





































 38 

 
 
 
 
 
https://www.designforsocialchange.org/journal/index.php/DISCERN-J 
 
ISSN 2184-6995 
 
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International 
License. 

 

  

 

 
 
The benevolent future of fashion: A framework for business partnerships  
with a social purpose 
 
Georgina Twamley, Francesco Mazzarella 

 

Published online: November 2022 

 
To cite this article:  
Twamley, G., & Mazzarella, F. (2022). The benevolent future of fashion – A framework for business partnerships 
with a social purpose, Discern: International Journal of Design for Social Change, Sustainable Innovation and 
Entrepreneurship, 3(2), 38-57. 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



 39 

The benevolent future of fashion: A framework for business partnerships  
with a social purpose 
 
Georgina Twamleya, Francesco Mazzarellab 

 
a London College of Fashion, London, W1G 0BJ, United Kingdom, g.twamley@fashion.arts.ac.uk 
bLondon College of Fashion, London, W1G 0BJ, United Kingdom, f.mazzarella@fashion.arts.ac.uk 
 

Abstract 

Consumers are increasingly buying from brands they believe in, and, therefore, fashion businesses increasingly 

need to align their operations with their customers’ values. With this in mind, this paper reports on a research 

project aimed at demonstrating ways in which the fashion system can begin to benefit society, consumers and 

businesses more. Recommendations are distilled from desk research and primary data collected through  

a consumer survey and interviews with fashion industry experts. The findings from the research reveal how 

collaborations can be used as a multidimensional tool and expose the tangible advantages of communicating 

ethics and engaging audiences by aligning with consumers’ desires. The research findings were used to inform the 

development of a framework which paves the way for a more socially conscious fashion industry by providing 

businesses with a checklist to follow to create partnerships and projects with a social purpose. To conclude, this 

paper advocates for how the fashion industry should begin to create more positive social impact and lays the 

foundations for further research on the benevolent future of fashion. 

 

Keywords: Fashion, Strategic Partnerships, Activism, Social impact, Charity 

 

Introduction 

The fashion industry causes a negative impact on society and the planet in many ways, including abuse of labour 

rights, compromise of workers’ health in a fast fashion production system, non-inclusive fashion media, anxiety 

related to over-consumption and a sort of ‘waste colonialism’ (i.e. communities in the global South face the 

impacts of fast fashion trends in the global North). Within this context, there is a lack of insight into how the 

fashion industry can create positive social change. Contemporary research on how businesses can be benevolent 

to society often refers to the concept of the ‘triple bottom line’ or the ‘three Ps’ (i.e. people, profit and the 

planet) (Stoddard, 2017). Within the scope of this paper, this means that businesses can help wider society 

through new approaches like collaborations designed to have a social impact. Building networks and business 

partnerships can be one way to address complex societal issues, develop a social purpose and therefore 

contribute to social justice. 

 

This paper addresses the rise in popularity of collaborations in the fashion sector and discusses how they can be 

harnessed to improve businesses’ actions and therefore reputations. The research presented in this paper intends 

to address a knowledge gap about how brands can take small steps towards being more socially inclusive and 

impactful. Particularly in a post-COVID world, many businesses may not be ready to make substantial changes, 

but smaller one-off projects and collaborations can act as a gateway towards new ways of doing business with  

a social purpose. Collaborations in fashion have always existed, and in recent years their popularity has exploded, 

as they are used for marketing campaigns, new concept development and acquiring new markets, as well as 

developing more systemic responses to complex issues. Aziz and Jones (2018) track the increasingly benevolent 

trajectory of contemporary business and marketing strategy in their book series Good is the New Cool. Their work 

has been influential in shaping a potential benevolent future of marketing, one in which “a great CEO should have 

the brain of a CFO, the heart of a storyteller, and the soul of an activist” (Aziz & Jones, 2021, p.7). 



 40 

The theories reviewed in this paper were applied to a mental wellness platform called ‘HelpingYourself’, set up by 

the first author of this paper. Strategic partnerships are at the heart of ‘HelpingYourself’, which aims to work with 

others to grow faster and benefit from collaborators in terms of credibility, authority and audience. This approach 

has been beneficial. Similarly, other industries have been analysed for this project to find out if their approaches 

could inform benevolent fashion collaborations. However, there is limited literature that analyses the topics of 

business, society and consumer wellness together. With this in mind, the overall aim of the research project 

presented in this paper was to develop a framework for fashion-related collaborations enabling consumer 

wellness and social enterprise creation. The framework was then applied to ‘HelpingYourself’ to validate  

its effectiveness. 

