Abstract: The research presented in this paper examined the structure and consistency of the digital brand identity of the fast-fashion brand Zara. The research was based on the content analysis of Zara’s brand page, the website of Zara’s owner Inditex, and Zara’s Instagram page. The analysis of Zara’s digital brand identity was divided into two parts: on the one hand, the communicative aspects of the brand site and the Instagram page were examined to verify the conditions of the digital brand experience, and, on the other hand, the structure and consistency of the brand identity on all three digital platforms were considered. Among the brand identity elements, mission, values, personality, and offers were present on all three digital platforms, while the competence element was mostly absent. This gap calls into question the credibility of the brand identity, which in turn makes it difficult for Zara to become a strong brand. Zara’s digital brand identity has proven to be consistent towards customers but incomplete towards employees and other stakeholders. PubDate: Wed, 16 Nov 2022 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: The article focuses on fashion consumption patterns emerging from prominent TV series that have created generational fandoms. Three series (Sex and the City, Girls, and Euphoria) representing the three most important generations (Gen X, Gen Y, Gen Z) present in contemporary US society and global popular culture highlight the most mainstream contemporary fashion attitudes. Based on a deductive approach-based thematic analysis with focus on the semantic role of the dress played in the visual narrative, the research considers how fashion is used in building characters and their fashion- and clothing-culture-related values. The analysis concludes that the most important features of the generational fashion attitudes are as follows: materialist individualism for generation X, irony and anti-fashion for generation Y, and psychological coping mechanism for generation Z. PubDate: Wed, 16 Nov 2022 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: It is said that due to the social and economic effects of the recent pandemic, fashion has been caught in a destructive position. One aspect is the material change of the fashion objects and the strong pre-eminence of the so-called “stay-at-home collections” against the earlier dominance of the ready-to-wear and haute couture garments intended for social events. An important feature of recent fashion changes is their reliance on current pandemic rules and the related political decisions. In my presentation, I will focus on an interesting example of these pandemic changes: Moschino’s 2021 Spring/Summer Collection. Moschino’s “Marionette Performance” is a perfect example for infelicitous performativity where the show is created in a per(ver)formative (in the Derridean sense) act in the catwalk space. I intend to show that performativity is broken at every step of the show. In this spring collection, not only are the mannequins substituted by dolls but the viewers – some are well known (e.g. Anna Wintour) – are also transformed into marionettes by Jeremy Scott. With a self-ironic gesture, anyone of us from the possible audience can be changed into a puppet. To analyse the performative character of the show, I use deconstructive approaches and ideas. I wish to emphasize the interweaving performative dimensions that, in a sense, preclude each other with the help of Paul de Man’s interpretation of Kleist’s Über das Marionettentheater. I want to point out the mechanical, meaningless materiality appearing in the marionettes’ movements on Moschino’s special catwalk. My lecture argues that in the movements of the marionettes the possibility of the clear manifestation of performativity becomes uncertain. PubDate: Wed, 16 Nov 2022 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: The fact that perfumes have been regarded as enhancing one’s appearance opens up questions about knowing and wearing fragrances. The connections between fragrances and fashion are being reviewed first according to the notion of embodiment as applied to the understanding of clothing fashion (Entwistle 2000, 2015); then, the lens of “mediatization”, as applied by Rocamora (2017) to grasp the contemporary entanglement of fashion and digital media, further serves to turn to digital perfume communities. These constitute an essential resource to the extent that they share experiences while producing data about wearing and collecting fragrances. By tracing the recent insurgence of perfume criticism and by mapping certain techniques of entering into relation with fragrances through community members’ perfume reviews as well, the study argues that their idiosyncratic and often artistic language is countering the impersonal language of perfume advertising; ultimately, the study suggests unravelling perfume consumption patterns via an aesthetics of attention. PubDate: Wed, 16 Nov 2022 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic turned the spotlight on the inequalities and the vulnerability of the global supply chains. It showed the serious dependency and the asymmetrical power relations among the stakeholders of the fashion industry. The relocation tendencies – as fashion brands are trying to break up with Asia and move production closer – have already started, and the pandemic can give a boost to it. The Central-Eastern European region can be a possible destination. The shorter supply chains are not just a tool for resilience but are told to serve sustainability as well. My hypothesis is that even though the geography of fashion industry is changing, power relations are not, and the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic has even increased dependency among the different players. Power relations are important among the region’s production and the clients if relocation is to work out, as there is need for inclusive, fair, and decent employment, which is rarely guaranteed by fashion brands. Without it, sustainability cannot be achieved. In this paper, I focus on the examination of socio-economic processes in contemporary fashion such as the relocation tendencies and the power relations among the stakeholders, mainly fashion brands and production companies as subcontractors of the fashion industry. Especially, I examine profit and risk as factors within the relations. The critical essay uses literature review and document analysis to investigate a possible change in the current role of power relations and to examine the hypothesis. PubDate: Wed, 16 Nov 2022 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: On a global level, the analysis of the well-being of countries and ethnic groups is receiving