This thesis deals with the transformation of the fashion industry, which is characterized by accelerated changing of fashion trends. In my thesis, I assume that mediatization and the digital age play an important role in the success and ubiquity of fast fashion, as comprehensive information technology has greatly accelerated the distribution of fashion and fashion trends. Firstly, I will look at fashion from an aesthetic standpoint, then I will place fashion as a system of production and distribution in time and space. I will highlight various theories of fashion distribution, as they are also of great importance for promoting fashion trends. I will try to confirm my assumption that mediatization contributes significantly to this through the literature and research of key authors, and I will also highlight the psychological aspect of consumer behavior in fast fashion and the hedonic pleasure fast fashion brings to the consumer. Despite the fact that many consumers are aware of the negative ecological and humanitarian consequences of the fast fashion industry, they still choose to consume it; a big reason for this is the affordability and accessibility, but also, one of the findings of this thesis is that fun and enjoyment play a big role in fast fashion purchase decisions as these do not require much commitment or risk. As a positive consequence of fast fashion, I point out its accessibility to all social classes, but at the same time I pose the question whether such erasure of class differences could be only superficial and surface-level.
|