. Findings The findings show that the development of sustainable innovation in the fashion industry through digitalisation is largely dependent on cooperation with external actors to access the knowledge necessary for innovation through I4.0. At the same time, the findings indicate the various ways in which successful implementation of digitalisation in fashion can contribute to more sustainable practices at a wider scale. Originality/value Due to traditionally unsustainable practices, the fashion industry faces great challenges in moving forward. I4.0 has in this context been held forward as a potential successful route for changing production as well as consumption patterns. The authors contribute to further the understanding of how innovative change in traditional industries with unsustainable practices can be promoted and understood.