Brand Culture and Branded Workers: Service Work and Aesthetic Labour in Fashion Retail

The juxtaposition between production and consumption that characterises the retail sector render it interesting for studies of work and consumption. Contemporary chain store clothing retail is characterised by “lifestyle retail brands” that compete for sales through offering products and services targeted to customers of particular class, age, and gender backgrounds, and with particular orientations to fashion. This paper argues that the influence of branding and marketing in retail extends beyond components such as store design. Branding influences who is employed in a store, and what work they do. This is manifested in two main ways, through customer service provision and through how workers are embodied, both of which influence consumption by shoppers. This article draws on an innovative ethnographic study to explore the nature and meaning of customer service and aesthetic labour.