Research confirms frustrating reality for ‘slow fashion’

The newly published research paper, “Exploring slow fashion consumer buying behaviour in the context of sustainability,” from Pappu Sindhuja (GITAM School of Business, Gandhi Institute of Technology and Management) and a multi-institutional research team, is a comprehensive overview of key trends, underlying theories, and significant gaps in our understanding.

The research analysed 114 articles on the topic from 2012 to 2024 and confirms a frustrating reality for slow fashion: a persistent attitude-behaviour gap. Despite widespread environmental concerns, consumers express strong environmental concerns but often don’t translate these into actual sustainable purchases. This gap is attributed to factors like the higher cost of slower fashion, limited product visibility, and the sheer convenience of fast fashion.