The Case for Morals in Fashion Marketing Education: From 4Ps to 4Ds : WestminsterResearch

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Chapter title	The Case for Morals in Fashion Marketing Education: From 4Ps to 4Ds
Authors	Mitterfellner, O.
Editors	Mitterfellner, O.
Abstract	education, specifically in fashion marketing education, which is rooted in exploitative capitalist, colonial foundations and creates mindless consumerism as part of the fashion system. Drawing on theoretical foundations including Marxism, Bronfenbrenner, and education through the lens of socialism and communism, this chapter exposes the historical and systemic inequalities driven by Western fashion marketing education. The limitations and political origins of global frameworks such as the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Principles for Responsible Management Education are also interrogated, revealing their implicit neo-colonial agendas. Neil Borden, together with Jerome McCarthy, is credited with inventing the marketing mix and the 4Ps, which are still commonly taught in higher education institutions. Arguing that the widely taught 4Ps of the marketing mix (product, price, place, and promotion) reinforce consumerism and unsustainable practices, this chapter postulates that change can be achieved through a different approach to fashion business education. This chapter introduces a revised framework – the 4Ds of the new marketing mix: design, desire, diversity, and digitalization. This new marketing mix aims to embed ethics, inclusivity, and decolonial perspectives into fashion business curricula. This chapter demonstrates how the 4Ds offer a more ethical, globally adaptable, and socially responsible model for teaching fashion marketing. It proposes that genuine transformation in fashion marketing education requires not only updated frameworks but also a critical reassessment of inherited knowledge systems, enabling academics and students to become conscientious professionals who prioritize pathways toward a decolonized, inclusive, and morally grounded fashion industry.
Keywords	education, capitalism and consumersim, decolonization, Marxism, colonialism, diversity and inclusivity, Socialist morality, collectivism, ethics, 4Ds framework, the New Marketing Mix
Book title	De Gruyter Handbook of Fashion Marketing
Page range	17-32
Year	2026
Publisher	De Gruyter Brill
Published	21 May 2026
Place of publication	Berlin
Edition	1st
ISBN	9783111564630
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)	https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111564876-002
Web address (URL)	https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/isbn/9783111564876/html?lang=en&srsltid=AfmBOoo1xVRDFvlVpaY10DC0nxrxaf0B0kQSeBlOQYFO4CLE726146gY#bibliographicData

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The Case for Morals in Fashion Marketing Education: From 4Ps to 4Ds

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