Keywords: Sustainability, Clothing Consumption, Consumption Styles, App, Fashion, Mindfulness
Abstract:
Consumers love fashion but many also feel guilty about their consumption styles and their often exuberant and short-lived wardrobe. Reports about the social and environmental costs of our clothes concern some consumers and make them rethink their buying behavior. Aspiring to change one´s clothing habits and actually doing it is quite another thing. Can digital services and AI help bridge the gap between stated desires and actions? The startup “Save Your Wardrobe” (SYW) took up the challenge and created an app which provides a digital eco-system to support more sustainable approaches to clothing consumption. They started a fruitful collaboration with consumer researchers Kat Duffy and Deirdre Shaw from Glasgow University to tailor their services to deliver what consumers need to act more sustainably. In this interview, Kat and Deirdre talk about their collaboration with SYW and the consumer insights they gained to improve the app and to support consumers in moving towards a more sustainable approach to fashion.