Modern fashion consumption : profiling female fashion consumers in Finland

The purpose of the thesis was to profile young Finnish female consumers based on their consumption motives and habits. The concept of consumption was approached from a holistic perspective, entailing the process of consumption from purchasing to using and disposing of clothing. This study addressed the following research questions relating to fashion consumption: • What motives drive the fashion consumption of young women in Finland? • What is the role of C2C channels in fashion consumption? • What is the role of ethical consumerism in fashion consumption? • What are the types of consumers that exist in the Finnish fashion market? The complete process of consumption has not been researched thoroughly as a continuum before, especially in relation to attitudes and motives. Another important theme of the study were niche phenomena of the industry, such as C2C consumption and ethical fashion, which offer opportunities for alternative consumption methods. The empirical section of the study utilized quantitative methods to investigate current consumption habits. A survey was distributed to university students generating more than 500 responses. The data was processed using a factor analysis to recognize structures within the data. These attributes were utilized further in an exploratory cluster analysis, which yielded three different consumer types that showcased interesting behavior patterns in relation to pre-existing literature. The consumer types were named the ethically oriented consumer, the second hand shopper and the impulsive trend-follower. The results show that the consumer field of fashion is fragmented as consumers are driven by differing attitudes and motives. Overall, the study contributes to a body of ethical literature and showcases that consumption habits could be influenced by educating consumers about more ethical consumption practices