Sustainable Social Trends Application in Modern Fashion Brand Development in Russia

The research discusses the search for motives for positioning modern Russian brands by applying social trends to the target audience. The relevance of the chosen topic is due to the change in the economic and competition structure of Russian clothing markets, the increase in the number and diversity of registered social trends in modern society, and, accordingly, the growth of business interest in their application within marketing programs. Upon increasing competition in the market, it becomes increasingly difficult to position a brand; it can seem that exploiting a social trend may simplify this task. The difficulty is to identify the relevant social trend suitable for strengthening the company’s and brand’s marketing position and avoiding reputational damage to the existing positioning. However, an interesting research question is the potential range of social trends as a basis for positioning the Russian LIME clothing brand in the conditions of existing competition. The research conducted by the authors through expert interviews shows that although most respondents favorably perceive the concept of social trends as a positioning factor, its practical application is doubtful. The reason for the latter is the significant orientation of consumers to the quality and price characteristics of the goods, which are better stimulated by discount type of marketing events. The research concludes that thematic collections are preferred to weave social trends into LIME promotion. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.