Ethics taking backseat to fast fashion
Many shoppers are well aware splashing on unnecessary clothing is unethical, but they can’t resist keeping up with ‘‘fast fashion’’.
Those are the results of a study into shopper behaviour by University of Auckland masters student Ellinor King and honours student Reuben Yates.
The pair looked at young shoppers’ habits to find out why they continued to buy clothes that conflicted with their ethics.
‘‘Researchers calls this the ethical purchasing gap,’’ Yates said.
Yates interviewed shoppers about their motives to spend on fast fashion, a term used to describe clothes that move quickly from the catwalk to the high street, and are usually cheaply made.
King looked at survey responses to find out how shopping psychology worked.
‘‘The industry itself created this con- stant obsession with new trends to encourage people to shop more often ... All of a sudden the consumer has to buy substantially more frequently to keep up to date,’’ King said.
The survey involved more than 300 students, almost 50 per cent of whom had bought clothing in the past month, and 31 per cent in the past week.
It found the majority bought something new because it was on sale, and almost 40 per cent bought clothes from chain stores.
Almost 29 per cent had bought clothing online, 16 per cent from op shops and 13 per cent from boutique stores.
King said shopping at chain stores provided a cheap option and shoppers knew the stores’ styles would change to keep up with trends.
Yates said shoppers didn’t think of clothing in the same way they thought of other consumption issues, like plastic bags, because clothing took on an intrinsic value. ‘‘Clothes can represent identity, are a means of self-expression, represent affiliation to particular social groups, and are a symbol of status and personality,’’ he said.
Clothing made people feel better. ‘‘Some of my research participants describe that clothing items help them feel things like confidence, joy, and boost self-esteem.’’
Yates found student shoppers believed ethical consumption was the best thing to do, but it was too inconvenient.
‘‘The consumer is forced to choose between ‘my needs’ and ‘my morals’ while shopping for clothes, and often personal needs are prioritised over collective moral concerns,’’ he said.