An Integrated Methodology Proposal for Sustainable Fashion: Understanding and Examining Criteria Affecting the Second-Hand Clothes Shopping

Abstract

Sustainable fashion is an important movement that offers numerous benefits in the long run by questioning the actual needs of the consumer, selecting the natural fabrics, preferring the brands providing ethical working conditions for the employees, using the acquired clothes as long as possible, repairing when necessary, and recycling into yarn when the lifetime is over, or transforming into a new product by changing the function of the items. In this context, the most active role of consumers is to prefer quality products that can last for many years and to extend the time of the products remaining in use, especially through the purchase and sale of second-hand clothes. While current papers provide roadmaps based on conceptual details, and consumer perception and attitude, there is no comprehensive study in second-hand shopping practices specific to clothing. Hence, the aim of this study is proposing an integrated methodology to understand the criteria that consumers pay attention in second-hand clothes shopping platforms as a tool that makes sustainable fashion possible via literature review, individual interviews and text mining, to determine the weights of these criteria according to their importance via Step-Wise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis (SWARA) methodology, and to compare the prominent platform alternatives via Weighted Aggregated Sum Product Assessment (WASPAS) technique. The criteria weights vary depending on the sustainability awareness of consumers, and on the generation gap.