The Romanian Consumer attitudes and awareness linked to sustainability in the fast fashion industry

Abstract

Sustainable fashion has been gaining more and more attention in the last few years. The fast fashion industry is raising many questions regarding the demand and real need for collections and clothes purchases yearly. Although some companies are starting to take a call of action regarding these issues, at the other end of the purchase chain lies the consumer's attitude and awareness of the topic, as consumers play a significant role in reaching a more sustainable future in the fast fashion industry. Considering this, more and more academicians have started researching more and more the possibility of achieving sustainability in the fashion industry in the last decade. The investigation's purpose is to understand better the level of sustainable awareness and attitudes of Romanian consumers regarding fashion purchases. Other objectives are to identify the perceived barriers regarding adopting sustainable purchase behavior and the potential triggers/motivation to adopt a more sustainable behavior from the consumer's point of view. As for the methodology, a qualitative study was developed, aiming for both fashion-passionate and non-passionate respondents, where the research instrument was the focus group. The element of originality lies in the fact that the study will take place in Romania. In this ex-communist country, the consumer mentality focuses more on price than ethical reasoning. Interestingly enough, we discovered that some Romanian consumers working as fashion specialists had little to no idea about the effects of the fast fashion industry from a sustainability point of view. The main barriers for Romanian consumers were the prices, design, and quality of sustainable items, the absence of legal regulations, and education towards sustainability. This research contributes to providing more awareness regarding the Romanian consumer's awareness level, attitudes, and behavior regarding sustainable fast fashion.