 

Literature review 

The following sections discuss the key findings from the literature review concerning consumer wellness,  

business collaborations and social entrepreneurship – to identify a knowledge gap and inform the development  

of a framework. 

 

Consumer wellness, values-led fashion and emotional bonds 

Consumer wellness has become increasingly prominent as a marketing concept and business approach. Discussing 

the make-up brand L’Oréal, Martin and Shackleford (2021) state that the company is now focusing its marketing 

less on the product and more on the feelings that consumers wish to feel, saying the brand is now selling a “sense 

of belonging, self-realization and self-confidence” (para. 1). This builds on Cartner-Morley’s (2019) argument that 

wellness does what fashion used to do by selling consumers an ideal vision of themselves. Vogue Business (2021) 

uses the new term ‘comfort consumerism’ to reflect consumers’ new prioritisation of wellbeing alongside luxury. 

Hilton (2007) suggests that consumerism was typically a cause of societal ills; however, now consumer culture 

moves towards catering to society’s needs. 

 

Given the urgency to address sustainability challenges, brands face increasing pressures to show that they are not 

supporting relentless consumerism. Gaffney (2020) points out that Generation Z (Gen Z) customers are facing 

unprecedented stress and that they expect brands to authentically engage with their needs and aspirations. 

Businesses which show they care about societal challenges create for themselves the opportunity to bond with 

their customers as a consequence of a shared value system. According to Chitrakorn (2021), consumers expect 

that brands have a purpose in society and are consistent in their messaging or they suffer the consequences of 

not following through on the values they espouse. On the other hand, companies may be reluctant to take a 

strong stance on societal issues due to fear of losing customers in case their positioning or messaging does not 

please everyone. However, brands that speak up about issues in a heartfelt honest way can develop an emotional 

bond with customers, resulting in increased brand loyalty. When customers develop an emotional connection 

with a brand’s purpose, they become brand advocates (Moore, 2015). Younger shoppers want to buy from brands 

that align with their values, including 33% of baby boomers and 60% of millennials surveyed as part of a study  

by Deloitte (2020). 

 

Brands that act on their values are not going ‘above and beyond’, but are merely meeting customers' 

expectations (Thomas, 2020). According to Aziz and Jones (2021), a customer is 83.7% more likely to support  

a brand that they believe in. This change in consumer behaviour affects how fashion is perceived and purchased 

(Hilton, 2007); this consumer agency contributes to shaping a more sustainable world in which we want to live. 

Conscious fashion consumers now see shopping as a moral choice. Accordingly, there is now a marketing need to 

think about people as citizens as well as consumers (Hilton, 2007.). 

 



 41 

Collaborations, compatible values and catering vs. pandering to consumers 

Collaborations across the fashion industry have become hugely popular, featuring multifaceted objectives. 

Mondalek (2021) states that the best collaborations are financially beneficial, bridge audience gaps and ‘reinforce 

existing consumer bases’. They are proving a valuable contemporary instrument in resolving business challenges 

and allow organisations to co-create solutions. Collaborations are so advantageous to brands that their future 

seems assured as a strategy within the fashion industry. Table 1 summarises and categorises the applications and 

objectives of collaborative projects. 

 

Table 1: Objectives of collaborations. 

 

Customer approaches Marketing approaches Bridging gaps 

Cross-pollination of audiences. Seeking media attention through 

novel content. 

Harnessing design skills or 

technical expertise from another 

company. 

Reinforcing the brands’ beliefs by 

partnering with an ethical 

organisation. 

Receiving social media 

engagement. 

 

Gaining credibility or authority in 

a new area. 

Benefiting from another brand's 

influence and authority. For 

example, a brand considered 

new/cool/fresh or representing 

Gen Z ideals.  

Using marketing & PR to create 

and contribute to a new brand 

narrative; can introduce a brand 

to new audiences and hopefully 

increase sales.  

