Paulina Rydén Doktorand

Fashion Beyond "Sustainability": Regenerative Thinking and Conditions for Flourishing

My thesis explores how fashion companies might move toward human and ecological flourishing, either through attempting to operate outside the framework of economic growth, or through practices that reach beyond conventional sustainability whilst remaining within the system of economic growth. Furthermore, the thesis investigates what these efforts reveal about possibilities and limits of regenerative practices within the fashion industry.

The research is carried out through case studies divided into two parts, where the first part consists of a visual and textual analysis examining brand communication, followed by interviews with the companies themselves. In addition to this dual methodological approach, in two case studies I also undertake an autoethnographic approach to examine what happens in practice. The argumentation in the thesis is grounded in the theory Flourishing by John Ehrenfeld with a focus on being and caring as well as the theory Regenerative Cultures by Daniel Christian Wahl with a focus on living systems thinking and bioregionalism. In addition to these theories, I also interact with the concept of Earth Logic by Kate Fletcher & Mathilda Tham.

Fashion as Flourishing: A Theoretical Approach Going Beyond Sustainability DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/fh-3135