Analysis of marketing and linguistic techniques in corporate discourses on sustainability in the fashion industry: A comparative study of Spanish and English cases

Details

Supervisors

De Cock, Barbara

Faculty

Faculté de philosophie, arts et lettres

Degree label

Master [120] en communication multilingue, à finalité spécialisée: langues des affaires

Abstract

In a society where fast fashion continues to gain popularity despite its disastrous environmental and social consequences, a majority of the population still consumes it. However, to combat this phenomenon, alternatives such as slow fashion have emerged and seem to be highly appreciated by a portion of consumers. This thesis focuses on the various marketing and linguistic strategies employed by four sustainable fashion brands in their communication about sustainability. On one side, we have SKFK and El Naturalista, which communicate in Spanish, and on the other side, Dedicated and People Tree, which communicate in English. The study aims to identify these different techniques and compare them within their linguistic contexts. To achieve this, two corpora are analysed: sustainability reports and Instagram publications. It was concluded that all brands used the eleven identified strategies. However, Spanish brands tend to emphasize CSR and sustainability communication, while English-speaking brands focus more on obtaining sustainability certifications and strategic alliances.