Strategising for gaining market 

share and customer acquisition. 

Creating good ‘karma’/benefiting 

brands’ reputations. 

Positioning a brand differently in 

the marketplace. 

Reliable introduction of 

benevolent marketing that can 

avoid appearing self-serving. 

 

Companies often adopt multidisciplinary approaches to address complex challenges; these can include 

partnerships with other organisations having different skill sets or audiences (Aftab & Bailey, 2013). Moreover, 

companies often start with low-risk experimentation and small steps before developing large innovations. 

Collaborations can be a way of experimenting by adding value for existing customers, while also opening  

up new markets. 

 

Previously, companies’ marketing efforts aimed to interrupt customers. In contract, now the aim is for brands  

to become part of contemporary culture. Increasingly marketing activations show a trend of including messaging 

with a community feel and social impact. For campaigns to have legitimacy, brands that collaborate need to 

ensure they have shared values. Deeley and Sergison (2021) suggest direct questions that a business can ask itself 

to ensure alignment with its collaborators: for instance, ‘Is the collaboration going to damage or support the 

brand messaging?’ and ‘Is the collaboration going to support change?’. Collaborations involving people in the 

public sphere have been described as utilising ‘reliable idols’. However, without shared values or clear 

communication of the reason behind them, campaigns featuring reliable idols can appear vague or even 

inauthentic. For instance, H&M’s ‘Role Models’ marketing campaign (Figure 1) highlights young people who are 

making progress on causes including social equality, sustainability, etc. Yet the poster does not show a connection 

to the brand or charitable efforts the company is making; it lacks social impact. 

 



 42 

 
 

Figure 1: Poster of role models campaign (Source: H&M). 

 

Gaffney (2021) advises that companies need to strike a balance between pandering to and catering to consumers 

by showing sensitivity and respect in order to build successful collaborations. Benevolent campaigns in the right 

tone can ‘cater’ to consumers as well as benefit companies by increasing customer engagement and sales. Within 

this context, Paulins and Hillery (2020) refer to the need for ‘socially responsible’ communication and advertising. 

Approaches like donations and long-term plans help communicate that the brand intends to make a positive 

contribution to society and that the project has integrity. Consumers’ expectations mean that companies must  

be careful in managing their collaborations and be considered in their approach to crafting a message that is 

going to be well received, otherwise they risk seeming ‘self-serving’. When communication is not received as 

intended, it can seem that companies lack sensitivity and are merely ‘pandering’ to a consumer trend. Therefore, 

careful consideration of the correct approach to support a ‘good cause’ is crucial. The wrong tone can risk  

a company missing the mark, facing criticism or, in extreme cases, exposing the brand to ‘cancel culture’ 

-type conversations. 

 



 43 

Cancel culture began with observations of commercial communication missteps highlighted in the media. 

Companies face the risk that the public sometimes ridicules brands that miscommunicate about important topics 

(Meyer, 2021). The atmosphere of blame has been described by some critics as inflexible and stifling. Others 

renounce the humiliating effect cancel culture can have, questioning its fairness. Mishan (2020) points to the 

consumerist nature of cancel culture, which means that businesses must pay attention to this new critique of 

their products, services and people. An atmosphere of social responsibility for communicating in a politically 

correct way has become part of the business. Romano (2021) describes how confusion about cancel culture has 

not prevented it from becoming ‘culturally and politically entrenched’. Insensitive messaging is now usually 

noticed by society, and companies have to face the consequences of getting their communications wrong. 

 

Careful messaging is important for consumers but also for a business’s reputation; it affects wh cichompanies will 

collaborate with them and even its future workforce. Research shows that Gen Z employees want to work at 

companies that have a social purpose. Figure 2 depicts Apple's job advertisements based on working somewhere 

that aligns with employees’ values, which is good for both recruitment and PR. 

 
Figure 2. Apple’s advertisements to future employees (Source: LinkedIn). 

 

From fashion as the ‘business of inequality’ to socially conscious companies 

Benevolent collaborations help charities fundraise, build social credibility for brands and help brands offer 

aspirational allure while sharing inclusive messaging. D’Agostino (as cited in Girod, 2020) discusses the fine line 

between fashion’s aspirational, exclusive nature and the new trend of social inclusivity, highlighting the 

contemporary challenge of balancing community feel with aspirational allure. 

