The wardrobe as a system: exploring clothing consumption through design fiction

Maldini, Irene; Stappers, Pieter Jan

doi:10.1504/jdr.2019.102229

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…Describing the length of the use phase is simpler for products such as fridges that are usually in constant active use throughout the use phase, and when no longer functional they are replaced by a new one. In contrast, the clothing use phase includes active and passive periods, and acquirement of new clothing does not necessarily replace an existing product but may expand the wardrobe of the owner [23]. The concept of duration in use is therefore complicated.…”

Section: What To Measure?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Clothing Lifespans: What Should Be Measured and How

Klepp¹,

Laitala²,

Wiedemann³

2020

Sustainability

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Increasing the use of each product, most often called longer lifespans, is an effective environmental strategy. This article discusses how garment lifespans can be described in order to be measured and compared. It answers two sub-questions: (1) what to measure (units), and (2) how to measure (methods). We introduce and define terms related to clothing lifespans and contribute to discussions about an appropriate functional unit for garments in life cycle assessments (LCA) and other environmental accounting tools. We use a global wardrobe survey to exemplify the units and methods. Clothing lifespans can be described and measured in years, the number of wears, cleaning cycles, and users. All have an independent value that show different and central aspects of clothing lifespans. A functional unit for LCAs should emphasise both the number of wears for all users as well as the service lifespan in years. Number of wears is the best measure for regular clothing, while number of years is most suited for occasion wear, because it is important to account for the need of more garments to cover all the relevant occasions during a specified time period. It is possible to study lifespan via carefully constructed surveys, providing key data relating to actual garment use.

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Section: What To Measure?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Clothing Lifespans: What Should Be Measured and How

Klepp¹,

Laitala²,

Wiedemann³

2020

Sustainability

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“…This view corresponds with a quote from Klepp and Bjerck: "these frames refer not only to the physical walls of the closet, but also to an entire structure of different storage spaces with corresponding criteria for where and what clothes should be kept and how clothes should be moved between them" [12] (p. 375). However, buying new items is not always combined with an outflow of garments [13,14]. Therefore, the in-and outflows have consequences for total wardrobe counts, and subsequently for growth or shrinkage thereof.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring Worldwide Wardrobes to Support Reuse in Consumers’ Clothing Systems

2022

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Extending the use of garments is often seen as an important strategy to decrease the impact of the fashion industry. However, currently there are a lack of data on and understanding of consumers’ wardrobes. This study explores consumers’ wardrobes internationally, and we aim to explore the total amount, unused and second-hand garments in order to develop interventions to support reuse. Through an online course, data were gathered in a survey about the content of participants’ wardrobes, counting the amounts of garments in predefined categories, and the amount of unused and second-hand garments thereof. Differences were found between clothing categories, age groups and gender for unused and second-hand garments. Between nationalities only differences were found for second-hand garments. These insights are supportive to targeted interventions for gender and age groups related to specific categories of (unused and second-hand) garments, to elongate the practical service life of garments, support consumers’ sustainable clothing decisions and in the end reduce consumption. Additionally, this exploration provides insights how to improve international monitoring and the value of digital wardrobe studies. Recommendations are provided, especially focused on interventions to support motivations, capabilities, and opportunities to improve reuse. Ultimately, through consumers’ wardrobes this study supports the next steps towards a more circular clothing system.

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“…Zimmerman and Forlizzi suggest several categories of RtD -lab, field, or showroom [2]. Practitioners of RtD describe a variety of methods that extend or fall under the broad umbrella of RtD such as design fictions [14], critical design [2], speculative design [15], research products [13][16], material speculation [13] [17], embodied design ideation [15], critical making [15], participatory RtD [12], collaborative futuring [18], and research through explorative design [19].…”

Section: Design As a Research Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%