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This study investigates the evolution of digital transformation research trends in the context of the fashion industry. The paper analyzes and addresses the impact of digital innovations on three areas of the industry: products, processes and business models.

The study examined 277 peer-reviewed articles using various bibliometric tools and indicators, aiming to identify and organize the contributions of the most influential works. Additionally, a critical review of the ten most cited papers in the field was carried out.

The study shows that digitalization is not merely a technological trend; rather, it is a transformative force reshaping the fashion industry. It fosters collaboration, innovation and sustainability, creating an ecosystem where businesses can thrive by aligning with circular principles and leveraging digital tools.

The paper reveals a gap in the scientific systematization and exploration of the variety of applications of digital tools in the fashion industry. The study’s limitations include the keywords chosen for the research and the period of the research from 1998 to 2023.

The paper pursues to contribute to the current discussion on sustainable practices within the fashion industry, while also setting the foundation for future progress in digital innovation that supports the increasing need for sustainable and personalized products.

Digital-only fashion represents an ideal fusion of sustainability and fashionability, garnering growing interest among fashion professionals. However, there is a noticeable gap in research focusing on digital-only fashion acceptance among consumers. Hence, this study aims to empirically examine consumers’ motivations, evaluations and acceptance of digital-only fashion based on the Functional Theory of Attitudes.

A US-based research agency was hired to collect data, resulting in 247 completed survey responses. Data analysis was conducted using the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) approach.

Testing results highlight that consumer acceptance of digital-only fashion is directly influenced by both overall attitude and self-expressive attitude. Self-expression is particularly pivotal in digital-only fashion acceptance. Adorning avatars and dressing realistic on-screen bodies are distinct yet complementary aspects of using digital-only fashion. Consumers with positive environmental beliefs about digital-only fashion are concerned about how well digital-only fashion items allow them to express such beliefs.

This study innovatively applied the functional theory of attitudes to the emerging domain of digital-only fashion and identified consumers’ four functional attitudes toward digital-only fashion, along with the underlying motivations served by each functional attitude. Furthermore, this study provides valuable practical insights across the digital-only fashion value chain.

Fashion companies have been among the first to ride the new trend and develop projects for the Metaverse, considering Generation Z (Gen Z) as a relevant target. The paper aims to investigate Gen Z consumers’ intention to use digital fashion items in the Metaverse.

The study relies on the technology acceptance model (TAM). The authors include specific aspects of the Metaverse: the user-avatar identification and the development of an alternative identity; fashion innovativeness is discussed as a moderator variable. The model is tested on Gen Z consumers, with 329 survey responses collected in 2022 and analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM).

The paper shows that the two external and explanatory variables the authors added, i.e. user-avatar identification and alternative identity, positively and directly impact the individual attitude to use digital fashion items in the Metaverse. Moreover, according to the proposed research model, the moderating effect concerning fashion innovativeness has positive and negative consequences.

Using TAM, the authors explored consumers’ perceptions (perceived usefulness and ease of use), attitudes and intentions regarding the new technology context (digital fashion in the Metaverse). This study enriched TAM with new consumer marketing constructs (user-avatar identification and alternative identity) and their relationships with consumers’ intention to use digital fashion items in the Metaverse. This study also contributed to TAM by exploring the relevance of moderating the effects of consumer fashion innovativeness on consumers’ intentions and attitudes in the novel context of digital fashion in the Metaverse. The paper contributes to the academic debate by focusing on the individual and personal sphere of the consumer moving in the Metaverse digital environment. The marketing-focused study develops research on Gen Z consumers to provide new insights and possible opportunities for marketers in the Metaverse.

This study aims to examine the effect of digital fashion marketing on consumer purchase intentions. Rooted in the stimulus–organism–response framework, it explores how digital marketing strategies in the fashion industry influence consumer attitudes and satisfaction, ultimately affecting their purchasing decisions.

It is mainly focused on the attitudes, satisfaction, and purchase intentions of young consumers in China and South Korea toward fashion brands stimulated by digital fashion shows and non-fungible tokens. This study modifies the research model through case studies, collects data through questionnaires, and analyzes the data using fsQCA and AMOS.

The findings of the fsQCA study show that stimuli impact consumers’ attitudes, satisfaction, involvement, and willingness to rewatch. The multigroup analysis shows that social norms and images have a greater influence on individuals in China, whereas Korea has a higher direct effect of individual involvement on consumption behavior.