increasing attention. As part of a larger study, we used the Global Well-Being scale among Hungarian residents in the Szeklerland region1 of Romania. The scale aims to measure the well-being experienced emotionally, psychologically, socially, and spiritually (Oláh–Kapitány-Fövény 2012). The study was conducted using an online questionnaire filled out by 1,117 persons aged from 16 to 89, from 286 settlements in Harghita, Covasna, and Mureş counties. The results show that the global welfare indicators have average or above average values among the respondents from Szeklerland. The emotional, psychological, social, and spiritual well-being are above the cut-off score. The well-being of the young age group and that of women is higher. In rural regions, the spiritual well-being is also higher. PubDate: Wed, 16 Nov 2022 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: The present study is an attempt at mapping the Romanian society’s attitudes towards sustainable fashion. Our analyses are based on the European Commission Eurobarometer 92.4 (2019) data relevant for Romania. We have looked into ten Likert-type variables focused on consumer attitudes regarding sustainable fashion. As a first step, we created a sustainable-fashion attitude scale, followed by an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) aimed at investigating the inner structure of the variables. Thereafter, we employed a linear regression analysis in a bid to answer the question as to which are the variables that account for commitment to sustainable fashion in Romania. Inter alia, our results suggest that positive attitudes towards sustainable fashion are most enhanced by awareness about environmental issues and sensitivity to environmental protection in general and are weakened most significantly by poor financial situation measured in terms of difficulty in paying the bills.Besides gathering information on environmental protection from traditional media (the press), relying on Internet sources in this respect also increases support for the transition to a more environmentally conscious textile industry. Our analysis touches upon research limitations such as the attitude–action gap. PubDate: Wed, 16 Nov 2022 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: For a long time, fashion was only a novelty, an aesthetic pleasure, a means of individual self-expression, a possession (Veblen 1899), and a means of separation (Simmel 1904). In the last more than thirty years, following a change of attitude, fashion has also become interpretable as a medium of social activism. It no longer seeks to shape only wearable products and the style of their wearers but also the world (Fuad-Luke 2009). This essay interprets the career of British fashion designer Katharine Hamnett and her 1984 media scandal as the starting point for a shift in attitude, when fashion and social engagement became organically linked and dress became a means of bringing social and ecological issues into focus, beyond itself. Drawing on case studies, the essay explores the changing narrative around clothes, raising current issues such as the importance of using organic cotton as a raw material, the role of the active citizen, the limits of growth, or the meanings constructed by marketing. Although Hamnett’s work has received undeservedly little discussion, she has an undeniably important role to play in changing this narrative. Today, thanks to her activist design, social responsibility has become a fundamental principle in branding. We can never talk about fashion in the same way as before Hamnett. PubDate: Wed, 16 Nov 2022 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: Relying on an interview-based research conducted in Romania’s Szeklerland area, in settlements with a significant Roma population where the majority of the inhabitants are of Hungarian ethnicity, the present study investigates the non-Roma rural élites’ attitude towards the local Roma population. The regional relevance of the topic is indicated by the fact that the importance of the Roma population’s social integration is present in social publicity, while at the same time the three decades following the 1989 socio-political turn in Romania witnessed only a few attempts at the planning and launching of programmes aimed at the Roma population’s social integration. In the course of the past three decades, the regional institutions and élites have repeatedly shuffled off the professional thematization and practical addressing of this issue, whereas in principle they emphasized the importance of social integration. This study aims to explore some of the components making up the background of the above-outlined ambivalent attitude. With the script analysis method, we intend to look into what scripts rural elite actors adopt in building the narratives on the Hungarian–Roma attitude and what role this narrative creation has in the case of the élite belonging to the Hungarian ethnic majority. PubDate: Wed, 22 Dec 2021 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: The paper addresses the issue of contamination fear within the context of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The everyday lives and feelings of the ethnic Hungarian population in Transylvania, Romania, were investigated with an online survey in the middle of the lockdown, in April 2020. In the search for the socioeconomic and demographic determinants of perceived infection risk, we rely on descriptive and two-variable analysis as well as explanatory regression models controlling for covariates. The results show that respondents perceive public places to hold the highest risk of contamination from the virus. In the article, we also draw the sociodemographic profile of the “fearful” and “brave” attitudes towards the threat represented by the virus. Perceived infection risk is higher for the elderly, the more educated, and the non-religious people. The paper reveals that respondents’ concerns, beyond that of infection, are predominantly economic in character. PubDate: Wed, 22 Dec 2021 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: The greatest challenge of the 21st century is to recreate the disturbed balance between people and their environment. The functioning of the changed global system warns us about the multiplying of today’s global and local problems, which are affecting the world’s population. International organizations deal with this issue. In their opinion, environmental education and environmentally conscious thinking can be a way out of the crisis. The efficiency of environmental education is influenced by the ratio of theory and practice as well as the appropriately applied teaching methods, which is confirmed by the experience of the Ecology and