Colloquia

Summary

The overconsumption of fashion has an enormous impact on our environment and creates unsafe working conditions in developing nations. Sustainable businesses like Fraenck are counteracting this with ethical manufacturing using left-over material, but have had limited success in reaching mainstream audiences.

This research seeks to uncover additional reasons for consumers to consider purchasing from sustainable and social businesses instead of from high-street stores. The conducted question experiment at pop-up concept stores shows that people value sustainability and appearance, but are also looking for a personal connection with the product. Following self-congruity theory, which states that people are more likely to purchase products that match their self-image, designing for personal connection could increase sales. 

Through a design case study, this research explored how consumers connect to products and how a product can form personal connections. This resulted in the design of a travel collection, as travelling is a quintessential memory-making experience, and making memories and using a product are known to improve personal connection. The travel collection consists of a backpack, front bag, packing cube and passport cover. These products are designed with Fraenck's remnant materials and employees with a distance to the labour market in mind. Elements for personal connection, like personalisation and modularity, are incorporated into the collection. The case study was finalized with an extensive round of mixed-method testing, covering both the consumer and business perspective.