More than enough clothes: a social practice-oriented study of gender and clothing accumulation
Author: Vilde Haugrønning
Comparing Male and Female Wardrobes: Gender Dynamics in the Practice of Dressing
Authors: Vilde Haugrønning, Ingrid Haugsrud Abstract This chapter explores the influence of gender on clothing consumption and the impact on differences in clothing volumes between men and women. Based on a qualitative and quantitative wardrobe… Comparing Male and Female Wardrobes: Gender Dynamics in the Practice of Dressing
Clothing Care – The Palgrave Handbook of Sustainability in Fashion
Authors: Ingrid Haugsrud, Ingun Grimstad Klepp and Kirsi Laitala Abstract The impact of the fashion industry on the environment is undoubtedly size-able. In response, the last decade has seen various changes in the fashion industry… Clothing Care – The Palgrave Handbook of Sustainability in Fashion
Want Not, Waste Not: Preliminary findings
Author: Anna Schytte Sigaard Summary This project note presents preliminary findings from a PhD project looking into textile waste from Norwegian households. 28 households collected textiles that they would have otherwise discarded for a period… Want Not, Waste Not: Preliminary findings
A functioning ‘functional unit’?
Ingun Grimstad Klepp and Tone Skårdal Tobiasson What on earth is the functional unit of a winter coat, t-shirt, a warm sweater… or a pair of boots? For LCA-based tools and category rules, there is… A functioning ‘functional unit’?
Review of clothing disposal reasons
Authors: Kirsi Laitala and Ingun Grimstad Klepp, SIFO Abstract Garment lifetimes and longer serviceable life play important roles in discussions about the sustainability of clothing consumption. A compilation of the research on clothing disposal motivations… Review of clothing disposal reasons
Deep diving into wardrobes provides important knowledge on clothes and their environmental impact
Authors: Vilde Haugrønning, Ingun Grimstad Klepp and Anna Schytte Sigaard Norway leads the way in methods for studying the use of clothing. This is knowledge that is important in sustainability studies of apparel. How many… Deep diving into wardrobes provides important knowledge on clothes and their environmental impact
What Affects Garment Lifespans? International Clothing Practices Based on a Wardrobe Survey in China, Germany, Japan, the UK, and the USA
Increasing the length of clothing lifespans is crucial for reducing the total environmental impacts. This article discusses which factors contribute to the length of garment lifespans by studying how long garments are used, how many times they are worn, and by how many users. The analysis is based on quantitative wardrobe survey data from China, Germany, Japan, the UK, and the USA. Variables were divided into four blocks related respectively to the garment, user, garment use, and clothing practices, and used in two hierarchical multiple regressions and two binary logistic regressions.
The models explain between 11% and 43% of the variation in clothing lifespans. The garment use block was most indicative for the number of wears, while garment related properties contribute most to variation in the number of users. For lifespans measured in years, all four aspects were almost equally important. Some aspects that affect the lifespans of clothing cannot be easily changed (e.g., the consumer’s income, nationality, and age) but they can be used to identify where different measures can have the largest benefits. Several of the other conditions that affect lifespans can be changed (e.g., garment price and attitudes towards fashion) through quality management, marketing strategies, information, and improved consumer policies.
Wool you wear it? – woollen garments in Norway and the United Kingdom
This article was developed from the project ‘Valuing Norwegian Wool’ initiated by the Norwegian National Institute for Consumer Research to generate knowledge on how wool can contribute to sustainable textile consumption, and how value creation can be increased in the Norwegian wool industry. The article will compare consumer perceptions, attitudes, practices and knowledge concerning wool as a material and as garments in Norway and in the United Kingdom, through a case study of wardrobes owned by six middle-class families.
The aim is to generate knowledge about the diverse web of aspects that influence consumption of woollen garments. The wardrobe study as a method aims to include the materiality of garments in clothes research in a more direct way. Analysing the materiality in connection with the social and cultural aspects of clothes gives us a better understanding of the relations between materiality and practice.
A methodological approach to the materiality of clothing: Wardrobe studies
The material is not just ‘a carrier of different types of symbols, but an active element in the practices. Bringing this to the fore requires new research methods. This article discusses a methodological approach, we call it a wardrobe study, which allows for the analysis of the way in which clothes relate to each other on the whole or within parts of the wardrobe. More specifically, we discuss how this method can contribute to increasing the materiality of clothes studies. The theoretical point of departure for this approach is a practice theory in which the material enters as an integral part. First, the article briefly discusses developments within the study of dress and fashion. Second, the methods combined and developed in wardrobe studies are discussed. The emphasis here is primarily not only on the weaknesses of the individual methods in practice-oriented dress studies, but also on how they jointly can contribute to the wardrobe study.