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Theses Theses & Dissertations
5-2023
The Importance of Sustainability within the Fashion Industry The Importance of Sustainability within the Fashion Industry
Ashlee S. Hernandez
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THE IMPORTANCE OF SUSTAINABILITY WITHIN THE FASHION INDUSTRY
by
Ashlee Hernandez
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree of Master of Science in Fashion Business and Entrepreneurship
at
Lindenwood University
© May 2023, Ashlee S Hernandez
The author hereby grants Lindenwood University permission to reproduce and to distribute
publicly paper and electronic thesis copies of the document in whole or in part in any medium
now known or hereafter created.
Ashlee Hernandez, Ashlee Hernandez, May 3, 2023
Author
(Type name here) (Sign here) (date here)
Dr. Chajuana Trawick, Dr. Chajuana Trawick, May 4, 2023
Committee chair
(Type name here) (Sign here) (date
here)__________________________________________________
Committee member
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here)__________________________________________________
Committee member
Caira Butler,
, May 4, 2023
Wendy Young
May 4, 2023
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THE IMPORTANCE OF SUSTAINABILITY WITHIN THE FASHION INDUSTRY
A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the College of Arts and Humanities
in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the
Degree of Master of Science in Fashion Business and Entrepreneurship
at
Lindenwood University
By
Ashlee S Hernandez
Saint Charles, Missouri
[May 2023]
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ABSTRACT
Title of Thesis: The Importance of Sustainability within the Fashion Industry
Ashlee Hernandez, Master of Fashion Business and Entrepreneurship, 2023
Thesis Directed by: Dr. Chajuana Trawick, Endowed Chair, Fashion Business and Design
Blogging made its debut in 1993 and from that point on the internet would change forever.
This project is a lifestyle blog that will highlight the diversity of the word sustainability,
focus on the final product and the sustainable methods or practices to get to that final product
and dive into the history of blogging and the history of fashion sustainability. This entire
sustainable methods or processes involved in creating those final products. This project
specifically defines the similarities and differences between the terms eco-friendly,
sustainable, green, and greenwashing. Throughout this project, the author highlights
important dates in the history of blogging and the history of fashion sustainability. The first
or log on the World Wide
thus took extensive behind-the-scenes research to make everything right. The behind-the-
scenes qualitative data collected was comparing and contrasting specific details among 10 to
15 different blogs.
platform and thus took extensive behind-the-scenes research to make everything right. The
innovative contribution to this industry will be to educate her readers so they can
make more sustainable choices in their daily life. All of the data collected for this project was
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from qualitative sources. I used a document analysis method to collect and compare data
from my favorite fashion and lifestyle blogs. This project is a continuation of the
finds. From graduate seminars I and II, the author discussed both the history of blogging and
the history of sustainability. main focus is on sustainability items and clothing
pieces (the final product) and methods and practices used to reach that final product.
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Dedication and Acknowledgements
A huge thank you to my Thesis Committee. Dr. Chajuana Trawick, Professor Wendy
Young, and Professor Caira Butler, I greatly appreciate the time and the outstanding
knowledge you have given me throughout my time here at Lindenwood University.
To my Thesis Committee Chair, Dr. Chajuana Trawick, you have given me such great
insight and knowledge throughout this whole journey together, and I do not know what I
would have done without your guidance and praising remarks. Thank you for all of your
help. I appreciate you more than you will ever know. I hope to remain great friends in the
future.
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Table of Contents
Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................. 5
Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 8
State of Field/Literature Review ...................................................................................... 12
Methodology ...................................................................................................................... 20
Production and Analysis ..................................................................................................... 24
Conclusions ........................................................................................................................ 27
List of works in the MFA exhibition ................................................................................ N/A
Bibliography ...................................................................................................................... 31
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List of Figures
Figure 1. Former Latest Post, ............... 28
Figure 2. Former Latest Post, ......................... 29
Figure 3. Home Page, .......................... 30
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Introduction
fashion
fashion. She first became interested in sustainable fashion when she started following more
fashion influencers and bloggers on social media and she always saw a common theme among
all of them: the amount of merchandise including clothing, makeup, jewelry, skincare, etc. that
each had in their closet and the amount of merchandise they were continuing to purchase to show
their viewers through their social platforms and blog platforms. The author understands the fact
that influencers buy into the new trends to keep their platforms up to date; however, the amount
of product and merchandise waste is incredible. Once she started reading different blogs and
looking at other social media posts, she started to wonder if any of these bloggers thought about
the after effect their shopping habits had on the planet and environment and that is why she
wanted to start her own sustainable fashion blog.
