Browsing by Author "Valkola, Johanna"

Objectives. Purpose of this study was to examine clothing consumption or “wardrobe” as a vast entity, including daily clothing consumption practises as well as aspects of self-expression. Sustainable clothing consumption and it’s challenges were also examined and new clothing consumption possibilities charted. In this study the main focus was to understand what kind of thoughts and possible conflicts respondents experience regarding clothing consumption and compare findings to clothing quantity data. It was also analysed if there was any significant change that had occurred in clothing consumption habits during past years. Goal of this study was to increase awareness about the complex theme of clothing consumption and develop new solutions for those challenges. Methods. Data was collected using an electronic form (E-lomake) by Riikka Räisänen during years 2010–2016. Respondents were students of the University of Helsinki and The Open University of Helsinki, who participated in a course covering themes as textiles, consumer studies and sustainable development. Research material consisted of 395 students’ responses which contained wardrobe inventories (quantitative data) and open questionnaires (qualitative data). Mixed methods approach is used in the study to gain a whole picture. Results and conclusions. Consumers discontent with their clothing quantity seems to have increased, which could be a consequence of popular trends of wardrobe decluttering or general atmospheric change regarding one’s possessions. However, it seems that strong personal style and rational clothing purchases make clothing quantity more satisfactory. Clothes were meaningful for almost all respondents, but the most important pieces of clothing were the ones carrying an important story or memories. What would it take for consumers to fill their wardrobes with these meaningful pieces instead of insignificant ones? This topic requires further investigation.