Marketing Case Study — Part 3: The “Slow fashion” movement — Understanding consumer perceptions

Love it or loathe it, fashion has become quite fashionable in recent years!

Only recently, I challenged a class of undergraduate students in the final year 2019/2020 programme of a UK Higher education provider to debate “fast” vis-a-vis “slow” fashion.

To assist in their evaluation, I provided a scenario based on a 2013 study on the “slow fashion movement,” which has reportedly gained a resurgence in recent years. This scenario has now been adapted to cater to a global audience.

The study sought to understand consumer perceptions of the slow fashion movement. It argues that there is a growth of a new movement counteracting the demand for fast fashion—the “Slow Fashion” movement. The study goes on to explore “consumers’ perception of purchasing slow fashion garments using focus groups.” The study upon which the the scenario was based argued that:

“Slow fashion is not time-based but quality-based and is about choice, information, cultural diversity, and identity and requires a combination of rapid imaginative change and symbolic (fashion) expression as well as durability and long-term engaging, quality products [...].”

The study concluded with an interesting highlight:

“In the end the success of slow fashion at the consumer level will be largely determined by how a company markets the idea and how they connect to what they buy by hearing a story about the designers, materials, and collections...”

The findings also indicate that consumers have the mindset that shopping for slow fashion would require a larger share of their discretionary income to be spent on clothing which is not considered ‘‘trendy’’.

Source: Pookulangara, S., & Shephard, A. (2013). Slow fashion movement: Understanding consumer perceptions—An exploratory study. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 20(2), 200-206.

Task:

Q1. Based on your understanding of the concept of consumer perception, discuss the findings of the study on the “Slow fashion movement”.

Q2. Highlight some of the limitations of the study based on current trends in the market based on any country you are familiar with.

Q3. Suggest some implications for both theory and practice based on your geographical interests.

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