The author is very passionate about sustainability in general, particularly sustainability
within the fashion industry. There is only one Earth so everyone must do their part to protect it.
This blog will teach those who read it to swap out daily used unsustainable products for
sustainable and (possibly) reusable products. This blog will also highlight sustainable products
from different companies and discuss different sustainable policies and procedures.
innovative contribution to the fashion industry is educating her readers on
the importance of sustainability so they can make more sustainable choices within their daily
lives. Her blog platform is combines the more scientific, less exciting, information with the fun,
whimsical look of miniature stories into one easy to read and easy to comprehend platform. She
wants to show her readers that fashion and sustainability can go hand-in-hand without having to
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compromise one for the other. She wants this platform to be the go-to spot for her readers to
shop sustainably made merchandise that is also fashionable.
The value of this project is making sustainable choices every day to extend the life of the
planet. The author wants to teach people to understand the difference between green
labels, packaging, and marketing strategies used by companies to promote products
and actual green and sustainable products. She also wants her blog platform to be a space full of
knowledge and authority for sustainable products and merchandise that are sold within the
fashion industry.
Blogging has been around for over 20 years; it started in the early 1990s. A blog is an
online platform that can feature a wide range of topics. Blogs are a creative way to express
oneself and a place for people to document their lives and thoughts. A lifestyle blog focuses on
the blogger or influencers daily life. Lifestyle is an all-encompassing term to cover fashion,
beauty, fitness routines, hair care, food and drink recipes, travel tips, etc. In 1993, the early
stages of blogging began. By 1994, a student named Justin Hall started sharing the details about
his life on his personal website. The New York Times called Justin Hall the "founding father of
personal bloggers."
1
In 1997, the term "weblog" is coined. "A weblog is a log - or written documentation -
that's published on the World Wide Web.
2
Between 1997 and 2002, other online blogs started to
surface on the internet as more people began their blogging careers. In 2003, WordPress and
TypePad were launched, and by 2004, "blog" was the most searched word on the internet,
1
-
RyRob.com, January 20, 2023, https://www.ryrob.com/history-of-blogging/#1994-justin-hall-
personal-blogging.
2
Robinson, .
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making it the word of the year. In 2005, YouTube was launched. This platform was the birth of
the modern vlog, a video log that features beauty, fashion, lifestyle, fitness, etc. In 2007, when
Twitter became extremely popular, the term microblogging was created because people were
able to express themselves in 140 characters or less. The state of blogging currently stands at
over 30 million bloggers in the United States alone. Fashion, food, beauty, travel, lifestyle,
business, and sports are all blog categories for one to read, write, or video about.
Blogs will always remain a part of lives in the future. Since the world has re-
opened after the pandemic, people are getting back to their normal lives. They might turn to
blogs to help with travel plans, outfit ideas, restaurant choices, etc. Most people start with
microblogging. They create mini or microblogs on Instagram or Twitter. By starting on
Instagram or Twitter, they can create a small amount of content for people to read and shop in a
short amount of time (i.e., a lunch or work break). People who start a microblog might move to a
blog platform as shown by the growing number of blogs in the United States today.
The reason the author chose to create her blog for this thesis project is that it is a creative
way to discuss a sensitive issue within the fashion industry that not many people think about
daily. She created this blog site because she always wanted to start her own blog and she figured
when this graduate seminar course was started, it would be the perfect time to start this blog.
Blogging is the most creative and efficient way to showcase her knowledge of fashion and to
teach others about the efforts the fashion industry is taking toward a more sustainable future.
This blog focuses on how individuals can make more sustainable choices throughout their
everyday lives. This blog showcases different companies and their sustainable efforts and easy
tips and tricks individuals can implement to make the items they already have last longer. Being
sustainable or going green does not mean people have to make drastic changes in their lifestyle;
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by making small changes every day, those changes will equal a substantial change in the long
run. The reason she chose a blog platform as her deliverable is because she was wanting to fill a
niche market within the blogging community. Almost every blog she follows did not talk about
the sustainability aspect of the business. Discussing sustainability seemed to be an off-limits
topic within the blogging community. She created her own sustainable fashion blog so
sustainability can become more widely accepted within the blogging community. It seems like an
oxymoron to discuss sustainability on a lifestyle and fashion blog because the purpose of a
fashion blog is to showcase the latest fashions and urge followers to purchase these trendy items.