The study is useful for global fashion brands because it emphasizes the role of digital innovations in shaping consumer–brand relationships and makes strategic recommendations for sustainable growth in the digital fashion landscape.

The study aims to explore the digital fashion trend within the Metaverse, characterized by non-fungible tokens (NFTs), across Twitter networks. Integrating theories of diffusion of innovation, two-step flow of communication and self-efficacy, the authors aimed to uncover the diffusion structure and the influencer's social roles undertaken by social entities in fostering communication and collaboration for the advancement of Metaverse fashion.

Social network analysis examined the critical graph metrics to profile, visualize, and cluster the unstructured network data. The authors used the NodeXL program to analyze two hashtag keyword networks, “#metaverse fashion” and “#metawear,” using Twitter API data. Cluster, semantic, and time series analyses were performed to visualize the contents and contexts of communication and collaboration in the diffusion of Metaverse fashion.

The results unraveled the “broadcast network” structure and the influencers' social roles of opinion leaders and market mavens within Twitter's “#metaverse fashion” diffusion. The roles of innovators and early adopters among influencers were comparable in collaborating within the competition venues, promoting awareness and participation in digital fashion diffusion during specific “fad” periods, particularly when digital fashion NFTs and cryptocurrencies became intertwined with the competition in the Metaverse.

The study contributed to theory building by integrating three theories, emphasizing effective communication and collaboration among influencers, organizations, and competition venues in broadcasting digital fashion within shared networks. The validation of multi-faceted Social Network Analysis was crucial for timely insights, highlighting the critical digital fashion equity in capturing consumers' attention and driving engagement and ownership of Metaverse fashion.

This study aims to conduct an exploratory research to find out the evolving constructs and variables of digital literacy, as seen by researchers since its inception. This research also includes an empirical study to identify and further analyze the digital literacy dimensions of university students studying fashion design program in Kolkata, India.

The exploratory study is based on a review of extant literature, whereas the empirical study is carried out through a self-assessment survey based on UNESCOs Digital Literacy Global Framework competences after validating their relevance with respect to the fashion and apparel industry. A total of 120 university students studying four years Bachelor of Design (Fashion Design) program were asked to rate their digital literacy competences on a five-point Likert scale, with a self-reported truth response against each statement. The results were analyzed using multivariate statistical tools.

Based on UNESCO competences, it came out that there are eight digital literacy dimensions. ANOVA further confirms that the dimensions requiring higher-order cognition, such as “software management competence” and “digital citizenship competence,” increase with progress in the graduate program. However, lower-order competence dimensions remained unchanged over time.

The research instrument used for this empirical study, its identified dimensions and the fact that higher-order competence dimensions are enhanced with progression in university education may be helpful for similar research in other fashion-related programs.

Digital innovation and circular business model innovation are two critical enablers of a circular economy. A wide variety of digital technologies such as blockchain, 3D printing, cyber-physical systems, or big data also diverges the applications of digital technologies in circular business models. Given heterogeneous attributes of circular business models and digital technologies, the selections of digital technologies and circular business models might be highly distinctive within and between sectorial contexts. This paper examines digital circular business models in the context of the fashion industry and its multiple actors. This industry as the world’s second polluting industry requires an urgent circular economy (CE) transition with less resource consumption, lower waste emissions and a more stable economy.

An inductive, exploratory multiple-case study method is employed to investigate the ten cases of different sized fashion companies (i.e. large, small medium-sized firm (SME) and startup firms). The comparison across cases is conducted to understand fashion firms' distinct behaviours in adopting various digital circular economy strategies.

The paper presents three archetypes of digital-based circular business models in the fashion industry: the blockchain-based supply chain model, the service-based model and the pull demand-driven model. Besides incremental innovations, the radical business model and digital innovations as presented in the pull demand-driven model may be crucial to the fashion circular economy transition. The pull demand–driven model may shift the economy from scales to scopes, change the whole process of how the fashion items are forecasted, produced, and used, and reform consumer behaviours. The paths of adopting digital fashion circular business models are also different among large, SMEs and startup fashion firms.

The study provides business managers with empirical insights on how circular business models (CBMs) should be chosen according to intrinsic business capacities, technological competences and CE strategies. The emerging trends of new fashion markets (e.g. rental, subscription) and consumers' sustainable awareness should be not be neglected. Moreover, besides adopting recycling and reuse strategies, large fashion incumbents consider collaborating with other technology suppliers and startup companies to incubate more radical innovations.

