**4. Discussion**

*Fashion Industry - An Itinerary Between Feelings and Technology*

fabric lengths and reduced stocks [30].

**3.5 Enabling repair, reuse, or recycling models**

viewed as challenges so far, can come into a reality.

sustainably impacts of their purchasing decision.

**3.6 Enhancing consumer awareness of sustainable fashion**

selecting sustainable production, consumption, and disposal strategies.

printing.

Digital printing facilitates printing individual and unique designs, only according to the order. Digital printing technologies such as inkjet or sublimation printing are less time-consuming, flexible, and offer a cost-effective solution for customized printing. Gupta highlighted the benefits of inkjet printing as personalization and quick response, ability to copy the original design fast, ability to print already made products, environmentally friendly production process, and cost saving due to short

Digital printing offers the customization in the printing stage where completely new prints can be incorporated for each individual garment. Thus, the customer gets two stages to personalize the product, first in design stage and then in printing. This is a better way to customize the product while minimizing the environmental impact of printing. This option saves significant amounts of energy, water, and chemicals, compared to mass-scale industrial printing such as rotary or screen

As the mass customization process builds up a close relationship with the consumer, implementation of product service systems and product take back systems would be a possibility. There is a growing emphasis on extending the use phase of clothing by offering after sales services such as repairing, where a consumer can bring the product to a service center for repairing or upgrading. When the consumer is no longer interested about the product and wants to dispose, this can be done though a product take back system with some incentive given to the consumer for returning the product, such as discounts over the next purchase. Benefits of product take back systems can be gained by convincing the consumer during the product design stage to use the materials that can be recycled. Returned products can be reused or recycled to minimize the product's end of life environmental burden. With the mass customization strategy, all those sustainable end-of-life product options that are being extensively discussed in general mass production system, and

When customer becomes the co-designer of the product, environmental impacts of their product decisions can be easily and effectively communicated during the design stage. This can create a platform for discussion on developing an environmentally responsible product though an effective dialog among the producer and customer. The producer can make the consumer mindful about product sustainability and influence on how to become an environmentally responsible consumer by

Integrating sustainability into the fashion design process has been identified as the most effective way of making a sustainable fashion product [31, 32]. In the mass customization process, this can be facilitated through an integrated sustainability indicator tool within the collaborative design process. Integrating a user friendly simple software tool to indicate the sustainability impact of their choice of material, design, colors, and recycling options can influence the consumer to make sustainable choices in the design stage. This type of an interface would bring benefits to the producer and consumer as the sustainability choices are made through a mutual understanding among both parties. This results in an effective collaborative sustainable design exercise, rather than producer making a sustainable fashion piece and trying to convince the customer to purchase that without understanding the

**26**

Analysis of the mass customization strategy in environmental and social perspectives highlighted some positive facts towards supporting sustainability efforts of the fashion industry. This strategy facilitates user-maker connection, and therefore builds a close customer relationship with the producer and a deep satisfaction with the product. This helps to extend the garment life and to consume products more responsibly than now in the case, while reducing the need for frequent purchasing, thus slowing down the consumption. Manufacturers move away from product-centric to customer-centric approach, where customer plays an important role in the decision-making in the product development process. The best place to integrate sustainability into any product is the design stage, rather than looking to resolve environmental burdens at the end of pipe line. A collaborative dialog among the customer and the producer during the design development stage can lead to create an environmentally conscious product. Apart from environmental and social benefits, mass customization brings profit to the business in long run through minimizing excess production, reducing inventories and waste generation. Satisfied customers with a particular producer continue their purchasing with the same company; thus loyalty builds up and customer switching between companies will be minimized. Shifting manufacturing base to local plants can dramatically cut down the cost associated with global supply chains and also lead times.

The mass customization strategy is already being adopted by various manufacturing industries such as automotive, computer, electronics, and clothing. Profitability in adopting mass customization is promising as many companies are reported to have double digit sales growth [34]. Similarly, fashion companies have shown their desire on shifting from mass manufacturing to the mass customization strategy. For example, companies such as Levi Strauss, Second Skin Swimwear, Nike, Addidas, and Puma have successfully incorporated mass customization into their businesses [2, 20]. Levi Strauss started offering customized jeans in 1995, and

now expanded to a broader range of styles, colors, and fabrics. Nike ID program allows the consumer to customize a pair of shoes using thousands of color combinations and own embroidery designs [2]. Proper Cloth, a US-based apparel company, offers customized men's shirts with the choice of fabric, color, and component design. Famous fashion brands such as JC Penney, Ralph Lauren, and Land's End already offer a variety of customized products with a choice of fabric, color, and design while maintaining order to delivery time of 4–5 weeks [35].

Various consumer studies have reported a positive trend towards purchasing customized apparels. According to the group consumer survey conducted by Taieb and Cheikhrouhou [36], 82% of the teenagers and 92% of the youth and adults have voted for customized products over mass manufactured products. Deloitte consumer review [37] conducted in the UK shows that 41% of the consumers have expressed their interest in purchasing customized clothing, and 19% of the respondents have already bought customized clothing. According to YouGov consumer survey conducted in the US for internet users, 29% of the respondents indicated that they have already purchased customized apparel or footwear [38]. Those studies discovered the growing awareness among consumers regarding customized products and the related benefits. They are also willing to pay a premium price for a customized product. According to the consumer research conducted by Deloitte, 88% of the survey participants are willing to pay an extra price for customized clothing [37]. A total of 67% of the YouGov survey respondents indicated their willingness to pay a premium price for a customized fashion [38]. Most importantly, consumers will benefit through price customization as the price of the product is dependent upon the degree of customization [26]. These consumer researches indicate that price is not a barrier to adopt mass customization into the fashion business.

Mass customization is so far viewed by researchers and practitioners through economic and consumer perspectives, and the literature provides little evidence on environmental or social benefits of the strategy. It is expected that this foundation study would provide a platform for the academia and industry to view mass customization from a sustainability viewpoint. A full life cycle analysis would be useful in quantifying the environmental impact of a customized product against a mass manufactured product, by considering the seven key sustainability factors discovered in this chapter.
