Frugal is the New Black: The Impact of the Economic Recession on Fashion and Consumer Spending in America

This paper examines the impact of the economic recession on fashion and consumer spending. Using Goffman and Blumer’s theory of Symbolic Interactionism, I will answer the question “How do class and employment status affect fashion and consumer spending following a recession?” To understand how consumers are affected by the recession, I have surveyed a convenience sample of fifty five women residing in the Northeast United States. To grasp how the recession has changed fashion and consumer behavior from a producer’s standpoint, I have interviewed two women who work in the fashion industry for different companies in New York City. I have conducted chi-squared tests of significance to determine if class and employment status affect fashion and consumer spending. My findings indicate that relationship between employment status and buying clothes on sale, and the relationship between income and I feel strongly affected by the recession, are both statistically significant. Additionally, I find that the relationship between income and how much spent in 2010 when controlling for I feel strongly affected by the recession has meaningful significance