1. Post-modern society and identity-building through an ever-changing appearance

There currently exists a disconnect between production and consumption, which leads to the situation where consumers buy over and above their actual need (Kaiser, 2008). Williams (1980 cited by Kaiser, 2008) has described how fashion, through various cultural processes and affected by strong advertising, has become a system where consumers’ emotional needs are central. It becomes “a magical system through which clothing consumption becomes a process of human desires” (Kaiser, 2008, p. 143). As Kaiser states (2008, p. 143), such a system effects a disconnect between “the material side of production, resource use, and textile and clothing properties; and a magical world based on a sense of promise, pleasure, and power.”

The fast fashion model can satisfy an individual’s need to construct their own appearance that links to their own identity as consumers in the context of post-modern society. Bauman (1996) argues that in post-modern society, everything is in constant change, including our identities. The current post-modern era is seen as a period of individualism and changing values. Moreover, freedom of consumer choices is instrumental to constantly changing lifestyles. Bauman (1996) describes the present post-modern society as a “liquid society,” which is in a constant change process. The fluidity and uncertainty in such ongoing change directly impacts an individual’s process of identity construction, resulting in a “mobile” identity, constant self-critique and consumer insecurity (ibid.). The consumer has to evaluate purchase decisions on the basis of social acceptance in ever-changing situations where insecurity and change are constantly present. Therefore the consumer has an ongoing need to renew his/her appearance according to a mobile self. “Self” is a process linked strongly to consumption patterns. Slater (2002) argues that relations between consumption, communication and meanings have changed, which creates a new flexibility in status linked to a consumer’s identity construction. Products signify status and social identity, but in the post-modern era these meanings are negotiable and flexible. Slater further suggests that the post-modern identity is actually a function of consumption, and therefore we constantly buy new products to support the changes in our identity (ibid.).

Gabrieli, Baghi, & Codeluppi (2013) argue that this “constant change seeking” is easy; consumers can make numerous choices and even several mistakes, as these mistakes and tryouts are cheap and easy – too easy, with no consequences. The fast fashion model is based on constant change and new offerings to invite consumers to purchase new garments, new colours and new styles, through which these “new identities” are built. New garments enter the shops faster than ever, even every few weeks. Companies like Zara lure fashion lovers into their shops every other week with new garment offerings, which are available only for a limited time and in limited amounts (Christopher, Lowson, & Peck, 2004; Frings, 2002). This raises interest and curiosity in consumers’ minds: will there be something new for me? This “fashion hunt” is a serious “business” for companies and a serious hobby for some consumers. Brands invite consumers to search new emotional experiences through fashion purchasing, by refreshing stock, raising curiosity, alluring and tempting customers.

2. Consumers’ role and hedonistic consumption

It is said that fast fashion is market driven, meaning that consumers play the main role and therefore the model does not exist without consumers’ own activity. Yet manufacturers are clever in how they play this game and invite consumers to dance this ever-more-rapid fast fashion waltz; therefore consumers have a limited possibility or power to make the right choices or follow their own ethical value base when making purchase or consumption decisions (Markkula, 2011). Gabrieli et al. (2013) state that there exists also a “highly involved meaning-attribution process” in the fast fashion system, which uses the knowledge from consumers as emotional beings and lures them into frequent consumption and showing off their possessions as part of the lifestyle to which they want to connect.

There is also a well-documented attitude-behaviour gap in the field of fashion consumption. This means that Western consumers are environmentally aware and ethically concerned, but this attitude does not translate into consumption choices that favour ethical companies and punish unethical enterprises (Carrigan & Attalla, 2001). Furthermore, consumers do not want to make an ethical choice if it necessitates inconvenience to them in the form of higher prices, loss of quality or discomfort in shopping (ibid.). Even if they are interested in ethical consumption, the ethical behaviour must be easy and comfortable for them. In addition, it is difficult to resist the temptation of easy emotional experiences, the “emotional highs” consumers gain through fashion or impulse shopping (Armstrong, Niinimäki, Kujala, Karell, & Lang, 2015).

