Re-Imagining Global Fashion Business: New Models, Values and Ideas
An Interdisciplinary Conference at Coventry University London, London, UK
In association with Fashion Research Network

Friday 24th July 2020

Keynotes:
Dr Patsy Perry, Senior Lecturer, University of Manchester, UK
Dr Marco Pedroni, Associate Professor, eCampus University, Italy

Fashion is the world’s second largest industry, a large-scale global employer encompassing agriculture, manufacturing, artisanal craftmanship, design, logistics and retail. Publicly considered and promoted as glamorously effortless, behind-the-scenes a large amount of preparation, planning and forecasting is made to engage global fashion consumers in the processes and culture of fashion driving desire and consumption. Increasingly, fashion is a global business sector, which is having to come up with answers and solutions for a range of challenges and opportunities; sometimes planned, sometimes spontaneously, often at a company rather than sector level. Yet is now the time to think, and act, more strategically? Are these now more a hindrance than a help to serving the needs and desires of fashion’s consumers? What are the drivers behind fashion’s challenges and opportunities? Does there need to be a full re-think of the processes and systems, which support the fashion sector? What new business models need to be evolved? What role does technology and sustainability play within this? Who are the new leaders and mentors to guide us in this?

Scholars and fashion business innovators are invited to submit applications for a 15-minute paper on the following key themes of the conference:

• New Fashion Retail Business Models and Strategies
• Modern Approaches to Fashion Marketing and Branding
• Local and Global Perspectives on Disrupting the Fashion Consumer
• Innovations in Fashion Technology and Digital
• Contemporary Innovations in Sustainability, Value Streams and the Circular Economy
• Culture, History and Artisanship in the Context of Global Fashion Business
• Leadership, Diversity and the Role of Mentors in Global Fashion Business Innovation

We invite proposals for 15-minute papers on the themes outlined here. Paper proposals should contain a short biography (max 60 words), extended abstract (max 1000 words) and up to 5 key words with full contact details including the email address(es) of the speaker(s).

Proposals for A1-sized Poster Presentations to be exhibited during the conference focusing on fashion business ideas and innovations related to the same themes are also sought and should be outlined in a 500-word synopsis with biography and researcher/author details. Entries should be emailed as a Word.doc file to the conference organisers Nathaniel Dafydd Beard (nathaniel.beard@coventry.ac.uk) and Ranjit Thind (ranjit.thind@coventry.ac.uk) by Friday 10th April 2020.

Additional Information:
No fee will be payable by speakers whose extended abstract submission is successful. Poster presenters will need to mail or deliver in person their posters in advance of the conference day for display. Please note no bursary or monetary support can be offered for travel or other expenses. A letter of support in order to facilitate funding applications via your own academic and/or commercial organisation can be provided on request to the conference organisers.

Conference proceedings will be audio recorded and/or filmed and speakers will likely be asked to contribute to social media promotion and/or be interviewed in the run-up to the conference.

Conference organisers will be working with a reputable academic publisher to develop a publication based on the papers and conference proceedings. All accepted papers will be considered for potential publication.

Conference Website: https://reimaginingglobalfashionbusiness.webnode.com/

About Coventry University London
Part of Coventry University Group, TEF Rated Gold and ranked 13th in The Guardian University League Tables, Coventry University London as a member of The Chartered Association of Business Schools (CABS) is a rapidly growing, dynamic institution located in the heart of the City of London Business District, a short walk from Liverpool Street Station, and the bustle of London’s creative industries and the Silicone Roundabout in Shoreditch.

The courses at Coventry University London include MBA International Fashion Management, MSc International Fashion Marketing, MSc International Fashion Marketing with Extended Professional Practice, BA and BA (Top-Up) International Fashion Management and Marketing. Attracting a cohort of aspiring fashion professionals from Belgium, Bangladesh, China, Estonia, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lithuania, Morocco, Norway, Nigeria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Ukraine, UK, USA, and Uzbekistan the highly-experienced, industry-facing Fashion Academic Team at Coventry University London seek to develop and challenge the skills of the next generation of global fashion managers and digital communications specialists. Alumni from the courses can be found working at firms and brands including Ananas Anam, Annoushka, Beyman (Turkey), Boden, C&A, Chanel, Comme Des Garçons, Emporium (Thailand), Louis Vuitton, New Flag GmbH (Germany), Net-A-Porter, and Uniqlo as well as founding their own businesses.

About Fashion Research Network
The Fashion Research Network (FRN) is a collaborative venture set up to promote and share the work of PhD and early career researchers in fashion and dress studies. Since 2013 the FRN has hosted more than 50 events in the UK and USA collaborating with a range of organisations and institutions including: Bard Graduate Center, Courtauld Institute of Art, Centre for Fashion Curation (London College of Fashion), Coventry University London, De Montfort University, Fashion Institute of Technology, ICA, INIVA, Museum at FIT, New York, Parsons New School for Design, Royal College of Art, Somerset House, Tate Modern, V&A Museum, University of Cape Town, and University of Hong Kong. In 2018/19 the FRN published Hair Revisited a special edition of Fashion Theory: Journal of Dress, Body and Culture.