 

Within this context, we are witnessing the rise of socially conscious companies that intend to activate positive 

social change and develop charitable projects as profitable business opportunities embedded in corporate culture 

(Stoddard, 2017). Pallotta (2013) discusses innovative ways in which social causes are tackled through business 

partnerships and charity projects instead of through donations. These contemporary approaches provide shared 

responsibility and generate larger financial contributions towards charitable causes, creating a social impact. Aziz 



 44 

(2018) echoes this, endorsing partnerships with non-profits as the new combination of commerce, conscience 

and culture. Research shows that positive social impact also positively affects the bottom line. According to 

Kantar (2020), brands with high perceived positive impact are outperforming value growth by more than double 

of those with low impact. Another stark statistic is that 95% of millennials would switch brands if a company 

supports a good cause in an authentic and meaningful way (Kantar, 2020). For businesses trying to increase 

market share, these data offer enough evidence for adopting new socially active approaches both for socially 

impactful campaigns and for developing a long-term social purpose. 

 

Overall, the literature review shows that the market and cultural trend for doing ‘good’ is undeniable. However, 

there is scope for further research to better understand what incremental steps businesses can take to build 

collaborations that bring about positive social change. Figure 3 illustrates the key learnings from the literature 

review, which informed the primary research discussed in the following sections of this paper. 

 
Figure 3: Key learnings emerging from the literature review. 

 

Methodology 

The project presented in this paper was conducted by adopting grounded theory as the research strategy to 

create a framework that could be tested and used in the future. This implied the development of a theory 

through multiple stages of data collection and identifying interrelationships between categories of information to 

refine the theory (Creswell, 2013). The project entailed a cross-sectional study investigating a phenomenon within 

a particular time. An inductive research approach was used, and multiple data collection methods and thematic 

analysis contributed to building from particulars to general themes (Creswell, 2013.). Figure 4 illustrates the 

research design, consisting of three main consecutive steps, incrementally contributing to addressing the aim and 

objectives of the project discussed in this paper. 

 



 45 

 
 

Figure 4: Research design. 

 

Considering the project’s timeline and scale, as well as the available resources, an online survey and semi-

structured interviews were chosen to collect the data and inform the development of the intended framework. 

 

Based on insights from the literature review, the survey comprised 8 questions, mostly multiple-choice and Likert 

scale questions. The survey was filled in by 100 participants from 14 countries, providing insight into the public’s 

perception of fashion brands and consumer wellness. The survey mostly provided quantitative data but also 

included one open question, which allowed for qualitative data collection too. 

 

Qualitative research was fundamental in gathering opinions for this project. Semi-structured interviews were 

conducted with seven fashion sector professionals, each sharing their specific knowledge, providing feedback and 

advice on the project and contributing to a rich in-depth understanding of how collaborations are built. The 

interviewees had diverse expertise, including fashion education, social enterprise development, multidisciplinary 

collaborations, charity and retail. The interviewees were selected on the basis of professional background. While 

no interviewee had exact expertise on this research, each had relevant knowledge and made a unique 

contribution to the body of research presented in this paper.Table 2 details the varied perspectives of each 

interviewee and how each participant contributed to inform a multi-faceted body of knowledge. In the final 

interview, Simone Parchment reviewed the framework draft and reinforced its legitimacy, stating that she had 

seen all of the benefits of collaborations described in action in the industry. This began the evaluation process. 



 46 

Following this, a panel discussion on the topic allowed for evaluation of the research in an open unstructured 

way. The panel consisted of a fashion designer, a fashion psychologist, an entrepreneur and a researcher, who 

each contributed their experience of industry norms and innovations and consented to be quoted. 

 

Table 2: Industry interviewees, with their roles and perspectives. 

