ABSTRACT
Globally, consumers appear to be in love with the concept of fashion, fashion shopping and fashion-related lifestyle activities. This chapter explores whether fashion destinations are tourist attractions in their own right, or whether they just form part of the ‘package’ or the ‘attraction’ of a holiday destination. The chapter is structured to examine the relationship between fashion and place, in terms of regional, national and international urban tourism. Although it is interesting to discuss the locations of fashion destinations, the discussion moves beyond this to examine the key attributes of generic fashion shopping destinations. Is leisure retail, especially fashion shopping, sometimes a primary element of tourism consumption and production? Another question raised is what type of fashion is attractive to potential tourists? Is it merely high-end fashion that serves as an anchor for a given destination, or can all types of fashion shopping opportunities, from designer to traditional markets, act as a ‘hub’ for a potential fashion destination? The chapter will consider relevant examples of fashion retailing destinations to determine their critical success factors and why consumers have apparently grown so fond of them, as well as considering the impact that the Internet and social networking sites (SNS) have had upon our global fashion awareness and interest.
