Platformization and trade asymmetries in international fashion trade: models of sovereignty and dependency

Abstract

The platformization of the fashion industry is creating a new configuration of international trade in which intangible assets – data, algorithms and cultural narratives – outweigh the traditional factors of cost and labour. The aim of the study is to provide a theoretically and empirically sound explanation of how platformization generates trade asymmetries, and to evaluate models of digital sovereignty that could mitigate them. The study objectives are considering the theoretical foundations of analyzing the market structure in global fashion; studying the structures of the digital market in the fashion industry; identifying the features of fashion markets; developing a structural model for the transformed fashion market in the context of digitalization; conducting a structural comparison of traditional and digital models of fashion trade; developing a typology of digital trade asymmetries in the economy of fashion platforms. Using a systems‑oriented approach that combines platform economics, the theories for structuration and technological cycles, the study analyses the mechanisms for data monopolization, algorithmic bias and infrastructural lock‑in underlying digital trade asymmetries. It is shown how states and firms attempt to regain freedom of action by digital sovereignty strategies, regulatory frameworks and in-vestment in sovereign infrastructure. The findings suggest that platform‑mediated trade demands new policy instruments that integrate structural power, digital infrastructure and symbolic value creation. The models and typologies developed by the authors can be useful in decisionmaking both at the level of companies and government management of digital platforms.