 

Interviewee Role Perspective 

Farah Liz Pallaro Business advisor and lecturer. Author 

of Fashion, Business and Spirituality 

Fashion business trends and change 

drivers 

Shehan Perera Communications Officer at Social 

Enterprise UK 

Socially enterprising business 

development 

Jonathan Chippindale CEO of Holition, cutting-edge luxury 

retail technology services company 

Expert in multidisciplinary 

collaborative approach, 

knowledgeable about fashion 

collaborations and projects 

Sarah Burns MBE Chair of Operations for fashion charity 

Smartworks 

Knowledgeable about how charities 

work with fashion brands 

Jo Tutchener-Sharp CEO of Scamp&Dude fashion brand 

that engages in charitable 

collaborations 

Knowledgeable about how fashion 

brands work with charities 

Ruby Wight Creative Lead: Campaigns and 

Partnerships at Burberry 

Retailer running collaborations with 

the goal of brand marketing 

Simone Parchment  Head of Strategic Partnerships at 

Matches Fashion 

Retailer running collaborations with 

the goal of customer acquisition 

 

Thematic analysis (Saunders et al., 2019) was conducted to extract themes and patterns and draw meaning from 

the raw data collected in the form of the survey responses and interview transcripts. The data analysis was 

iterative, with each stage informing the subsequent one. Software (CodePen, Otter.ai and EdWordle) was used to 

identify duplicate words and phrases from the data and to flag key concepts. Quantitative data were categorised 

according to how they related to each key theme that emerged from the analysis. The themes were used to 

develop questions that were asked at the panel discussion, informing the development of the framework. 

 

Findings 

The following sections discuss the thematically clustered findings from the data analysis, revealing where 

relationships and contradictions arose. 

 

The survey results evidenced consumers’ perceptions of fashion brands. Figure 5 is a word cloud illustrating the 

values and qualities the survey respondents believe fashion brands should have for consumers to feel more 

emotionally connected to them. Larger words indicate more popular concepts and consumers’ priorities. 

Consumers communicated a general sense of disappointment, as evidenced through words like ‘disillusioned’,  



 47 

as well as a call to action – ‘transparency’. 

 
Figure 5: Word cloud representing values consumers want to see embodied in fashion brands. 

 

The data collected through interviews with fashion industry professionals were analysed to identify recurring 

concepts and cross-checked to see which key points and perspectives were shared amongst the interviewees. A 

word cloud (Figure 6) was developed to represent fashion industry professionals’ needs, aspirations, priorities and 

opinions about collaborations. Subsequently, the framework was developed based on the common ground 

between the consumer and industry perspectives. 

 

 
 

Figure 6: Word cloud representing key concepts that emerged across all the industry professionals interviewed. 

 

Overall themes were established using a variety of approaches to compare and contrast the data. Figure 7 

illustrates the key themes which emerged from the primary research (survey and interviews); this means 

concerns that were common to both consumers and fashion industry professionals. They are discussed in the 

following sections alongside the key themes emerging from the secondary research. These areas of common 



 48 

ground formed the foundation of the framework.

 
Figure 7: Key themes recurring in both the consumer survey and the interviews with fashion industry experts. 

 

The fashion industry needs to change 

Both the consumers and the industry experts argued that the fashion system needs to change. The survey 

respondents criticised the myriad of negative effects that the fashion industry – underpinned by a capitalistic 

system – produces. They questioned the consumeristic culture that the fashion industry contributes to, as 

highlighted by the following quotes: ‘I'm interested in why the owners created the brand to begin with when 

there are so many brands out there. What is their clear and honest brand objective?’ and ‘It’s getting to the point 

where it is unacceptable for brands not to make any effort’. These qualitative insights from consumers were 

accompanied by quantitative data with stark results: 86% of the survey respondents said that they felt let down 

by a brand or felt it did something that does not align with their values. Additionally, the interviewees expressed 

concerns about the industry’s negative impacts; for instance, Jonathan Chippindale argued the following:  

 

“The big piece of the pie is still toxic. I'm so sad to say that because I've worked for so many years to 

contribute to changing that. But it is what it is. So, the only way that you can change that industry is when 

we all – every one of us – take responsibility individually and, as a collective, we do things”. 

 

Interviewee Shehan Perera said that employees want to work at companies that care about social issues and aim 

to make positive contributions to the world, stating ‘People expect their employers to give a damn about the 

planet […] like about changing how capitalism works and taking the steps to get to that point’. Perera works for 

Social Enterprise UK and described how he has seen companies grow fiscally while also developing their 

connections with communities and making significant contributions to a fairer and more just world. This comment 

reflected the secondary research, which shows that the public wants to shop and work at companies that espouse 

values that align with their own. 