In our Western society, consumers have a continual internal discussion between the rational self and emotional choices in fashion consumption. Seeking pleasure through fashion has obvious hedonistic aspects. Hedonic consumption connects to the need to get emotional satisfaction from consumption (Kirgiz, 2014). Hedonistic satisfaction is linked to emotional, sensorial and fantasy aspects in product usage, and therefore the aim is to gain pleasure and delight through the product. Hedonistic consumers prefer that product that makes them happiest (ibid.). Emotional aspects are at the fore in current fashion consumption, and this emotional side is cleverly exploited by fashion companies who play on the consumers’ emotional needs for new, beautiful, inspiring and exciting fashion offerings.

3. Emotions and values in impulse shopping

As fashion is strongly linked to our identity building, fashion consumption has a strong emotional element in our lives. When studying the emotional aspects of fashion consumption, we have to start the discussion from value. Materialism as a value base is an important driver for consumption. Richins, McKeage, and Najjar (1992) argue that consumers with a strong materialism value base believe that consumption makes them happy. Materialism is defined to mean that consumers are attached to their worldly possessions and that material possessions have a central place in their life (Belk, 1984). These kinds of consumers even believe that owning and purchasing increases their well-being, and they define themselves through their possessions (Richins et al., 1992). When examining which purchased items lead to feelings of happiness, the researchers noticed clothing and accessories as most frequently mentioned in their study (Richins et al., 1992). Emotions like happiness, pleasure, excitement and anticipation were mentioned. Materialistic consumers reported that purchasing makes them happier, at least for a few weeks after purchase. Then the situation changed and they reported feeling anxiety and guilt. These feelings were not reported by the consumers with a lower materialistic value base (Richins et al., 1992). Some consumers actively seek emotional “highs” by constant purchasing, and this emotional “addictive” search easily leads to impulse shopping.

Impulse shopping behaviour is linked to the emotional side of fashion consumption. Anguelov (2016) has shown how business models in fashion are currently more and more based on consumers’ impulse shopping behaviour. Fast fashion brands rely on consumers’ irrational way of behaving and construct the store atmosphere to support this behaviour (such as through unadvertised “finds” and in-store-only sales). According to Anguelov, value simulation drives consumers towards impulse shopping. By value simulation, he means that “surprisingly low prices in unexpected in-store sales promotions” attract consumers and lead them to unplanned purchases (2016, p. 135). We have to accept that impulse-driven retail is the norm in fast fashion (ibid.).

What kinds of consumers are susceptible to this kind of impulse shopping? There seem to be two groups of consumers who are more prone to this kind of consumption model. The first is young women who are insecure, seeking their identities and unhappy (Johnson & Attman, 2009 in Anguelov, 2016). Their value base is more on the materialism side, and they also show some connection to neuroticism. Basically they deal with their feelings of insecurity by impulse shopping (Ibid.).

The other group of impulse shoppers are, as Phau and Lo (2004) describe them, “fashion innovators.” They are more stable and happy consumers, they follow contemporary trends and lifestyles, and they also shop online with the same kind of impulse shopping attitude as in stores (ibid.). Based on these findings, Anguelov (2016) makes the important conclusion that impulse-buying behaviour in fashion has reached social acceptance, and it is currently the leading model in consumer behaviour.

A study by Armstrong et al. (2015) showed similar findings. For some consumers, fashion is a “hunt,” an emotional game to find the right appearance that entails emotional high experiences; these “fashion lovers” were not ready to slow their fashion consumption because of this pleasurable emotional game they have with fashion. This is in line with Kawamura (2005, p. 99), who argues that in the post-modern era, dress is a “continuing impression-making image” and “consumption is conceptualized as a form of role playing, as consumers seek to project conceptions of identity that are continually evolving.”

But how, then, does a consumer’s own individual value base affect consumption practices? A study from Finland (Niinimäki, 2011, 2014) dove deep into consumers’ consumption practices and showed that consumers’ value bases critically affect fashion consumption practices: the consumers’ responses were divided according to their value base. Ethical hardliners were consumers who are not only interested in ethical issues, but they also enact and reflect their value base in textile and clothing purchases more often than consumers with no ethical interest. Ethical hardliners reported doing less impulse shopping than consumers without a sustainable value base (Table 5.1). Moreover, the same study showed that a consumer’s value base tended to affect the use-time of garments: ethical hardliners use their garments longer. They also have fewer tendencies to use garments for a very short time.

