Garment Sharing Events : The Perspective of Organisers and Participants

Abstract: Background: Different social, environmental and economical aspects indicate the current need for sustainability and build the imperative for a change in the fashion industry from the prevailing “take-make-dispose” consumption habit to more circular practices, which minimise the input of resources. According to research, the most direct way to capture value and design out waste and pollution in the textile system lays therewith in increasing the number of times a garment is worn. Therefore, the key challenge is to subvert the habit that garments are perceived as disposable and to increase their utilisation. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to investigate how sharing events influence the use phase of garments through the perspective of organisers and participants of such events. Method: The study implemented a qualitative research nature and followed thereby an exploratory research design and strategy. Through semi-structured interviews, event organisers of different organisations with a well-founded experience in sharing events - staged in a Circular Fashion environment - provided their insights on the influence sharing events obtain regarding the use phase of garments. The research strategy supplemented the theories and empirical data with the insights of participants of a sharing event through self-completion questionnaires. Conclusion: Besides their practical ability to pass on garments to various users, sharing events are indicated to prolong the garment usage by promoting a possible change in the consumer’s mindset. Doing so, different aspects connected to Event Management, -Strategy as well as additional offers and activities, besides swapping, are facilitating. As the research outcome hints, the sharing event model, as one of the simplest forms of collaborative garment consumption, is indicated to influence the usage by enabling a change from garment consumer to user.