Semester

Spring

Date of Graduation

2022

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MS

College

Reed College of Media

Department

Not Listed

Committee Chair

Geah Pressgrove

Committee Co-Chair

Diana Martinelli

Committee Member

Diana Martinelli

Committee Member

Katie Baker Jones

Committee Member

Joseph Jones

Abstract

This study explores the framing, dominant frame, story focus, and tone of sustainable fashion coverage in prominent fashion magazines, Vogue and Refinery29, seeking to understand if the publications frame their coverage differently and if the framing changes after the emergence of COVID-19. To do so, this study uses a sample consisting of articles from summer months (May-August) spanning three years (2019, 2020, and 2021), as COVID-19 was first discovered in the United States in 2020. This study uses content analysis methodology to analyze a total of 206 articles. This kind of research is important, as environmental and social issues stemming from the fashion industry are a growing concern for both consumers and brands. Scholars suggest the fashion industry is currently one of the most polluting systems in the world, whereby only 1% of clothing is reportedly being made ethically. Yet, scholars also suggest there is an attitude-behavior gap whereby consumers' awareness of environmental issues does not change their buyer behavior, sparking the researcher’s interest in analyzing how fashion publications frame their sustainable fashion coverage. The results suggest that Vogue and Refinery29 do frame their sustainable fashion coverage differently. Additionally, the story foci differentiated depending on the publication, while the tone of the coverage varied slightly. The researcher did not find evidence that framing of the sustainable fashion coverage changed over time. This study illustrates how fashion magazines cover fashion sustainability, while offering practical implications to fashion journalists, and theoretical implications to future scholars.

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