The most effective way to fight against the allure of fast fashion may therefore be connected to consumers’ value base. A study from 2010 showed that consumers with a more stable ethical value base reported less need to follow fashion trends; they also followed less fashion media and advertisements. Furthermore, ethical consumers had less need to renew their appearance through new clothing items (Niinimäki, 2010). Accordingly consumers with a higher ethical interest seem to have a more stable value base and less need to build their identity though external symbols like fashion items; therefore their fashion consumption practices are more sustainable.

4. Fighting against alluring “fashion” emotions through values, creativity and emotions

As Gauntlett (2011, p. 125) argues, “happiness does not follow from passive participation.” He points out that one’s own activity is most important, and activities that are clearly goal-oriented contribute to people’s happiness. How, then, can this aspect be used in the fashion consumption field? How to fight against the temptation to buy new garments and follow ever-changing fashion trends? Some studies point out that creativity can be a tool to fight against the attraction of fashion consumption. Ruppert-Stroescu, LeHew, Armstrong, and Hille Connell (2015) studied consumers’ creativity through 10 weeks of a fashion “detox.” The researchers noticed that a consumer’s creativity increased if fashion consumption was banned. Consumers began to reuse and redesign existing clothing items in several innovative ways, and they focused their attention on other issues than fashion. In this study 46% of the participants reported that their creativity increased during the fashion sabbatical. Moreover, over half increased interest in continuing sustainable consumption practices after this test round (ibid.). Similar findings were identified by Armstrong, Connell, Lang, Ruppert-Stroescu, and LeHew (2016) during a fashion detox. In this study, participants learned to resist impulse shopping by improving their self-control and through understanding their previous fashion addictive behaviour (ibid.).

There also seems to be a link between a person’s creativity and their readiness to accept novel sustainable consumption habits. Lang, Armstrong, and Liu (2016) showed that consumers’ creativity has a connection to acceptance of sustainable fashion services. They studied creativity through a creative choice counter-conformity (TCCC) scale. In this study, a high creativity level refers to a positive attitude to redesigned clothing, clothing renting, style consultancy services and clothing swapping, which can all transform current fashion practices towards slower fashion consumption and a longer use-time of garments (ibid.). Perhaps focusing on increasing consumers’ own creativity can help them fight against the allure of fast fashion.

Thus far we have discussed the importance of the value base of the consumers with regard to fashion consumption practices. Influencing values may be best achieved via education. Educating future consumers, teenagers and children, to make more conscious clothing choices or to understand fast fashion and its environmental impact could be one, but very slow, way to change current development. Even though guilt is not the best way to influence, showing the impact of current fashion consumption practices is still the most important way to try to rouse fast fashion consumers. But it is also possible to educate future designers and fashion industry employees through experiential learning opportunities, as previously shown through the example of fashion detox by Armstrong et al. (2016) and Ruppert-Stroescu et al. (2015). These authors point out that it is important to educate sustainable business models and show the potential of sustainable economic growth to professionals, as well as showcase alternative businesses for mass-produced fast fashion (ibid.).

5. Changing the balance through design

This chapter has aimed to reveal the emotional reasons behind fast fashion consumption, and now it is time to offer some alternative ways to fulfilling fashion needs in a more sustainable manner. Even though consumers know how to behave correctly and ethically, the emotional allure of fast fashion is hard to fight against. But let us start this section by describing how designers can tackle these emotional issues of consumption. As designers are in the right spot, right in the fashion industry, they can try to create another kind of balance in the fashion system, a balance towards more slow fashion and slow material throughput at the system level.

