Fashion and Sustainability: Increasing Knowledge About Slow Fashion Through an Educational Module

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to understand whether exposure to education about slow fashion regarding its environmental benefits would influence consumers’ knowledge, attitudes, and purchase intentions toward slow fashion apparel and also to investigate whether knowledge about and attitude toward slow fashion would influence young adult consumers’ purchase intentions toward slow fashion. College-aged students were recruited and a mixed-method approach with three phases of data collection was implemented, including a focus group, a pre-educational survey along with an educational module, and a post-educational survey to all participants from the preeducational survey. The final sample for analyses included 163 participants. Paired-sample t-tests showed that the module significantly improved the participants’ objective knowledge and subjective knowledge of, and attitudes toward slow fashion; however, their purchase intentions toward slow fashion remained unchanged. Results also indicated that subjective knowledge and attitude positively predicted purchase intention toward slow fashion. Findings suggest that a 30 minute educational module in the power point format made a significant, positive impact on young adult consumers’ knowledge of and attitudes toward slow fashion. This study expanded the slow fashion research through the incorporation of an educational module which was found to improve consumer knowledge and attitude toward slow fashion.