 49 

Putting the customer first 

Another theme emerging from the survey was a sense amongst consumers that their needs and aspirations are 

currently not heard. Two-thirds of the respondents said that they had participated in cancel culture in some way. 

Based on the findings from the survey, Figure 8 shows the values that consumers want to hear brands speak 

about. Ethical employment practices and sustainability were the two most prominent values. This echoes the 

point from the literature review that emphasised the benefit of advertising company values to attract employees 

and establish a reputation as an ethical company.  

 

Keywords like ‘transparency’, ‘community’, ‘accessible’ and ‘tone of voice’ came up in the survey responses. 

However, surprisingly, they did not come up in the interviews with thefashion industry professionals. Interviewee 

Sarah Burns from the charity Smartworks was the only professional who emphasised that brands need to listen to 

consumers more, making insightful comments about market gaps, such as the lack of workwear for transgender 

people. She advised that brands should focus on one clear message to begin to play a more supportive role in 

society. 

  

 
Figure 8: Brand values that consumers would choose to support. 

 

Collaborations can be harnessed to ‘walk the talk’ 

One consumer described fashion as one of the most popular industries and therefore that fashion should use its 

power ‘to help improve the world we live in’. Others expressed the need for brands to be less self-serving, stating 

that they want to see them ‘doing good for the world and not just for themselves - giving back’. Such comments 

reinforce Aziz and Jones’s (2021) argument that brands should think of their customers as citizens, following  

a trend in which future consumers (such as Gen Z) are merging their morals with their shopping habits. 

Consumers are voting for socially impactful businesses with their purchasing power. In line with research showing 

that younger consumers want to know why a brand is doing a project, interviewee Jonathan Chippindale 

described how a ‘fight [is] going on inside consumers’ brains between the need to be a citizen of the planet and 

[…] consumerism’. Additionally, Shehan Perera argued that ‘responsible business’ is ‘the strongest kind of 

business model’. Ruby Wight discussed her work in building partnerships and collaborations at Burberry 

(exemplified in Figure 9) as contributing to creating a more benevolent fashion industry: 

 

“We’re always making sure our community, our campaigns and our content reflect both the truths and 

dreams of the world we live in and inspire people to imagine their possibility. Because we create so much, 

 so regularly, we have the opportunity to put our values and ambition for even greater diversity and 

inclusion at deeper levels, into practice and act on it”. 



 50 

Overall, the findings from the primary research indicate participants’ recognition that collaborations and 

charitable projects can provide a stepping stone for brands and organisations to work together to make 

benevolent work become an everyday part of the business. 

 

 
 

Figure 9: Burberry collaboration featuring footballer Marcus Rashford, who received racist abuse following missing 

a penalty in the European final and has since been defended and celebrated (Source: Wonderland magazine). 

 

Importance of ethics and values 

The findings from the secondary research establish that it is important that collaborations are mindful and 

considerate of sensitive topics and avoid tokenistic attitudes. In line with this, one consumer participating in the 

survey explained that ’clear communication of ethos and practices is what we need most in the industry; anything 

else feels like pandering to a consumer looking for change’. Several survey respondents mentioned that they 

prefer shopping from brands whose beliefs they ‘buy’ into. As interviewee Shehan Perera put it, ‘It's very easy for 

a brand to pretend to be doing the right things’. Discussing the ethics of collaborations, Jo Tutchener-Sharp 

highlighted the need for researching whether potential collaborators have the same ethics in all areas of their 

business, ensuring that nothing is hidden. She added that any bad press brands receive could have a knock-on 

effect on the company’s reputation. For instance, Ruby Wight mentioned Burberry’s ‘brand guardians’, who help 

guide the partnership process and ensure that the content is in line with the brand’s character. On the other 

hand, when brands cannot find an alignment of values and vision, they should not be afraid to say no to potential 

collaborations. 

 

Authenticity 

Good ethics require integrity to feel authentic. A lack of alignment can risk compromising a brand’s reputation. 

