Unraveling the Threads of Marketplace Diversity

Abstract

This study explores marketplace diversity as an intersectional construct and a collective tool for challenging prevailing institutional logic and redefining markets. Using a bricolage of grounded theory and semiotic square analysis, we analyzed 29 in-depth interviews with 18 fashion consumers and 11 fashion producers to understand how market actors define, negotiate, and challenge conflicting discourses of marketplace diversity. Drawing on the Market System Dynamics framework, we identified producer-driven practices, “idealization” and “illusion,” which reinforce the lack of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and consumer-driven practices, “insurrection” and “inclusion,” which drive positive change in the marketplace. Findings offer a holistic perspective beyond the traditional dyadic view of producers and consumers, highlighting the meso- and macro-level dynamics that shape market structures. The study's originality stems from its theoretical and methodological contributions to marketplace diversity discourse and intersectional complexities. Our findings provide practical insights for market actors aiming to foster genuine inclusion.