Cultivating User-ship? Developing a Circular System for the Acquisition and Use of Baby Clothing

Abstract

This paper sets out to explore the significance of the production, sale and consumption of clothing as a product service system rather than as the more familiar 'shop-window' product offered for individual sale. While there are a number of studies of occupational clothing systems, relatively little is known about clothing systems tailored for the private market. This article presents a case study of a recently launched subscription service for baby clothing, which offered a range of eco-certified garments for rent as more or less complete wardrobes. Drawing on fashion scholar Kate Fletcher's (2012) concept of "techniques and processes of use" and on Actor-Network Theory, the study follows the company from its tentative beginnings through its first year in a process that provided an opportunity to study a clothing system "in the making." Particular interest is paid to how the leasing system and product design features are mutually constitutive and to how the system interconnects with practices of use and maintenance among subscribers with a special interest in laundry regimes and durability. Taking this empirical example as its point of departure, the article concludes with a discussion of how product qualities and processes of use are intertwined and co-constructed.

Predicting consumer adoption of branded subscription services: A prospect theory perspective

“…Adoption of the fashion subscription would also reduce the production and disposal of new fashion items, which in turn would reduce associated burdens on the environment. As qualitative studies have shown that consumers seem to take this into account when talking about fashion PSS, a third perceived value of the fashion subscription is its superior environmental performance (Armstrong, Niinimäki, Kujala, Karell, & Lang, ; Petersen & Riisberg, ). The assumption that PSS could tap into an emerging green consumer culture also featured early in the development of the field (Chian Tan, Cahalane, Tan, & Englert, ; Mont, ).H3 Perceived environmental benefit value is positively related to purchase intention.…”

“…This has also been shown in fashion (Armstrong, Niinimäki, Kujala, Karell, & Lang, ; Armstrong, Niinimäki, Lang, & Kujala, ) and refers to the lack of choice of result‐oriented PSS. In the context of the fashion subscription, this would be reflected in receiving clothing that does not meet the preferred style or size of the consumer, reducing the attractiveness of the offer (Petersen & Riisberg, ).H5 Perceived style preference risk (PSPR) is negatively related to purchase intention.…”

“…Fourth, although consumers are aware that relinquishing the control of choice regarding the product component of the PSS represents a source of risk (Tukker, ), additional product information could reassure consumers that their individual preferences can still be considered to some extent even if the provider makes the final choice. In the case of the fashion subscription, this can be determined by the detail which consumers can submit regarding size and style preferences (Petersen & Riisberg, ), which providers in fashion PSS also consider in practice when offering a wide variety of clothing (Retamal, ).H12 Additional style preference‐related product information is negatively related to perceived style preference risk.…”

“…Typical examples include product leasing, renting, and sharing schemes (Retamal, 2017), with more nuanced typologies emerging in practice and discussed in research (Park & Armstrong, 2019). Result-oriented PSS are a more niche phenomenon, including services that meet consumer desires to be well dressed for a certain event with the provider having considerable power over this need will be met (Armstrong, Niinimäki, Kujala, Karell, & Lang, 2015) or that a toddler be clothed according to their height and the current season (Petersen & Riisberg, 2017).…”

“…Here, Armstrong, Niinimäki, Kujala, Karell, and Lang (2015); Armstrong, Niinimäki, Lang, and Kujala (2016) and Rexfelt and Hiort af Ornäs (2009) look at a number of hypothetical PSS that are discussed with consumers to explore benefits and drawbacks. Retamal (2017), Corvellec and Stål (2017), and Stål and Jansson (2017) have undertaken studies on a number of providers of different existing fashion PSS, whereas Petersen and Riisberg (2017) studied the provider of a fashion subscription in Denmark. Chamberlin and Boks (2018) assess how PSS providers use marketing communications to influence adoption intentions.…”