Threads of Tradition: How Heritage Fosters Sustainable Fashion Entrepreneurial Practices

This paper delves into the evolution of entrepreneurship, highlighting its migration towards sustainable practices and environmental accountability. The focal point of the study revolves around the incorporation of South Asia’s rich cultural heritage, traditions, and values into the strategic framework of design and branding within the fashion industry. This merger holds the potential to facilitate the creation of products that deeply resonate with consumers. The research further examines the confluence of heritage, innovation, and market potential, offering valuable insights for fashion entrepreneurs endeavouring to establish purposeful and sustainable brands. By comprehending the historical significance of South Asian heritage, entrepreneurs can craft authentic narratives that appeal to contemporary consumers. Moreover, the paper endeavours to champion inclusivity and environmentally responsible practices, celebrating diverse cultural perspectives in the fashion community. By accentuating South Asian cultural sustainability, entrepreneurs can contribute to a more diverse narrative while addressing environmental concerns and steering the fashion industry towards a more conscious future. The research methodology involved using mixed methods, including case studies of fashion brands that have successfully integrated sustainable practices inspired by Asian culture, interviews with entrepreneurs, experts, and practitioners to gain insights into cultural sustainability, content analysis to assess visual communication and branding of fashion start-ups that integrate Asian cultural sustainability, and customer surveys to investigate consumer attitudes and behaviours towards cultural sustainability in branding. The results of the collected and analysed data, combined with a review of existing literature, yielded insights into the dynamics of the fashion industry. Identified characteristics such as lack of transparency, and limited customer awareness suggest the need for further research into methods for improvement and future directions to support the complexity of sustainable practices.