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# Project Description Sustainable Intentions or a New Consumerism? Haiting Situ Summary Final work My name is Haiting Situ, and I am currently on my master’s degree at the University of Arts London, where I am pursuing my passion for Fashion Marketing and Sustainability. My name is Haiting Situ, and I am currently on my master’s degree at the University of Arts... College London College of Fashion Course MA Fashion Marketing and Sustainability Graduation year 2025 In recent years, secondhand fashion has been on the rise and widely embraced by the public. It has been regarded as a sustainable alternative to fast fashion, gaining increasing popularity among consumers. As a result, many digital P2P (peer-to-peer) platforms have emerged in recent years, such as Vinted and Depop. These platforms promote sustainability by extending the lifespan of fashion items and reducing textile waste among younger consumers, redefining the way consumers access secondhand fashion. Nevertheless, due to the easy access and low prices offered by these platforms, studies have revealed a similar buying pattern observed in fast fashion purchasing. The environmental benefits of secondhand fashion on these platforms thus remain unclear. Therefore, to understand the buying behaviour and psychological mechanisms of consumers of secondhand fashion, this study explores how purchase motivations, perceived values, self-licensing and justification influence their purchasing intentions, focusing particularly on young consumers in the UK. This study adopts a mono-qualitative methodological approach and uses semi-structured interviews as the main research method to gain an in-depth understanding of the study area. Research findings demonstrate the complex nature of secondhand fashion and the correlations between different factors of purchase motivation and perceived values. Consumers adopt internalised and externalised justifications to self-justify their hedonic consumption behaviours. The research finds that while purchase motivations and perceived values drive purchasing intentions, these factors, such as cost-effectiveness and sustainability, are in turn often being used as means of self-rationalisation for excessive buying behaviour. Digital secondhand fashion platforms typically do not replace fast fashion consumption, but often add to it. They have subtly transformed self-licensing and justification into the norm, allowing consumers to engage in hedonistic consumption while still appearing to be environmentally responsible. The originality of this study lies in its extended understanding of the correlations between purchase motivations, perceived values, and self-licensing and justification within the context of second-hand fashion consumption. This study sheds new light on these areas by delving into previously little-explored psychological mechanisms and setting out more relevant factors relating to the consumers’ self-justification strategies in the context of online secondhand fashion consumption. Key words: Secondhand fashion, Digital P2P platform, Circular fashion, Purchase motivation, Perceived values, Self-licensing and justification, Sustainability, UK young consumers Final work Share this project In recent years, secondhand fashion has been on the rise and widely embraced by the public. It has been regarded as a sustainable alternative to fast fashion, gaining increasing popularity among consumers. As a result, many digital P2P (peer-to-peer) p... A link to this page has been added to your clipboard
# Links ## Official page - https://ualshowcase.arts.ac.uk/project/681616/cover ## External - https://www.instagram.com/heii_ddi - mailto:heidihaiting@gmail.com - https://portfolio-tools.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/14100421/Dissertation-Draft-LR-Hadi.pdf - https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fualshowcase.arts.ac.uk%2Fproject%2F681616%2Fcover&text=Sustainable+Intentions+or+a+New+Consumerism%3F - https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fualshowcase.arts.ac.uk%2Fproject%2F681616%2Fcover&media=https%3A%2F%2Fportfolio-tools.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F10%2F14101313%2FDissertation-poster-3.jpg&description=Sustainable+Intentions+or+a+New+Consumerism%3F