Building a sustainable fashion community (2/3)

 

Hi everyone!

With my last post, I told you how I am trying to make sustainable fashion a more light-hearted and inspiring topic by creating a space where people can come together for interactive workshops, talks, and events. I went back home to the Netherlands to interview my target audience to get a better understanding of their views on this topic. 

The last weeks, I have been busy transcribing these conversations and gathering initial insights. This is when I found out that transcription programs are clearly trained in English and that transcribing Dutch interviews will reveal some very interesting and creative results. So a pro tip for all of you who are planning on doing interviews in the future… English is the way to go ;) !

The initial analysis of the conversations showed some interesting insights, however! The type of role that fashion plays in the participant’s life seems to have a big influence on how they view and address sustainability in fashion. Moreover, I learned that how sustainability is prioritized does not only differ per consumer, but also per clothing item and per scenario. I had read before how there is a disconnect between people’s principles related to sustainability and their actual consumer behavior. Interestingly, some of the participants shared more insights into their thought process when it comes to purchasing new clothing items, shedding light on where this disconnect may come from. 

Through this initial analysis, I was able to identify my themes; The value of fashion, Views on sustainability in fashion, Knowledge and awareness of sustainability, Barriers and improvement.

I am excited to delve deeper into the analysis and answer the following questions!:

• How are different people looking at the role of fashion in their life?

• How do these different personas view sustainability?

• What topics are considered by Dutch consumers and where do they learn?

• What challenges do people face while learning about, or engaging in, sustainable fashion?

Cheers, Hanne