However, her goal is to show readers clothing and other products that are good for the planet.
When shopping for the items the author talked about, she wants her followers to know that the
products they are buying are great for the environment. The author is not telling her followers or
readers to not buy anything ever again, but when buying something new to do research about that
particular product or merchandise so the consumer can shop sustainably and responsibly.
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State of the Field
The history of blogging started in 1993 but when a
student, Justin Hall started sharing details about his life on his personal website. A decade later,
The New York Times
3
In 1997, the
face on the internet
or written documentation
4
In 2003, websites such as WordPress and TypePad were launched. By
In 2005, YouTube launched and that was
the birth of the video blog known as the vlog. A web development site called Wix.com was
started in 2006, and when the author was doing her undergraduate website she started out with a
Wix.com platform. Twitter became popular in 2007. This platform allowed people to express
their thoughts in 140 characters or less. These thoughts are known as tweets. The term
microblogging was started because of the Twitter platform and format in which to express
oneself to the public. Applications, known as apps, such as Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok are
considered the new form of microblogging with allowing its members to express themselves in
the format they find most appealing. Microblogging is easier for people
follow and understand because the long attention span has now been replaced with a shorter
attention span. This means that people are only able to handle choppy, one-minute videos when
scrolling through social media. YouTube tutorial videos are starting to make a comeback within
the blogging community. Although today people are starting to turn to longer tutorial videos on
YouTube and Instagram. These video tutorials are starting to make a comeback within the beauty
3
Robinson, 2023.
4
Robinson, 2023.
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community. These tutorial videos cover makeup and skincare routines, daily getting ready videos
and how-to videos.
Once this author started working on this graduate project, she decided her website needed
an update so she began researching other platforms that could help her build her perfect blog site.
She eventually selected WordPress as the new platform for her blog site. While researching new
platforms for her blog, she also wanted to update the theme and branding of her blog, so she
decided to explore a few of her favorite blogs. Some of her favorites at the time included Rachel
Parcell, Atlantic - Pacific created by Blair Eadie, The Sweetest Thing created by Emily Ann
Gemma, and Dani Austin. When creating a blog site, the blogging is creating an extension of
themselves in an online format. There are a lot of little, behind the scenes details that contribute
to the overall look of the blog. These little details include color palette, font style and size,
homepage layout, the layout of the entire blog, how the navigation is setup, the ease of use, and
many other details. The author used these blog sites listed above to gather inspiration for her own
blog site. She paid attention to the layouts, font styles and sizes and to the number of different
fonts that were on the site itself, colors, navigation, and other details when designing her own
blog. To see where her inspiration came from, click each blog link above.
As mentioned in the previous section, this author decided to focus her blog on fashion
sustainability because she wanted to fill a niche market within the blogging and fashion
community. When she was doing her research, the numerous blogs she found did not talk about
sustainable products or merchandise and she wanted to change that. The history of fashion
sustainability started back in the 17
th
century when the wealthy would save and repurpose
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clothing or sell their clothing at markets.
5
In 1840, Isaac Singer invented the sewing machine, but
it was not until the 1920s that it became a popular household item. The sewing machine made it
possible for new fabrics and materials to be turned into clothing at a faster rate during this time.
During the Great Depression era (1929-, or
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brought sustainability back as a way of life. This sustainable way of life continued
into the 1940s with World War II because materials were being used for the war effort by the
military. In the 1940s and 1950s, increased production of synthetic fabrics and clothing started
n today. Manufacturers in the 1970s chose
synthetic fibers over natural ones because synthetics required less care including drying time and
ironing. Synthetics have a long shelf life and typically end up in a landfill. Today, consumers
have a range of brands and companies to shop with when looking for sustainable merchandise
and clothing.
The fashion industry, with a value of over a $1 trillion worldwide market, is a major
global business. The United States alone makes up $250 billion worth of business in sales and
manufacturing.
7
What the world knows today as Fashion Week had humble beginnings in the
1850s in Paris when Charles Frederick Worth showed clients a prepared selection of his
designs.
