Culture

A Way Back to Secondhand Clothes – A Narrative Inquiry of Secondhand Clothes Purchasing Experiences-

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Abstract

The goal of this study is to analyze the experience of a person who continued to consume secondhand clothes even after having negative purchasing experiences, to explore ways to overcome the negative aspects and strengthen the positive aspects of secondhand clothes. A narrative inquiry was conducted. The following four topics were extracted as a result: the experience of new world, the negative experience, a way back to secondhand clothes, and disposal. Limited types and sizes of secondhand clothes were considered as a new world of consumption rather than a constraint for the participant. The negative experiences of purchasing used clothes were related to hygienic problems, limited sizes, and inability to try on. Five reasons for repurchasing secondhand clothes were low price, addictiveness, natural look, the virtue of bargaining, and open shopping environment. Reselling or exchanging were the ways to dispose secondhand clothes, since they are not refundable.

Keywords: secondhand clothes, narrative inquiry, purchasing experiences

How to Cite:

Kang, B. & Lee, Y., (2022) “A Way Back to Secondhand Clothes – A Narrative Inquiry of Secondhand Clothes Purchasing Experiences-”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 78(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.13698