Abstract for: Shifting the Burden in Fashion: A View on Fast Reordering Production Strategies Business Models

Fashion supply chains are characterised by volatile demand, short product life cycles, and narrow selling windows, creating persistent demand–supply mismatches. Forecast errors lead simultaneously to unmet demand and overproduction, both of which are difficult to correct within a collection. These structural conditions challenge conventional planning and motivate interest in faster, more responsive production and replenishment strategies. This study applies a qualitative system dynamics approach to analyse fast reordering business models conceptually enabled by digital textile microfactories. Using causal loop diagrams, the analysis examines feedback structures linking retail responsiveness, inventory dynamics, and upstream supplier behaviour. The model is deliberately diagnostic, focusing on structural mechanisms, time delays, and risk redistribution rather than quantitative prediction. The analysis shows that fast reordering can reduce reliance on large upfront production commitments and improve short-term demand–supply alignment at the retail–production interface. However, increased responsiveness shifts inventory buffering, processing pressure, and cost exposure upstream toward raw material suppliers, generating delayed economic effects that are not immediately visible to retail decision-makers. Interpreted through a shifting the burden archetype, the results reveal a fashion-specific structural vulnerability. While fast reordering alleviates visible retail-level symptoms within short selling windows, it may weaken incentives for coordinated buffering and capacity alignment across supply chain tiers. The study highlights the value of qualitative system dynamics for diagnosing unintended consequences of emerging production models prior to large-scale deployment. Used for supporting proofreading and improve clarity and conciseness of the manuscript