Gen Z, the demographic group that many think is going to be the change that the fashion world needs, is as double-dealing as they come, according to a report published by the British Academy of Management.
Generation Z members want their clothes to be "sustainable" but still regularly buy fast fashion, demonstrating a heaven and hell difference between their espoused ideals and real world practice, findings of a research study revealed at the British Academy of Management annual conference shows.
The researchers: Four researchers from the Sheffield Business School, Sheffield Hallam University, surveyed 56 university students aged 18–24 and four aged over 24, and interviewed six in-depth about sustainable clothing—articles produced without exploiting workers or animals and using lower carbon emissions. The four researchers were: Joanne Calver, Glyn Littlewood, Dr. Marc Duffy and Joanne Watts.
The findings:
- Nine in ten who were surveyed bought fast fashion and only one in six could name a brand that made sustainable clothing.
- Women were more likely than men to advocate for sustainable clothing, but less likely than them to actually buy it.
- 63% agreed they were concerned about the social implications of the fast fashion industry.
- 48% said they were concerned about its environmental implications.
- 17% of participants admitted shopping at a fast fashion retailer each week, 62% monthly and 11% yearly, with only 10% claiming that they had never purchased from a fast fashion retailer.
- Five out of the six who were interviewed could not name any brands that produced sustainable clothes. All six said that price was the main barrier to purchasing sustainable fashion.
- Women surveyed "portrayed support for sustainable fashion by stating that they would be willing to pay more or even boycott unethical brands.
- All the women stated that they would be willing to pay more for sustainable clothing, whereas the males were not.
- Men showed a "lack of concern and knowledge around sustainable fashion, yet their buying habits were considerably more sustainable than females, purchasing fast fashion less frequently and sourcing clothes from more sustainable retailers.
- Six key barriers to sustainable clothes shopping were identified: price, lack of knowledge, lack of choice, lack of aesthetic choice, skepticism over business transparency, and social desirability.
