We have an emergency, we need to slow down: social innovations and degrowth towards a sustainable fashion sector

Abstract: Led by the growth paradigm, the fashion sector finds itself in patterns of overproduction and overconsumption putting immense pressure on socio-ecological systems. To tackle this current system, the degrowth movement emerges as a plausible solution. In this thesis, we aim at getting an empirically based understanding of social innovations’ strategies of change, in the fashion sector, in order to enable socio-cultural change in line with degrowth. To do so, we conduct a multi-case study of four social innovations in the fashion sector. Our results show that these social innovations aim at promoting new fashion values, norms and practices. Additionally, the result from our key informant interviews reveal that social innovations navigate institutional environment that can either enable or hinder their operations. We conclude that the degrowth transition’s future success is highly dependent on improving institutional environments to allow socio-cultural change and challenge the entrenched mindsets spearheaded by the growth logic.