Consumers participating in the survey commented that they can ‘see through’ campaigns or communication that 

are greenwashing or ‘hopping on a bandwagon’. They want to know why a business is supporting a cause and 

require clear communication. Brands need to build trust and meaningful connections with their customers; 

otherwise, efforts can appear tokenistic. This speaks to Sinek’s well-known hypothesis that people 'don't buy 

what you do, but they buy why you do it’ (ROI Group, 2016). Sharing a ‘why’ through a personal story can be 

authentic, which may be easier for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in fashion. 

 



 51 

Value of collaborations for venturing into new sectors 

The value of collaborations was consistently mentioned in the interviews. Jonathan Chippindale stated that 

collaborations can help brands align themselves with ‘another cooler organisation’ or lean on it. He referred to 

some collaborations that connect similar brands such as ‘Hermes x Rolls Royce’ versus other partnerships 

between two very different brands such as ‘Dolce & Gabbana x Smeg’. Interviewee Ruby Wight (working at 

Burberry) highlighted that collaborations can be useful to ‘venture’ into new sectors. For instance, to create the 

first sneaker collection for the brand and make sure it reached its full potential, the brand ‘worked with 

Hypebeast to bring their perspective to that collection, as they have a lot of authority in this streetwear field, so 

could bring this new era for us to their community in a credible way’. Here, Wight refers to collaborations 

activated by brands to benefit from another company’s credibility. Cross-pollination of audiences or skill sets is a 

popular reason why brands decide to collaborate and bridge market gaps. 

 

New ideas through partnerships  

The foundation of a successful partnership involves celebrating individual perspectives while creating new 

content. Interviewee Jonathan Chippindale argued that progress happens when two people collaborate and 

develop ‘a third idea that they wouldn't have had individually’. Collaborations can be used in guiding creative 

content that gives both parties a chance to highlight their work as well as create opportunities for new combined 

perspectives. To exemplify this, Ruby Wight shared her experience in building collaborations at Burberry: 

 

“Through that process, our role is one of commissioners, as the brand guardians that guide the content, to 

make sure it feels connected to our broader brand narrative, and something that our audience can associate 

with. That is where the magic and mystery of the collaboration comes together, because you have to make 

space for both of you as creative teams to exercise your individual perspectives and find a way to spot the 

synergies, the frictions, the contrast and contradictions, and bring them together to make something that 

may not have existed otherwise”. 

 

Such collaborative processes can create unique outcomes and innovative ideas and lead to customer acquisition 

through increased engagement. The hope for a successful collaboration is that it can increase sales and make a 

beneficial addition to the brand narrative which will last for the long term. 

 

A framework for business partnerships with a social purpose 

The findings from the primary and secondary research discussed in the previous sections informed the 

development of a framework for building business partnerships with a social purpose. The research findings 

informed the outline of questions which were used at the panel entitled ‘Fashion and Wellbeing’ that was held in 

September 2021 as a collaboration between ‘HelpingYourself’ and ‘The Fashion Clinic’. The latter was created in 

conjunction with the MA Fashion Entrepreneurship and Innovation course at London College of Fashion, 

University of the Arts London (UAL) to be a hub connecting creatives in the fashion industry. This was deemed an 

appropriate audience for disseminating this research and its output, since members of The Fashion Clinic are 

interested in fashion entrepreneurship. In doing so, the collaboration between HelpingYourself and The Fashion 

Clinic adopted principles drawn from the framework such as cross-pollination of audiences. The panel discussion 

was publicised on social media and then published as a podcast on Spotify. The panel led to plans being made for 

two more collaborations. 

 

Drawing from the findings from the primary and secondary research, the framework includes a checklist of things 

that brands could consider when creating collaborations and charitable projects. Moreover, the framework so far 



 52 

was presented by the first author of this paper to students in the BSc in Psychology of Fashion course at London 

College of Fashion, UAL to disseminate the research and begin to nurture the next generation of professionals 

who could create positive social change in and through fashion. 

 

Figure 10 illustrates the key headings and insights from the ‘Benevolent Future of Fashion Framework’. The 

framework summarises the benefits of benevolent collaborations and provides a guide to using 8 key principles to 

create a successful benevolent collaboration. In this context, success is measured by longevity, as, ideally, socially 

impactful projects benefit everyone involved, leading businesses to commit to a social purpose. As more 

businesses discover the multifaceted benefits of these projects and adopt these practices, there is an opportunity 

for large-scale change in consumer culture as it moves towards benefiting businesses, consumers and society. To 

make the framework accessible, the content of the framework is written in an accessible ‘newspaper’ tone of 

voice. The framework is distributed as a ‘read-only’ website link which can be easily accessed by the public 

(https://rebrand.ly/ecwldzl). The online document is editable by the researcher and first author of this paper. 

