Sustainable Clothing from the User's Perspective

Abstract

<p>Disposing of garments has become a major issue in the United States since 14.3 million tons of textiles were dumped in landfills in 2012, which represents almost 6% of all landfill space (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2014). This phenomenon has accelerated as the number of fast fashion stores has increased. Birtwistle and Moore (2007) explained how fast fashions offer trends that change quickly and generate a “throwaway fashion attitude” in the consumer, which disregards the importance of recycling (p. 211). It is worthwhile to explore how users perceive their use of clothing since their perspective involves ways to continually find new value in their experience of the clothing they wear. The purpose of this study is to explore sustainability through the user’s perspective as to their use and retention of clothing.</p>