Psychological foundations of fast fashion: managing tensions and paradoxes, and navigating ethical dualities

The fashion industry has come under intense scrutiny for its environmental and ethical challenges. While some argue that fast fashion democratizes style by making it accessible to a broader set of consumers, others question its legitimacy. This study adopts a centrist perspective, acknowledging both the difficulty and the necessity of balancing business imperatives with ethical exigencies. Drawing on the dual organizational ontologies lens, the study positions fast fashion businesses as both internal markets and communities, identifying the resultant tensions, paradoxes, and ethical dualities. To examine these dynamics, the study applied Media Discourse Analysis (MDA) in combination with Gioia's approach to analyse popular media articles, online videos, and company annual reports/webpages of fast fashion businesses. The analysis delineated four ethical dualities: financial sustainability and environmental sustainability, internal and external stakeholder well-being, business priorities and corporate responsibilities, and feel good and greater good. These dualities are underpinned by five underlying tensions and paradoxes: business viability versus environmental degradation, customer value versus business model, industry dynamics versus working conditions, business practices versus legal and ethical responsibilities, and sustainability mandates versus ground realities. Building on these findings, the study proposes twelve strategic pathways for managing the tensions and paradoxes and navigating the dualities. In sum, the study findings advance theoretical understanding of the ethical dualities and contribute practical insights for reconciling the ethical contradictions inherent in the market-based and the community-based views of fast fashion businesses.