Embedded into the framework is a request for readers who have adopted the framework to contribute feedback 

and suggestions via email. The feedback will be evaluated and amendments made, fulfilling the intention of 

sustaining an ongoing project that can continue to develop and widen its scope, contribution, and impact. This 

resource constitutes a legacy of the project presented in this paper. 



 53 

 
 

Figure 10: Key themes underpinning the ‘Benevolent Future of Fashion Collaboration Framework’. 



 54 

Conclusions 

This paper discussed a research project aimed at demonstrating ways in which the fashion system can begin to 

benefit society, consumers and businesses more. This is driven by a desire to address the needs and aspirations of 

contemporary societies and to counter the lack of critical disclosure in the past of the negative impacts caused by 

the fashion industry. The research was fuelled by a desire to change the fashion system, and this was highlighted 

by the theme of disillusionment that recured across all the data collected (from the consumer survey to the 

interviews with industry experts). With this in mind, the project presented in this paper was developed at the 

intersection of fashion, collaborations/partnerships and non-profit development. Perspectives from the public 

and fashion sector experts were collected and cross-referenced, providing valuable insights that point towards 

strategies to shape a benevolent future for fashion. 

 

Findings from the research indicate that when businesses take action to help society, the benefits can also lead to 

commercial growth. Fashion brands can contribute to addressing societal needs by partnering with charities and 

non-profit organisations and developing aspirational and benevolent projects. Building on findings from primary 

and secondary research, a framework was developed to guide fashion brands and non-profits in creating 

collaborative ventures that provide societal and commercial advantages. Following on from the successful launch 

of the framework at a panel discussion, the first author of this paper is gathering ongoing feedback and will 

continually amend this resource to actively contribute to shaping a benevolent future of fashion. 

 

Building on the successful presentation of the framework to students from the London College of Fashion, there is 

an opportunity to continue to use it not only in business settings but also as an educational resource to prime the 

next generation of professionals who could make a positive impact on consumerism and society. Considering the 

limitations of the project presented in this paper in terms of the timeframe and sampling strategy, it is 

recommended to expand the research by including more global perspectives from international participants  

and involving people from a variety of socio-economic and educational backgrounds. 

 

A natural next stage of the project would be to further apply the framework and evaluate its effectiveness, for 

instance through interviews with the industry experts already involved in this project, as well as with other 

professionals to gather more feedback. Other recommendations for the next steps include further developing the 

framework into a more comprehensive guidebook and developing business collaborations and charitable projects 

to scale up its impact. For instance, an opportunity was identified by the two authors of this paper to collaborate 

with ReGo, a project using fashion activism to address societal issues (such as youth violence) and offer 

educational and employment opportunities for young people in fashion. 

 

In conclusion, it is envisaged that thanks to an alignment of values and continued engagement in collaborative 

ventures and charitable projects, this paper can inspire readers in shaping a more collaborative and socially 

benevolent approach to business practices in the fashion industry, perhaps using and contributing to the 

framework here presented as a step in the right direction. 

 

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	Keywords: Fashion, Strategic Partnerships, Activism, Social impact, Charity
	Consumer wellness, values-led fashion and emotional bonds
	Table 1: Objectives of collaborations.
	Figure 1: Poster of role models campaign (Source: H&M).
	From fashion as the ‘business of inequality’ to socially conscious companies
	Figure 3: Key learnings emerging from the literature review.
	Figure 4: Research design.
	Figure 7: Key themes recurring in both the consumer survey and the interviews with fashion industry experts.
	The fashion industry needs to change
	Figure 8: Brand values that consumers would choose to support.
	Figure 10: Key themes underpinning the ‘Benevolent Future of Fashion Collaboration Framework’.
	References
	Honeyman, R. (2014). The B corp handbook: How to use business as a force for good. Berrett-Koehler.
	Saldaña, J. (2021). The coding manual for qualitative researchers (4th ed.). SAGE.

