When mortality knocks: Pandemic-inspired attitude shifts towards sustainable clothing consumption in six countries

Abstract

Unsustainable clothing consumption patterns, especially prevalent in the Global North, have come to the spotlight of media, policy-makers and the academic community in recent years. Recently, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the routine lives of citizens globally, which has impacted some consumers’ attitudes towards fashion and consumption practices. This study employs terror management theory and voluntary simplicity to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on consumers’ attitudes towards clothing consumption across six different countries, from the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Europe and North America. A structured qualitative study with closed, open-ended and multiple-choice questions was completed by a sample of consumers (N = 3748) across these countries. Among all participants of this study one-third reported that the pandemic had affected their attitude towards clothing and this study was mainly conducted to investigate the nature of those attitude changes. Qualitative analysis identified patterns of change in consumers’ attitude towards clothing (e.g., minimalism, grateful mindset, conscious mindset, decreased fashion desire, longevity and style confidence), which reveal potential for a lasting shift towards more sustainable consumption patterns. The results of this study highlight valuable managerial implications: the industry needs to respond to this shift in consumers’ attitude and move towards more sustainable business models and processes. Sufficiency-oriented business offerings, in particular, are becoming more accepted in the fashion industry. Moreover, these results are relevant for predicting future consumption patterns, especially considering that pandemics may become a more regular part of life.

Revolutionizing the Textile and Clothing Industry: Pioneering Sustainability and Resilience in a Post-COVID Era

“…Sustainable fashion consumption and manufacturing have been advocated for long before the pandemic [11]. The concept has been developing over the past decade [12] and refers to clothing that is acquired, used, reused, and disposed of in ways that align with the concept of sustainable development [11].…”

“…Sustainable fashion consumption and manufacturing have been advocated for long before the pandemic [11]. The concept has been developing over the past decade [12] and refers to clothing that is acquired, used, reused, and disposed of in ways that align with the concept of sustainable development [11]. Sustainable fashion, which has been used interchangeably with terms such as eco-, green-, and ethical-fashion, is part of the slow fashion movement, centered around sustainable values such as good working conditions and reducing environmental destruction [12].…”

“…In the literature, studies have examined the impact of the pandemic on the change in the operation of the fashion industry [4,5]. There have also been studies on the changes in consumer behavior [1,11,32]. Both of these areas will be addressed in the following paragraphs.…”

“…Studies have investigated the changes in fashion consumer behavior after the pandemic [1,11,32]. Research has indicated that the pandemic has affected consumer attitudes toward clothing consumption [11].…”

Fashion consumption during COVID-19: Comparative analysis of changing acquisition practices across nine countries and implications for sustainability

“…The global fashion system generates major negative environmental and social impacts, both at the production and post-consumer textile waste phases (Niinim€ aki et al, 2020). Calls for overall reduction of fashion consumption levels and more sustainable forms of fashion consumption come from NGOs (e.g., Fashion Revolution, 2017), international organizations (UNEP, 2020; EEA, 2019), and academic researchers (Henninger et al, 2019;Iran et al, 2022).…”