The luxury vs fast fashion plight takes the center scene once more amid concerns of the fashion industry’s being one of the main polluters, contributing with 10% of carbo emissions and 20% of water waste.

In addition, more than half of fast fashion products’ life span is of less than one year and the average number of times an item is worn has fallen 36% from 15 years ago.

There is growing awareness of the responsible use of resources, resulting in increasing recycling activities aimed at extending durability. It begs the question of what is fashion doing about it. How can fashion contribute to reduce its impact on the environment?

A study carried out by Columbia Business School graduates analyzes the decision making journey of consumers when buying clothes and accessories.

Titled “Buy Less, Buy Luxury: Understanding and Overcoming Product Durability Neglect for Sustainable Consumption” the research concludes that luxury products are more sustainable mainly for two reasons.

Firstly, luxury products are more durable due to their quality, and secondly, and more important, they are more durable because people who buy them do so with a long term view, with the intention to keep them.

A great majority of consumers of high end brands such as Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Loro Piana, Patagonia, Brunello Cuccinello, use them for a longer time, and choose a sustainable way to dispose of them, through reselling or renting them.

The study highlights that luxury items score high in four dimensions: 1) financial (due to its price, resell price), 2) functional (durability, quality, reliability), 3) individual (hedonism, identity) and 4) social (status signaling).

Durability is a key aspect because it is common to functional as well as stylistic dimensions, having a central role in the fashion industry’s dynamics.

The research sets about to find the motives behind consumers’ dilemma of how to spend their money: why a majority choose to buy many items of lesser quality instead less items of a higher quality.

The answer arrived at by the investigation shows that the reason for this behavior by consumers lies in the overwhelming information available at the moment of purchase regarding style, trend, personal identity, color, and price.

Due to this overcrowding of information, durability as a quality aspect, and especially its sustainability component, is almost entirely neglected.

The study also points out that the reason for this is the lack of clear and visible information about this key aspect, not being provided by the brands, who tend to focus on other features such as design, uniqueness, hedonism, and style, thus neglecting durability.

This research provides invaluable facts to demonstrate that durability is a crucial aspect for consumers, luxury brands and the preservation of the environment. Bottom line, buying luxury not only benefits the economy but also helps the planet.

The study in full can be read at:  “Buy Less, Buy Luxury: Understanding and Overcoming Product Durability Neglect for Sustainable Consumption “ Sun, J. J., Bellezza, S., & Paharia, N. (2021). Journal of Marketing, 85(3), 28-43. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022242921993172

Read this article in Spanish: https://boycapelvintage.com/luxury-news-es/

Written by Magdalena Bonta
Photo Credit: pixcolo, HamidEbrahimi