Do fast fashion retailers have to be alert to changing customer values? – An examination of the material and meaning elements of the fast fashion practice

Abstract

The latest clothing styles at low prices are the key to the success of fast fashion retailers. However, low prices come with low product quality and negative environmental and social impacts. According to the predominant value-based paradigm, these factors might affect customer acquisition and retention as a result of shifting consumer values towards qualitatively, environmentally, and ethically higher performing fashion products. Yet, fast fashion is not exempt from the value-action gap, a discrepancy between values hold by consumers and their actual behaviour. Using secondary data, this conceptual study takes on a practice theory perspective and explicitly considers the material dimension. The purpose is to identify the configuration of material and meaning elements sustaining the current fast fashion practice. The study suggests that personal values are not guiding consumer actions isolated from the context. Material artefacts, such as retail stores and the clothes as such, play a crucial role in forming and reinforcing the meaning of fast fashion and contributing to its success.