Environmentally-friendly perception of fashion products: A kansei study

Abstract

One of the biggest challenges of fashion industry is how to become more sustainable. On the one hand, eco has become a trend. The rising awareness of its impact on earth has triggered the creation of environmentally-friendly fashion. More people show interest into products designed with a lower environmental impact. On the other hand, there is confusion among designers and consumers on sustainable creation and image. Also, online shopping has seen a rise. This study analyzes the perception of consumers towards eco values in fashion designs through a survey using kansei engineering, applied to products from a French webshop for kidswear, reflecting their online communication through product images and descriptive words. To analyze the environmentally-friendly image, ten fashion samples were selected, and three main adjectives were chosen: organic, green, recycled/reduced, and divided into subcategories. Design needs to attract its target consumers. The physical appearance of products, i.e., the form, offers meaning to consumers and impacts their purchase behavior. Fashion designers need to create and communicate this visual information. Thus, the research aims to identify how sustainable design is perceived by consumers in terms of eco image.