Sustainability in the Scottish Fashion Industry: A Perspective of the Goals of Generation Z Consumers’ Second-Hand Clothing

Abstract

Online second-hand shopping has become popular in the last decades, particularly amongst the young audience. Gen Z and Millenials are tech savy users and prefer e-commerce compared to the in-store shopping experience. Although, some studies explored the second hand consumption of young shoppers, there is some gaps in the literature were outlined beginning from the lack of research in the context of second hand retailers, specifically, no past literature examined the distribution channels utilized by gen z second-hand shoppers. Furthermore, little research sought to comprehend the second-hand shopping behavior of female Scottish consumers. The researcher chose a qualitative method which follows an interpretivist philosophy, by interviewing 10 Scottish female consumers aged between 18 and 24 who purchase or have purchased used garments, to examine the role vintage trend has on the second-hand consumption of clothing among Gen Z from Scotland, to analyze the impact of sustainability on purchasing behavior, before and after Covid-19 and to comprehend whether Gen Z purchase their preloved garments online or in physical shops. The study found that vintage, sustainability and the charity purpose of sale were strong motivators for buying used garments and also found that second hand shoppers decreased their apparel shopping frequency.

Keywords: Generation Z; Sustainability; Fashion and second-hand clothing