Understanding and implementing sustainability by Polish designers – owners of small, independent fashion brands

Implementing sustainable development goals defined by UNESCO encompasses diverse activities and spheres of contemporary life, including the issues of responsible production and consumption (goal 12). The fashion sector is often mentioned in this context and considered both ethically and environmen[1]tally problematic, especially taking into account clothing overproduction coupled with decreasing of its quality and offshoring to non -European countries. Fashion designers – owners of independent fashion brands based in specific local contexts – seem to be especially well prepared to implement in practice the idea of sustainable fashion often also referred to as responsible, ethical or slow fashion. The paper presents results of a qualitative exploratory research among Polish small, independent fashion firms. Analysing in -depth interviews with creative entrepreneurs based in different parts of Poland (Kraków, Łódź, Bytom, Warsaw, other cities and towns), the investigation considers issues such as: how do they understand the concept of sustainable fashion, how do they implement it in their entrepreneurial activities, what challenges and opportunities do they see in this respect, especially taking into account that their entrepreneurial activities situate them between the more symbolic -economy oriented creative sector and the more practically -oriented traditional garment and apparel sector?