Abstract
While the fashion industry has accepted, conceptually at least, the benefits of circularity in the context of products and supply chains, little has been written about circularity within the wider context of fashion store design and fit-out. Yet, these aspects of planning and operating retail outlets are central to an industry sector which significantly contributes to local and global economies. This paper comprises an integrated review of academic and industry literature to form themes for future research development. The review revealed four key knowledge gaps: a paucity of data to understand how circularity is implemented in fashion retail design practice; how to measure the effectiveness of circularity related to retail design and fit-out; how and why circularity in retail design and fit-out could reflect a retail brand’s approach to product design and management; and how the changing role of physical stores might influence circularity in fashion retail fit-out design.
Keywords
circularity; retail design; retail fit-out; fashion
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.1198
Citation
Alexander, B., and Varley, R. (2026) Mapping the opportunity for circularity in fashion retail design and fit-out, in Simeone, L., Gray, C. M., Verhoeven, A., de Götzen, A., Bakırlıoğlu, Y., Zohar, H., Stead, M., and Buwert, P. (eds.), DRS2026: Edinburgh, 8–12 June, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.1198
Creative Commons License
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Included in
Mapping the opportunity for circularity in fashion retail design and fit-out
While the fashion industry has accepted, conceptually at least, the benefits of circularity in the context of products and supply chains, little has been written about circularity within the wider context of fashion store design and fit-out. Yet, these aspects of planning and operating retail outlets are central to an industry sector which significantly contributes to local and global economies. This paper comprises an integrated review of academic and industry literature to form themes for future research development. The review revealed four key knowledge gaps: a paucity of data to understand how circularity is implemented in fashion retail design practice; how to measure the effectiveness of circularity related to retail design and fit-out; how and why circularity in retail design and fit-out could reflect a retail brand’s approach to product design and management; and how the changing role of physical stores might influence circularity in fashion retail fit-out design.