Creativity and Innovation in the Mass Market Fashion Business

This chapter examines creativity and innovation within the mass market sector of the fashion industry, one of the biggest fashion sectors, delivering trend-led products at good value to the masses. Innovation is a constant requirement, driven by fast-moving fashion trends, customer expectations of continual newness, and strong competition. Constraints on creativity and innovation within the mass market are discussed, including team dynamics, production lead times, limited differentiation, customer expectations, fast fashion, sustainability, previous experience and trend shifts. Solutions to innovation constraints can be put in place in terms of the effective development of fabric, fit, design details, co-creation and collaborations with other brands or celebrities. This chapter also explores key differences within the process of creativity and innovation between the mass market and ready-to-wear and branded fashion. Successful innovation often involves a combination of technology adoption, sustainability initiatives and strategies that resonate with the diverse preferences of mass market consumers. By adopting these innovative strategies, mass market fashion brands can differentiate themselves from competitors. Additionally, the various stages in the design process are explored, giving a comprehensive overview and contextualisation of innovation in a real-life context. Interviews with industry experts from the mass market offer current perspectives on innovation issues affecting retailers today.