Abstract
Increasing focus on the sustainability of clothing has highlighted issues such as “fast fashion”, impacts of laundering, durability, perceptions and expectations of wear and quality. The general consensus is that low-price garments (usually “fast fashion”) are of low quality, low durability to laundering and are therefore more likely to be disposed of after minimal wears. The aim of this research is therefore to explore the relationship between price, perception of quality, frequency of laundering and durability to laundering of a common garment. Physical experiments on black T-shirts was undertaken to determine whether the price of a garment determines its quality in terms of durability to laundering; and a survey was conducted on perceptions of whether the quality of a garment is tied to its price. Price was found to not be a good indicator of physical performance, especially when it is lower. The two highest-priced T-shirts experienced the least change and this was attributed to better-quality fabric and construction. Participants expected more durability and higher quality as the price of the T-shirt increased and expectations were mostly pessimistic of garment performance to laundering compared to the actual performance compared against theoretically acceptable changes in garment dimension.
Highlights
The term “fast fashion” usually refers to low-cost, low-quality, clothing collections that mimic luxury trends and traditionally have been perceived to embody unsustainability [1]
Modern-day fast fashion represents the advent of “disposable fashion”, which drives the attention from product quality to affordability and produces garments that are not long lasting [4]
Are “fast fashion” garments fulfilling poor expectations of durability over multiple washes? Are expectations of the quality of a garment tied into its price or does the price of a garment determine its quality in terms of durability to laundering? The aim of this research is to explore the relationship between price, perception of quality, frequency of laundering and durability to laundering of a common garment
Summary
The term “fast fashion” usually refers to low-cost, low-quality, clothing collections that mimic luxury trends and traditionally have been perceived to embody unsustainability [1]. Reduced production time and costs in the fast fashion manufacturing process has involved the elimination or reduction of some stages in the production, such as product development and quality control [2]. This has lead in many cases to a decline in garment quality, shorter garment life span before disposal, and even more consumption. Aesthetics, tastes, styles, design and concepts of uniqueness and newness will result in a garment being discarded whatever the price or condition [6] These consumers have low expectations towards the length of time that they would keep a garment, and were satisfied with it at the time of purchase, they were not always satisfied with how the garment performed during use and the durability of the garment to laundering [7]. “Key threats to garment lifetimes are fabric failure, component failure, construction failure, accidental damage and colour change” [9]
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