8
Department stores in New York City started mimicking the shows that were held in
Paris, and by the 1940s, shows in Paris started hosting what was known as Press Week because
5
Conversation about Issues, Practices and Possibilities, New York, NY: Fairchild Books, 2015.
6
Presidential Library &
Museum, 2016, https://www.fdrlibrary.org/use-it-up-wear-it-out-make-it-do-or-do-without.
7
the Fashion Industry Affect Global Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies 24,
no. 2 (2017): 576, https://doi.org/10.2979/indjglolegstu.24.2.0575.
8
Elrod, 576.
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of the limits on traveling during the second World War. During the 1970s, designer
were shown twice a year, once during February and the other during September. This gave way
to the classic and expected fashion weeks held in New York City, Milan, Berlin, and London.
9
The fashion industry is always full of ups and downs, but the years during and even after
the pandemic have been very difficult. Most companies started seeing growth in 2021 and in the
early months of 2022. Then in February of 2022, Russia waged war on Ukraine. This event
triggered a string of other events including an energy crisis, inflation, hikes in interest rates, and
production being halted around the world.
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-McKinsey State of Fashion 2023
Survey, 85 percent of fashion executives predict inflation will continue to challenge the market
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This inflation may impact the fashion industry and the consumer buying behaviors
by forcing consumers to shop fast fashion or possibly inferior brands. These inferior brands are
typically fast fashion brands which tend to be less sustainable for the environment. This rest of
2023 will still prove to be a challenge for brands and companies. The brands and companies that
navigate through the difficulties well enough will have a better chance to be leading the market
in consumer trends. Globally, the fashion industry rebounded in 2021 and 2022, but 2023 is
proving to be a challenge for nations -McKinsey State of Fashion
2023 Survey, 84 percent of industry leaders said they expect market conditions to decline or stay
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In regards of the Ukrainian war, the United States is less affected than other
nations around the world therefore the fashion industry outlook is better than other nations more
9
Elrod, 577.
10
The Business of Fashion, last modified, December 1, 2022),10,
https://www.businessoffashion.com/reports/news-analysis/the-state-of-fashion-2023-industry-
report-bof-mckinsey/.
11
Amed and Berg, 10.
12
Amed and Berg, 12.
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seriously affected by the effects of the war in Ukraine. Since the United States is less affected by
the war in Ukraine, fashion executives are anticipating a better outlook in 2023.
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Fast fashion has been a menace to the planet ever since the invention of synthetic fabrics
during the 1950s. With the public's obsession with shopping for look-alike designer wear, fast
fashion has become the more dangerous solution. This kind of fashion has given the general
public access to purchase knockoffs of higher end, couture items. The general public now has
instant gratification with getting these mimicked designer looks. Along with granting instant
gratification, these pieces are likely to be made at the expense of those manufacturing these
cheap garments. The blockbuster movie The Devil Wears Prada, stars Meryl Streep, Anne
Hathaway, Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt. This following scene where Miranda Priestly,
portrayed by Meryl Streep, is deciding between two different turquoise belts to use for a fashion
shoot, sums up the fast fashion process best:
naware of the fact that in 2002,
Oscar de la Renta did a collection of cerulean gowns. And then I think it was Yves Saint
quickly
showed up in the collections of eight different designers. And then it, uh, filtered down
through the department stores and then trickled on down into some tragic Casual Corner
where you, no doubt, fished it out of some clearance bin.
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Miranda Priestly goes on to say that that one color "represents millions of dollars and
15
within the fashion industry. This scene and statement show how even one
create knock off copies to sell to the masses.
13
Amed and Berg, 12.
14
Elrod, 579.
15
Elrod, 579.
17
While the fashion industry is still unstable, some consumers are feeling uncertain about
income levels. Some consumers might wait on buying bigger purchases, they may shop second-
hand stores, or rent more extravagant pieces. The industry has been responding to the shifts in
spending from the younger generations by heavily leaning on discounting. Bargain-hunters are
looking for lower price points on big-name brands. Resale is starting to play a huge role in the
sustainability efforts of the fash
16
A survey from the well-known online resell platform,
ThredUp, found that 63 percent shop resale because of the lower price points and to save
money.
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Big name brands such as Patagonia and Lululemon have started offering resale options
either through the store or through a third party. What Goes Around Comes Around and Amazon
have partnered to resell pre-owned luxury handbags.
