Story Makes a Difference: The Effects of Providing Product History in Promoting Circular Fashion Among Consumers

Circular fashion system posits that clothes not only need to be designed and produced sustainably, but also need to circulate among consumers for as long as possible to minimize wastes. Following this, a number of brands have launched platforms where consumers can exchange or donate their used clothes. However, circular fashion still needs to overcome the negative images associated with secondhand clothes, such as contamination. What could decrease consumers' concerns with used clothes, thus promote circular fashion effectively among consumers? This study examines the effects of providing product history of clothes on increasing consumers' trust, attitude, and use intentions toward circular fashion service through a cross-cultural experiment (US vs. South Korea). The results indicate that the effects of product history on trust, attitude, and use intentions toward circular fashion service are different between US and South Korea.