Effect of industry changes on quality and sustainability in the luxury apparel value chains : the case of cashmere industry in India : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering, School of Food and Advanced Technology, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

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dc.confidentialEmbargo : Noen_US
dc.contributor.advisorGrigg, Nigel
dc.contributor.authorIshrat, Sheikh Imran
dc.date.accessioned2021-12-06T21:34:26Z
dc.date.accessioned2022-03-03T22:53:20Z
dc.date.available2021-12-06T21:34:26Z
dc.date.available2022-03-03T22:53:20Z
dc.date.issued2021
dc.descriptionListed in 2022 Dean's List of Exceptional Thesesen
dc.descriptionFigures are re-used with permission.
dc.description.abstractCashmere is an extremely fine and expensive natural fibre used to make a variety of luxury apparel products. The Kashmir region of India has been the traditional hub for manufacturing cashmere products for centuries and a source of livelihood to many artisan communities. However, changes in the cashmere industry such as the advent of mechanisation, use of blended fibres, exposure to wider markets and lack of quality standards is leading to social, economic, environmental, and quality issues in the craft industry. The aim of this interdisciplinary research was to determine and analyse the effect of these industry changes through the lenses of quality and sustainability. This study was carried out as an ethnographic case study in the context of an industry making transition to the global consumer age. To this end, a single case study was conducted in Kashmir, India using qualitative methodological approaches. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, observations and from secondary sources such as retailer websites and documents. A thematic analysis-based approach was adopted in this research. Findings indicate that there are three distinct cashmere value chains functioning simultaneously in India: a traditional chain, a modern chain and a Geographical Indication-based chain. Among other implications of the industry changes, the two major aspects observed were the marginalization of cashmere artisanal communities and the lack of recognition of distinct product labelling options. This has economic, social and environmental ramifications and leads to quality issues. Therefore, for multiple cashmere value chains which produce a range of products, a product labelling mechanism distinguishing the place of fibre origin, type of the fibre used, and practices adopted during the manufacture is developed. Also, the adoption of Geographical Indications (GI) as a quality and sustainable development tool is considered, and a conceptual model (QASHMIR) is developed to model the sustainable development of the cashmere industry in India. A policy mechanism to implement and monitor the proposed model using the sustainability indicator system is suggested. Through this, a contribution to the body of knowledge surrounding luxury apparel value chains is made for academics, policy makers and industry practitioners.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10179/16920
dc.publisherMassey Universityen_US
dc.rightsThe Authoren_US
dc.subjectCashmereen
dc.subjectLuxury goods industryen
dc.subjectIndiaen
dc.subjectJammu and Kashmiren
dc.subjectsustainabilityen
dc.subjectgeographical indicationsen
dc.subjectqualityen
dc.subjectvalue chainsen
dc.subjectluxury fashionen
dc.subjectDean's List of Exceptional Thesesen
dc.subject.anzsrc401404 Industrial engineeringen
dc.titleEffect of industry changes on quality and sustainability in the luxury apparel value chains : the case of cashmere industry in India : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering, School of Food and Advanced Technology, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealanden_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
massey.contributor.authorIshrat, Sheikh Imranen_US
thesis.degree.disciplineEngineeringen_US
thesis.degree.grantorMassey Universityen_US
thesis.degree.levelDoctoralen_US
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophyen_US
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