18
Rental, like resale, is looking to capture
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they may
turn to rental services to find the goods they want or need. By 2025, the rental market is expected
to reach $2.1 billion. Companies such as Uniqlo and H&M are boosting their repair services and
providing customers with other affordable alternatives.
With sustainability efforts being at the forefront of the industry, consumers and other
industry professionals are looking closely at how companies advertise their environmental
practices. The term greenwashing has been an overused term within the industry. Companies
-friendly,
, in companies and commercials and on packaging allows companies to make
16
Amed and Berg, 44.
17
Amed and Berg, 45.
18
Amed and Berg, 45.
19
Amed and Berg, 45.
18
false claims about their environmental status. The policymakers in the European commission
came up with a plan that by 2030, textiles would be recyclable and durable.
20
A review by
-offending
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This year, France is expecting its fashion companies
to print carbon labels for textiles and clothing. This label will show an environmental score to
help shoppers make an informed decision when shopping.
22
In a 2021 survey conducted by
clothing sustainable, while 88 percent
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Many consumers
are beginning to care more about where their clothes come from and are starting to become more
aware of how things are manufactured.
There are numerous trends currently happening within the fashion industry. The two
trends that stood out to the author the most are fluid fashion and the reinvention of formalwear.
Fluid fashion is becoming more popular among consumers with the changing attitudes towards
identities and expressions.
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Fluid fashion encompasses gender neutral fashions, clothing and
merchandise that has no boundaries and can be worn by both men and women. Many luxury
brands have adapted and embraced this fluid fashion trend and are even showing feminine looks
on masculine models. The idea of men dressing more masculine and women dressing more
feminine is slowly starting to change with each fashion season. The second trend that really
caught w
definitions as shoppers rethink how they dress for work, weddings and other special
20
Amed and Berg, 78.
21
Amed and Berg, 78.
22
Amed and Berg, 78.
23
Amed and Berg, 78.
24
Amed and Berg, 50.
19
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Since the pandemic, the industry has seen a drastic change in office wear. The
dress code for many things overall has become very casual. Special occasion events are more
likely to be dominated by bold, statement-making pieces and outfits. In the past, many people
had their wardrobes segmented or categorized for work, casual, leisure, and celebrations. Now,
with the reinvention of formalwear, the lines have been blurred between casual and formal wear.
power casual.
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These looks are classified as such
because they can be dressed up or down, which shows the versatility of the clothing. Clothing
that is versatile also shows its sustainability. Customers that are looking for formalwear pieces
will begin to venture outside of their comfort zone choosing bold patterns and colors, and
different fabrics. Services such as Rent the Runway and The Trunk Club by Nordstrom will be
some of the ways to attain these bold and different pieces for those special occasions. These
services are membership based and allow its members to borrow designer or luxury pieces for as
long as the members want, then they are able to send back the pieces and pick something
different for their next rental. These types of services are a great way to keep higher end,
designer, and luxury pieces in circulation within the industry, this process allows these clothing
pieces a chance to be used again without ending up in a landfill. Fluid fashion and formalwear
reinvention are two creative ways the fashion industry handles sustainability.
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Amed and Berg, 59.
26
Amed and Berg, 60.
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Methodology
The methodology for this project is qualitative. innovative contribution to
this industry will be to educate her readers on the importance of sustainability so consumers are
able to make more sustainable choices in their daily lives. When searching for sources, the
author was looking for quality sources. The author wants her readers to be able to trust the
information they are reading and receiving from her and the sources she has chosen. When
discussing this topic with her committee, it was suggested that she use a document analysis or an
observation approach for collecting data to help with her project. Document analysis is a form of
qualitative research. Documents are analyzed and interpreted to give meaning and understanding
a topic. Observation is also a qualitative method in which behaviors and situations are observed
and documented. For this particular project the author chose to use the document analysis
approach for the qualitative method.
project is a lifestyle blog which discusses several different topics ranging
from fashion and beauty to travel and fitness or daily activities. Every part of this blog represents
who the author is, even down to the colors and fonts she chose. As stated earlier, this blog site is
an extension of the author and her personality. Most blog sites should showcase
personality and personal style. When researching and learning how to start a blog, the author
went back to some of her favorite bloggers for inspiration. At the time these favorites included
The Sweetest Thing created by Emily Ann Gemma, Rachel Parcell, Atlantic-Pacific created by
Blair Eadie, and Dani Austin. The inspiration she received from these blog sites were colors and
color palettes, font styles and sizes, graphics, photo layouts and site layout. All of these details
are just as important as what the blog posts will be written about. As bloggers, the goal is to be as
authentic as possible while still maintaining some privacy and boundaries with the readers.