Environmental Protection in Kindergarten course of the Benedek Elek Faculty of Pedagogy at the University of Sopron, Hungary. PubDate: Wed, 22 Dec 2021 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: Cross-national studies emphasized that female entrepreneurs have experienced a major decrease in income, and there was a decline in market demand as well. The pandemic crisis increased the workload of women, and mainly those who raise small children did not have much choice: they had to invest time and energy in the family. The success of the strategy that could be used during this period lays on the success of balancing the family–work conflict. The following research is based on an online questionnaire that collected responses and data between 2 April and 20 May 2020. Our questions focused on the situation caused by the pandemic, so that through this online survey we aimed to determine how women entrepreneurs in Transylvania coped with the difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We wanted to get information regarding the financial reserves of the firms owned by female entrepreneurs, but also regarding the human resource reserves of these firms. We also aimed at learning if the pandemic period had an impact on the promoting and marketing practice of the firms and on their sale activities as well as whether there were any changes occurred due to the pandemic. PubDate: Wed, 22 Dec 2021 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: Although gender gap in the field of entrepreneurship is slowly decreasing globally and there is a consensus about the vital role of female entrepreneurs in the economy, the ratio of female entrepreneurs remains still below that of the male. Empirical research conducted by HETFA Research Institute reveals important findings regarding the situation, challenges, and strategies of female entrepreneurs. Among others, there are some particular themes and features which are more apparent in the case of female entrepreneurs than in that of men such as the lack of self-confidence, lower level of motivation, lack of a supporting environment, lower level of self-assessment as well as greater frequency of solo entrepreneurship, and working part time. As for starting and maintaining a business, entrepreneurship-related skills, knowledge, and mindset, opportunities for networking, support from peers as well as supportive environment are among the highly esteemed factors by female entrepreneurs already in business.This is what the project ifempower aimed to address by not only developing a university curriculum and innovative teaching material but backing them with a mentorship programme and an intensive training programme. ifempower was built on a complex approach with special emphasis given to the development of soft and hard skills, entrepreneurial mindset, networking skills, and supporting female students as potential entrepreneurs in meeting their aims. By piloting the activities in partner countries and then incorporating the lessons learnt into the project outputs, the project placed significant focus on ensuring their uptake by other entities in the higher education sector and beyond. PubDate: Wed, 22 Dec 2021 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: This article explores female entrepreneurs’ picture of self in the gaze of others. It relies on the narratives of female business owners gained via semi-structured interviews and focus groups, compiled in the framework of an international research project (iFEMPOWER)1 in Austria. The study reveals that the imagined and perceived gaze of others has a significant power on how businesswomen define both their professional and personal self and how they evaluate their self-worth. The gaze of others becomes a signifier of shame (for not being enough or being too much). The results of this study contribute to a more complex understanding of female entrepreneurship, and with the interdisciplinary character it aims at shaping the contemporary discourse on the gendered entrepreneurial sector. PubDate: Wed, 22 Dec 2021 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: Our paper contributes to studies on the enduring underrepresentation of women in elite positions through the analysis of elite members’ and their partners’ narratives on career and partnership. Using a dataset of 34 individual interviews (17 couples) among Hungary’s political, economic, and cultural elite, we explore how narrators project themselves in the context of their marital relationships and family roles. We identify three pairs of narratives during our analysis. Narratives show the positions from where narrators discuss the theme of career and partnership as elite member/partner, power couple/non-power couple, and male/female. Our findings show that narrative positioning is significantly gendered, and it is strongly connected to the traditional gendered role system. Having an elite position or pursuing a career calls for explanation only from women. In the meantime, a non-power couple position calls for explanation from men, which suggests the increasing presence of the norm of equality in the Hungarian elite. PubDate: Wed, 22 Dec 2021 00:00:00 GMT
Abstract: As Leonidas Donskis (2016: 9) once wrote, “Europe has been saved many times by its narrative powers”. In this time of uncertainty and disasters, our public narratives are filled with gossips, conspiracies, intolerance, and hate speech that strengthen divisions in society. During pandemic lockdowns, when physical closeness is exchanged with social interactions online and when global identities and culture are uploaded on digital platforms, we ask: what does it mean to be European in a time of uncertainty and what binds our collective identities and helps us to overcome our fears and anxieties' Considering the past and present (2008–2020) global and European economic, political, healthcare, and cultural as well as personal crises, this auto-ethnographic essay raises these questions: How can personal narratives help to strengthen European cultural identity in these times of uncertainty' Do personal narratives weaken collective identities' By using an auto-ethnographic approach, this paper is an attempt to determine whether a holistic research approach can be used in the analysis of “liquid” European cultural identity and personal narratives. Therefore, this paper is not just for finding the right answers or right stories but is meant to act rather as a stepping stone for further discussion on how to communicate European cultural identity and how to raise self-identification, cultural solidarity, and unity during these times of uncertainty. PubDate: Wed, 22 Dec 2021 00:00:00 GMT
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