Ceschin and Gaziulusoy (2016) have studied different strategies of design for sustainability and argue that Emotionally Durable Design and Design for Sustainable Behaviour approaches might offer some solution to overconsumption. These strategies need designers to widen their skill set towards consumer understanding. Especially needed in these approaches are human-centred design skills and understanding consumer dynamics. Emotionally Durable Design focuses on person-product attachment issues to create more meaningful products and thereby increase emotional bonding in order to extend the use-time of a product (Niinimäki, 2011; Niinimäki & Koskinen, 2011). Emotional aspects relevant to person-product attachment for garments are the following: design/style, quality, materials, functionality, personal values, emotional values and present and future experiences. Furthermore the experience of beauty is important in clothing, and it can be approached through social, cultural and temporal contexts in a multi-sensorial way. Other important aspects in the attachment process include positive experiences, memories, family ties, expressions of self, promises of future experiences and emotions. Design attributes that are connected to attachment are high-quality, colour or print, classical design, functional style and multi-functionality. Furthermore some materials are considered to age aesthetically (especially leather and high-quality wool), and this aspect enables a long lifetime for garments (Niinimäki, 2011). Because attachment to pieces of clothing is very personal in most cases, it might be easier to focus on product satisfaction issues, where pleasure in use is central (Niinimäki, 2014). Here quality (and especially quality in use and in maintenance) is important. Functionality and attributes that relate to the expected use situation differ according to the garment type (Niinimäki & Armstrong, 2013). This approach to design needs consumer-centred information.

In Design for Sustainable Behaviour, design solutions try to impact consumption behaviour; the aim is to extend how long the garment is used and/or to decrease the environmental impact of the use stage (Niinimäki, 2011, 2012). This needs deep knowledge and understanding of the use phase. For example, guidelines on how to avoid intensive laundry lessens the environmental impact of the use phase, yet this aspect needs to tackle the same emotional issues as in Emotionally Durable Design. Design choices can strongly link to the environmental impact of garment maintenance (e.g. material and style choices and their impact on sweating, and therefore the laundry frequency) or the emotional bonding with the garment (e.g. beauty experiences in a multi-sensorial way).

Designing services as a part of the business offering might be a way to offer emotional experiences, emotional satisfaction with less selling. Armstrong et al. (2015) point out that consumers are ready to accept fashion services if they fit their needs. Younger consumers are ready to accept fashion services which include societal experiences and entertainment as part of the offering. For instance, clothing swap events or fashion libraries could be established with an entertainment element included. Older consumers were more interested in personal services like made-to-measure garments or fashion consultancy, which could offer education on how to extend the use-time of garments or how to decrease fashion purchases through the right style choices for the wardrobe and well-fitting garments (ibid.). In the future, designers will need to design not only products but also services and even systems in which their designs will be embedded. Moreover, they will have to consider how their design will contribute to the consumption patterns of consumers and how they can guide consumers towards more sustainable fashion practices.

6. Conclusions

This chapter has presented the emotional side of fast fashion consumption. To conclude, we suggest the following ideas on how consumers and designers can best tackle the lure of fast fashion and constant overconsumption:

• Affecting consumers’ value base through education
• Fostering consumers’ creativity through inspiration
• Affecting fashion emotions through new satisfaction offerings.

Despite the strength of the allure of fast fashion, there are several opportunities to change the current fashion model towards slower patterns by offering more sustainable fashion satisfaction and thereby dematerializing consumption. Designers and companies who want to transform the current system have to take this challenge seriously and take on this problem-solving creatively. The tasks of the sustainable designer in the future could entail building fashion services, offering creative experimentations and empowering consumers to think differently while strengthening their own ethical value base. As hedonistic satisfaction and the need for beauty are always present in the fashion sector, these aspects need to be included, even in a sustainable fashion business. Fashion has to make people happy, inspired and enthusiastic, including ethical fashion or fashion services. Gaining pleasure and delight from sustainable products, services or experiences can build an allure around sustainable fashion or sustainable consumption practices, such as services, extending the use-time of garments through creative practices like upgrading, updating or creative mending. The key to transforming the fashion system towards sustainability is in understanding the emotional side of fashion consumption and offering sustainable ways to fulfil consumers’ emotional and ever-changing needs in the fashion field. That is the big challenge, which future sustainable fashion businesses together with consumers have to solve creatively.