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Readers and followers expect to see the same theme used throughout all social platforms. It is so
rsonality, style, and values.
blog site has changed since she started this project back in March 2021. See Figure
1 and 2 on the Illustrations Page to see the progress made. Changes to the blog are expected
because her tastes and preferences have changed over the months and years.
When the author was an undergraduate studying fashion merchandising at the University
of Central Missouri, one of the assignments was to create a personal website. The platform she
chose then was Wix.com. The theme was basic black and white, and the layout was very simple.
When learning one of the non-thesis, applied project options was to create a personal blog, she
decided to turn her personal website into a lifestyle blog. Once the author had decided on her
project, she started looking at different platforms other than Wix.com. After doing some
research, she found WordPress, and decided to switch over her platform from Wix.com to
WordPress. Once she decided to switch platforms, she also had to decide whether to transfer
over her original personal website or start fresh with a new theme and layout on WordPress.
Since this new site was for her non-thesis, applied project she wanted a fresh start, so she made
the decision to start with a completely new site. The author was glad she decided to start fresh
because the topic of her new blog was going to be lifestyle but also wanted to incorporate
sustainability and fashion into her topic. The next step was looking for a committee chair and
after reading biographies , the author
found Dr. Chajuana Trawick had the same interest in fashion and sustainability. After emailing
back and forth with Dr. Trawick, the author realized she and Dr. Trawick shared similar stances
when it comes to sustainable fashion. Fashion sustainability now became the new topic to
showcase on her lifestyle blog. The main
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fashion, beauty, and lifestyle finds. The author also wanted readers to know how easy it is to be
sustainable throughout their everyday lives.
Once the author had her topic planned out, it was time to personalize her blog site. The
author found setting up a blog and picking the theme and layout the most enjoyable part. The
original theme was a very basic layout and color palette than what she had at the
beginning of 2023. Her color palette was a three-story color palette of white, black, and light
pink. The layout she chose came from a basic template on the WordPress website. Her entire
website was simple and clean, as the author was still getting used to working with the WordPress
site. During the summer of 2021, the author had reworked her layout and changed her color
palette again to closely match the main theme of the blog, sustainability. With the blog focusing
on sustainability, the author wanted the color palette to complement the chosen project topic.
Instead of a basic three-story color palette, she expanded it to a five-story color palette. The new
color palette consisted of cream, light tan, baby pink, steel grey, and black. The cream, light tan,
and steel grey are all neutral colors that are reflected in nature. These colors were very fitting to
be displayed on the blog because the focus is around the environment and the planet. The
reworked layout came from a preset blog theme that was found on WordPress. When looking for
other themes and layouts, WordPress has several templates to browse through and select the one
that best fits the personality of the author and the theme of the blog. Each template theme has its
own pre-selected color palette, and these palettes can be customized to fit with the branding of
the site. Since sustainability is at the forefront of blog, she wanted to give it a more
prominent spot on her blog. With that decision made, it was once again time to update the blog
site. The author looked through the newly updated templates WordPress had and selected the one
that best matched the look she had envisioned. See Figure 3 on the Illustrations page. With
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sustainability being the main focus, it became a featured section at the top of the home page of
her blog. The current color palette is a four-story palette consisting of light grey, white, purple,
and red. These colors were the colors attached to the new theme the author chose. Although the
new colors have no correlation with sustainability, they are high contrast and easy to read colors.
The colors make the information being presented easier to read and comprehend.
Of the four original blog sites the author used for inspiration, two of those sites she still
uses for inspiration from time to time. Over the last couple of years, her tastes had changed and
therefore she had started following other bloggers and influencers. These influencers include
Kathleen Post, Lauren Kay Sims, Fashion Jackson created by Amy Jackson, Sassy Red Lipstick
created by Sarah Tripp, and Susie Was Like created by Susie Evans. Like the sites the author
used when originally setting up her site, these blog sites were used as inspiration. Inspiration
from these sites listed above came from the color palettes, layouts of blog posts, navigation and
ease of use, the categories to write about, and font styles and sizes.
