A B.C. psychology instructor says younger consumers donB次元官网网址檛 understand the negative effects of B次元官网网址渇ast fashionB次元官网网址� and need more education in order to better shape their shopping choices.
Kwantlen Polytechnic University SurreyB次元官网网址檚 Dr. Yunzhijun Yu found that Millennial and Gen Z shoppers lack awareness of the environmental and social harm of B次元官网网址渞eplicating recent catwalk trends and high-fashion designs, mass-producing them at a low cost, and bringing them to retail quickly while demand is at its highest.B次元官网网址�
A published research article, co-authored by Yu and colleagues Claudia L. Gomez-Borquez and Judith Lynne Zaichkowsky, says the B次元官网网址渇ast fashionB次元官网网址� produces more than it can sell and emits as much greenhouse gases as France, Germany and the United Kingdom combined.
B次元官网网址淔ast fashion is so cheap, sometimes a new T-shirt is cheaper than the price of a cup of coffee,B次元官网网址� noted Yu, who holds a doctorate in marketing and studies consumer behaviour.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 so easy to say IB次元官网网址檓 going to buy it, without realizing the cumulative effect of buying all of these things.
B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 no simple solution,B次元官网网址� Yu added, B次元官网网址渂ut from the evidence we have collected we can see there is indeed a shift in intention, even though itB次元官网网址檚 not enough to change their behaviour. We think that educating consumers about fast fashion is definitely on the right track.B次元官网网址�
The research is published in the Journal of Sustainable Marketing, as found on luminousinsights.net.
Young adults are a magnet for fast-fashion retailers, given tight budgets and susceptibility to compulsive buying behaviour. But that comes at a cost, according to Yu, who says the textile-dyeing industry is the second largest polluter of the worldB次元官网网址檚 clean water and creates millions of tons of waste each year.
Researchers asked 104 undergraduate students questions to assess attitude, behaviour and knowledge of fast fashion, and later repeated the study with a different set of students. Investigating if consumption habits might be changed through education, researchers also engaged with a class of 30 students enrolled in a consumer behaviour course.
They found Gen Z and Millennial students care about sustainability, but lack awareness of the environmental and social impacts of fast fashion. They also found some indication that education might shift young consumersB次元官网网址� purchases from quantity to quality, but concluded that may be B次元官网网址渁 slow, difficult task.B次元官网网址�
The research evidence suggests there is a tendency for young consumers to put limited thought into what theyB次元官网网址檙e buying when it comes to fast fashion. Lured not only by budget-friendly prices, young consumers are also drawn to fast fashionB次元官网网址檚 ability to help establish their identity and sense of self, the researchers suggest.
For a third study, they collected data from the second-hand clothing market, finding little demand for reselling used fast fashion due to its initial low price. Thrift stores do offer consumers a chance to buy low-cost unique items and save them from the landfill, but some buyers simply use these outlets to find garments to resell at a higher price elsewhere.
B次元官网网址淒isappointingly we found that fast fashion is just so cheap, itB次元官网网址檚 not even attractive for people to think about bringing fast fashion clothing to second-hand markets,B次元官网网址� Yu said in a KPU news release. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 very concerning that the fast fashion industry is so different from traditional clothing.B次元官网网址�
Instead of getting a new life in thrift stores, fast fashion often ends up in the garbage or sent to developing countries where they have a detrimental effect on local clothing industries.
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