The debate on the role of consumers as active or
passive agents of the market system continues to
preoccupy the scholarly discussions. Through a
qualitative inquiry, this study explores the
interagency involved in the creation of both
consumer desires and fashion trends in mass
consumption environments. On one hand, it points at
the different forces such as the fashion
institutions pushing consumers towards conformity.
On the other hand, it also lays out the constraining
forces behind producers decisions, such as the
sales trends in the larger market segments and the
actions of other fashion institutions. Rather than
declaring one side more dominant than the other,
this study shows the tensions and paradoxes created
during this process of interagency between consumers
and producers. The findings should be especially
useful to marketing scholars and professionals.
passive agents of the market system continues to
preoccupy the scholarly discussions. Through a
qualitative inquiry, this study explores the
interagency involved in the creation of both
consumer desires and fashion trends in mass
consumption environments. On one hand, it points at
the different forces such as the fashion
institutions pushing consumers towards conformity.
On the other hand, it also lays out the constraining
forces behind producers decisions, such as the
sales trends in the larger market segments and the
actions of other fashion institutions. Rather than
declaring one side more dominant than the other,
this study shows the tensions and paradoxes created
during this process of interagency between consumers
and producers. The findings should be especially
useful to marketing scholars and professionals.