This study takes its departure from an observation of a lifecycle pattern of the Lean concept in Swedish print-media that diverged from the typical bell-shaped pattern of manage-ment fashion lifecycles identified in previous research. A full bell-shaped lifecycle pattern was identified for the period of 1990-1997. However, in 2004 a re-start of a fashion cycle emerges, i.e. the concept enters a new phase of popularity. As of 2009, the concept is still in the upswing phase of its (second) fashion cycle. This observation prompted a systematic investigation of the phenomenon. A content analysis of all articles related to the Lean-concept published in Swedish newspapers and magazines available through three databases was conducted. The analysis fo-cused on similarities and differences related to design and rhetoric of the Lean-concept between the two upswing phases. The results show a surprising consistency in presentations between the two phases regarding design elements, labels, principles/methods, goals/objectives, effects, and superiority of the Lean-concept compared to other management concepts. However, a significant difference between the phases was observed. The geographical context in which the Lean-concept is presented is more distinctly Swedish in the second upswing phase. This development is not only attributed to a growth of articles presenting the Lean-concept in a Swedish context, but also to a striking decline in articles presenting the Lean-concept in an international context. In fact, the international element is only marginally present in the second upswing. The study raises questions regarding fundamentals of the management fashion theory/literature, for exam-ple the lifecycle pattern of management concepts, the requirement of novelty for the popularity of management concepts, and the source of triggers and downswings of management fashions. The study responds to calls in the literature for investigations of the dynamics of management concepts, for example how and why their contents change over time, and what actors are in-volved in these processes.