Appropriate policies and regulations should be enacted to enable the digital CE transition. Market patterns and consumer acceptances are considered highly challenging to these digital fashion models. A balanced policy on both the demand and supply sides are suggested. The one-side policy may fail CBMs that entail an upside-down collaboration of both producers and consumers. Moreover, it is perhaps time to rethink how to reduce unnecessary new demand rather than repeatedly producing and recycling.

The pace of CE research is lagging far behind the accelerating environmental contamination by the fashion industry. The study aims to narrow the gap between theory and practice to harmonise fashion firms' orchestration and accelerate the transition of the fashion industry towards the CE. This study examines diverse types of digital technologies in different circular business models in a homogeneous context of the fashion industry with heterogeneous firm types.

As the areas of fashion marketing are transforming, fashion show research needs to be recognised, to understand its prevalence, changing form and influence on the consumer behaviour. The paper studied the promotion strategies for the brand and products of fashion designers in Bahrain, in particular the fashion shows, its digital versions, and the factors influencing their choice. The study was conducted using the qualitative method and the detailed semi-structured qualitative interview method was employed and sample of designers and a prominent modeling agency were selected by purposive sampling technique. In-depth interviews with designers were structured to understand the fashion industry, participation in fashion shows and preference of mode of fashion show. Interviews were conducted with the modeling agency, to understand the prevalence of fashion shows, and the execution and demand of organising fashion shows. The data gathered were supported by the relevant secondary data and document analysis and presented. In the study both the forms of the fashion show viz., live and digital are discussed and compared. The digital fashion show and similar forms as short films, videos, on social media seem to be more promising, with minimum requirement of set design, wider reach, economic, ease of execution. The research suggests that physical and digital fashion shows have their advantages and disadvantages, with the choice ultimately based on the brand's goals and resources. As technology advances and the fashion industry changes, digital fashion shows are likely to play an increasingly important role in the future.

By considering the role of technology in museum archives and exhibitions, as well as company archives and production, this paper aims to present that digital technologies offer new approaches and tools to consider fashion know-how, traditions and memories.

Through an extensive literature review and a close consideration of multiple sources, this paper analyzes fashion, tradition and knowledge creation through the lens of museum and company archives. A section on museum archives analyzes the role of fashion in the museum and the use of technology in cataloging, online resources and exhibitions for knowledge transfer of fashion history. The second half of the paper considers the relationship between heritage, company archives and technology in branding and consumer engagement.

The paper summarizes recent scholarship in the fields of fashion archives and demonstrates the still current importance of heritage in generating new design and exhibition practices. Despite having its roots in the past, heritage demonstrates continuity with the present and looks to the future with the same devotion and commitment, thus guaranteeing quality and authenticity for both museum collections and company productions.

Through a case study methodology, this paper presents how digital technologies can offer new approaches and tools in museum archives and exhibitions, as well as in company archives and collection development, to reconsider and translate fashion know-how, traditions and memories in the digital era.

Digital markets are increasingly constructed by an interplay between (non)human market actors, i.e. through algorithms, but, simultaneously, fragmented through platformization. This study aims to explore how interactional dynamics between (non)human market actors co-codify markets through expressive and networked content across social media platforms.

This study applies digital methods as cross-platform analysis to analyze two data sets retrieved from YouTube and Instagram using the keywords “sustainable fashion” and #sustainablefashion, respectively.

The study shows how interactional dynamics between (non)human market actors, co-codify markets across two social media platforms, i.e. YouTube and Instagram. The authors introduce the notion of sticky market webs of connection, illustrating how these dynamics foster cross-platform market codification through relations of exteriority.

Research implications highlight the necessity to account for all involved entities, including digital infrastructure in digital markets and the methodological potential of cross-platform analyses.

Practical implications highlight considerations managers should take into account when designing market communication for digital markets composed of (non)human market actors.

Social implications highlight the possible effects of (non)human market co-codification on markets and consumer culture, and corresponding countermeasures.

This study contributes to an increased understanding of digital market dynamics by illuminating interdependent market co-codification dynamics between (non)human market actors, and how these dynamics (de)territorialize digital market assemblages through relations of exteriority across platforms.