Retail and wholesale

"7/88/5M""Many people in home-based businesses are used to selling their product directly to the consumer. This may be done from their homes, at craft fairs or perhaps their own stores. Business conducted directly with the final consumer is said to be conducted at the "retail" level."--First paragraph.Pamela S. Norum (Assistant Professor, Department of Textile and Apparel Management, University of Missouri--Columbia

Second Hand Clothing Acquisition: Demographic and Psychographic Characteristics of the Second Hand Shopper

Understanding sustainability as it relates to second hand clothing acquisition can play an important role in decreasing the total amount of waste that ends up in the landfill. Americans generated a total of 250 million tons of trash in 2010 and in contrast recycled only 85 million tons of waste. Approximately 13 million tons of textiles were discarded during the same period but only 1.3 million tons were recycled (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2012). A focus on maximizing clothing usefulness and lengthening life span could significantly decrease the amount of textiles that end up in landfills

The education of sustainable consumers: An analysis of sewing education and disposal activity

Sustainable consumption has been an area of research since the 1990s (Jackson, 2004) and researchers have examined the acquisition, maintenance, and disposal of apparel products (Winakor, 1969). Consumers’ motivations vary for why they consume new products. However, there has been a trend in reusing and re-purposing apparel products with the popularity of social media sites like Pinterest. The awareness, exposure, and education of how to sew may affect consumers’ sustainable disposal of apparel products. However, many family consumer science or home economic classes in secondary schools have seen sever budget cuts (Washington Post, May 17, 2010)

Sustainable Laundry Practices: Exploring the laundry practices among US Households

Consumers’ washing habits are constantly changing and are influenced by social, cultural and moral norms (Laitala, Boks, & Klepp, 2011). A large portion of clothing is washed purely habitually rather than as a result of examining the level of soiling first (Klepp, 2003). It is a common notion among consumers that clothing items that have been in contact with the skin should be washed after each use. Life cycle assessment studies on clothes, detergents and washing machines show that the use period of clothes is usually the most energy-demanding period during these products’ life cycle, and is even higher than production or transportation phases

Too much stuff: Motivators of overconsumption

The purpose of this research is to determine what motivates consumers to make purchases of clothing, and what factors influence their decision to continue to participate in the overconsumption of clothing. Research questions of interest include: Why do women buy clothing? What retailers encourage these consumption patterns? Are women overconsuming intentionally

The Role of the Cultural Expert in a Skills Training Program for Refugees: A Case Study of the Sew You Know Program

This case study was designed to explore the assimilation experience of an African refugee group, via a skills training program, Sew You Know, in a small mid-Western city. This program, sponsored by a local Caucasian-majority church since 2009, focused on developing basic sewing skills. The program used a cultural expert as a mediator between the organizers and the participants. Using in-depth interviews, data were collected from 12 participants, aged between 23 and 71, and had either served as organizers (5), the cultural expert (1), or participants (6) in the program. The findings show an unqualified cultural expert who negatively impacted the assimilation processes of participants in the program. Therefore, the findings recommend that a more careful selection of proper and qualified cultural experts, as well as proper training and compensation for them, are critical for meaningful and successful assimilation experiences of the refugee populations in the US

Towards Sustainable Clothing Disposition: Exploring the Consumer Choice to Use Trash as a Disposal Option

The textile and apparel supply chain plays an integral role in providing consumers with a continuous supply of apparel that must ultimately be discarded. Viewing the consumer as a player in the process between the supply chain and the post-consumer textile waste stream, this study was designed to explore the consumer apparel disposition process with an eye towards understanding how both supply chain members and post-consumer waste entities can interact with consumers to reduce the amount of apparel discarded in landfills. Hanson’s Consumer Product Disposition Process framework was used to help guide the research. Using a qualitative research approach, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with twenty-four female consumers in the United States to address three main research questions. The findings revealed several themes: use of both “compensatory” and “non-compensatory” choice heuristics in decision making; a “usable life” and the “personal nature” of garments as barriers to non-trash disposal options; and the need to “create awareness” and “provide assurance” to encourage alternative disposal modes. Implications for apparel producers and retailers, secondhand stores and textile recyclers are discussed

Sustainable Laundry Practices: Exploring the laundry practices among US Households

Consumers’ washing habits are constantly changing and are influenced by social, cultural and moral norms (Laitala, Boks, & Klepp, 2011). A large portion of clothing is washed purely habitually rather than as a result of examining the level of soiling first (Klepp, 2003). It is a common notion among consumers that clothing items that have been in contact with the skin should be washed after each use. Life cycle assessment studies on clothes, detergents and washing machines show that the use period of clothes is usually the most energy-demanding period during these products’ life cycle, and is even higher than production or transportation phases.</p