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Production/Discussion of Results
The
dresses when she was a toddler. After 20 years, the author still finds joy in dressing up from time
to time. When she was a little girl she always loved playing dress up with the clothes in her
s
she could before getting rid of them. It was not until 2021, when the pandemic hit that the author
was really involved in finding ways to reduce her carbon footprint. When growing up, the author
e, recycle,and it was not until she
started doing more research about sustainability that she understood the full concept of that
phrase. The author wants to leave this world a better place for future generations. She does not
want her children or grandchildren to have to clean up after those who came before them.
This blog site was started because the author wanted to fill a niche within the blogging
community. Her innovative contribution to the fashion industry is to educate her readers on the
importance of sustainability so they too can make more sustainable choices in their daily lives.
This blog combines the knowledge needed to make more sustainable choices and the fun of
reading miniature stories into one fun and whimsical platform. The value of this work is teaching
those who read it valuable lessons in extending the life of their clothing and other merchandise
they have. The author is teaching her readers the importance of educating oneself about
sustainability terms used in commercials and on packaging in the industry. The author wants her
blog site to be known for having the knowledge and authority about sustainable topics and
sustainable fashion items. This project is moving the industry forward because when doing
research, the author did not come across another blog site like this one. As stated earlier, the
25
frilly dresses. As she grew older, her interest in fashion expanded. While in college, she was
working towards a degree in fashion and became more and more interested in fashion
sustainability. The author started finding and following Instagram accounts focused on fashion,
beauty, travel, and lifestyle. While searching for new bloggers and influencers to follow, she
realized that sustainability was taking a back seat to everything else. She wanted to change that
narrative within the industry.
came to pick a topic to write about and do her project report on, she chose fashion sustainability.
others how easy it is to do their part. The author wanted to change the future of blogging by
creating a blog site focused on a topic not widely talked about among the fashion industry. As
stated earlier, the author wants to make sustainability, particularly within the fashion industry, a
priority topic to be discussed. The author wants to show her readers that making sustainable
choices does not have to entail making significant changes to your lifestyle, but making small
changes such as bringing your own grocery bags to the store instead of using plastic ones or
befriending a tailor to help you repurpose old or damaged clothing are all ways to help the
environment.
The document analysis approach is a form of qualitative methodology used throughout
this project. Document analysis was used to compare common elements between other fashion
and lifestyle blogs. Common elements can be layouts of the blog pages and posts, color palettes,
font styles, composition of the entire blog site, and topic categories. When starting her research,
the author kept a written list of these common elements, she wrote what she liked and disliked
about each site. As stated in an earlier section, these blogs became an inspiration, a starting point
26
for her when she began designing her own blog site. By showing all of the information in a blog
platform, it is easier to read and comprehend the information being presented. The main purpose
of this project is to fill a niche market within the industry. Many of the bloggers and influencers
the author follows do not cover any sustainability topics on their blogs or social media accounts.
The author wanted to share her knowledge and expertise with those around her and those
wanting fashion advice.
27
Conclusions
The implications of success for this project are the readers of the blog following the
sustainable tips the author is giving them to help them make a difference in their carbon
and a great honor as well. Another success will come from moving the industry forward with this
report and innovative blog project to make a lasting impact on the environment. The last success
for this project will be gaining respect and authority through the use of partnerships and
collaborations.
The failures of this project will be this blog not reaching a wide enough audience to help
the environment. The negatives of writing and publishing blog posts is not enough reader or
follower engagement. Another failure of this project is having to always keep up with and blog
about the current trends and technology that is changing within the industry. The last big failure
is having to compete with other sustainability blogs and other fashion blogs.
The fruitful directions of this project of this field are moving the fashion industry towards
sustainable practices and more sustainable clothing. Creating and writing enough creative
blog. The third fruitful direction will be collaborating and cultivating partnerships with brands
and posting about those collaborations and partnerships on the blog site. The fourth fruitful
direction will be promoting the blog to gain a solid follower and reader base. The final fruitful
direction will be showing the readers how easy it is to be more sustainable throughout their
everyday lives.
28
Illustrations
[one per page]
Figure 1. Former atest posts on original blog, January 2021.
29
Illustrations
[one per page]
Figure 2. the auth updated blog, June 2021.
30
Illustrations
[one per page]
Figure 3. Current
31
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Appendices
