Skip to content
1981
Volume 9, Issue 1-2
  • ISSN: 2050-0742
  • E-ISSN: 2050-0750

Abstract

Swimwear has gained significant popularity as a fashion item that serves a spectrum of needs, from pure functionality to vanity. However, the production and disposal of swimwear can harm the environment. This article explores the relationship between unfulfilled needs, consumer behaviour and the role of the need-based design approach in swimwear consumption and sustainability. It identifies the various types of clothing obsolescence that also apply to swimwear and highlights the importance of designing for swimwear longevity, both in terms of physical and emotional durability. A survey was conducted among 135 female participants from Egypt to better understand local consumers’ swimwear purchasing habits and requirements. The survey results revealed various factors that affect swimwear replacement, including unfulfilled needs, quality degradation, seeking improved functionality and change in fit. The article concludes by emphasizing strategies designers can rely on to enhance swimwear longevity, such as achieving customization, visual appeal, comfort, positive emotional attachment, improved functionality, high quality, added value components and classic designs. All this is to accomplish more responsible swimwear consumption and production.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1386/cc_00060_1
2024-03-28
2025-03-20
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Allwood, J. M., Laursen, S. E., Rodríguez, C. M. de and Bocken, N. M. P. (2006), Well Dressed? The Present and Future Sustainability of Clothing and Textiles in the United Kingdom, Cambridge: The University of Cambridge Institute for Manufacturing.
    [Google Scholar]
  2. Bailey, C. (2008), ‘Waste reduction’, British Parliament, 20 August, https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200708/ldselect/ldsctech/163/163.pdf. Accessed 4 July 2023.
  3. Berge, R. v., Magnier, L. and Mugge, R. (2023), ‘Until death do us part? In-depth insights into Dutch consumers’ considerations about product lifetimes and lifetime extension’, Journal of Industrial Ecology, 27:3, pp. 90822, https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.13372.
    [Google Scholar]
  4. Cameron, E. (2023), ‘Manfred Max Neef’s human scale development and geoethics’, Journal of Geoethics and Social Geosciences, 1:1, pp. 125, https://doi.org/10.13127/jgsg-28.
    [Google Scholar]
  5. Chapman, J. A. (2008), ‘Emotionally durable design: Sustaining relationships between users and domestic electronic products’, Ph.D. thesis, The University of Brighton, https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/196349705.pdf. Accessed 10 January 2023.
    [Google Scholar]
  6. Cooper, T. (ed.) (2016), Longer Lasting Products: Alternatives to the Throwaway Society, New York: Taylor & Francis Group.
    [Google Scholar]
  7. Desmet, P. M. A. (2012), ‘Faces of product pleasure: 25 positive emotions in human–product interactions’, International Journal of Design, 6:2, pp. 129, http://www.ijdesign.org/index.php/IJDesign/article/viewFile/1190/466. Accessed 8 January 2023.
    [Google Scholar]
  8. Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2021), ‘Design products to be used more and for longer’, 23 November, https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/articles/designing-products-to-be-used-more-and-for-longer. Accessed 4 July 2023.
  9. European Environment Agency (2022), ‘Textiles and the environment: The role of design in Europe’s circular economy’, 10 February, https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/textiles-and-the-environment-the/textiles-and-the-environment-the. Accessed 4 July 2023.
  10. Fletcher, K. (2014), Sustainable Fashion and Textiles: Design Journeys, New York: Routledge.
    [Google Scholar]
  11. Gaziulusoy, İ. and Ceschin, F. (2019), Design for Sustainability: A Multi-Level Framework from Products to Socio-Technical Systems, New York: Routledge.
    [Google Scholar]
  12. Grose, L. and Fletcher, K. (2012), Fashion and Sustainability: Design for Change, London: Laurence King Publishing.
    [Google Scholar]
  13. Gwilt, A. (2011), Shaping Sustainable Fashion: Changing the Way We Make and Use Clothes (T. Rissanen and A. Gwilt eds), London: Earthscan.
    [Google Scholar]
  14. Gwilt, A. (2020), A Practical Guide to Sustainable Fashion, London: Bloomsbury Publishing.
    [Google Scholar]
  15. Kawamura, Y. (2005), Fashion-ology: An Introduction to Fashion Studies, Oxford: Berg Publishers.
    [Google Scholar]
  16. Khadr, D. (2023), ‘4 local swimwear brands to splash your way through Sahel season’, Egyptian Streets, 21 June, https://egyptianstreets.com/2023/06/21/4-local-swimwear-brands-to-splash-your-way-through-sahel-season/. Accessed 8 January 2024.
  17. Krieken, B. V., Desmet, P. M. A., Aliakseyeu, D. and Mason, J. (2012), A Sneaky Kettle: Emotionally Durable Design Explored in Practice, London: Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, https://repository.tudelft.nl/islandora/object/uuid%3Aa6613b2b-6377-409b-a17d-5fac98871905. Accessed 10 January 2023.
    [Google Scholar]
  18. Laitala, K., Boks, C. and Klepp, I. G. (2015), ‘Making clothing last: A design approach for reducing the environmental impacts’, International Journal of Design, 9:2, pp. 93107.
    [Google Scholar]
  19. McNeill, L. and Moore, R. (2015), ‘Sustainable fashion consumption and the fast fashion conundrum: Fashionable consumers and attitudes to sustainability in clothing choice’, International Journal of Consumer Studies, 39:3, pp. 21222, https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.12169.
    [Google Scholar]
  20. Mugge, R., Schifferstein, H. N. J. and Schoormans, J. P. L. (2005), ‘A longitudinal study of product attachment and its determinants’, European Advances in Consumer Research, 7, pp. 64147, https://www.acrwebsite.org/volumes/13712/eacr/vol7/E-07. Accessed 24 July 2023.
    [Google Scholar]
  21. Mugge, R., Schifferstein, H. N. J. and Schoormans, J. P. L. (2006), ‘Product attachment and product lifetime: The role of personality congruity and fashion’, European Advances in Consumer Research, 7, pp. 46066, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/267700177_Product_Attachment_and_Product_Lifetime_The_Role_of_Personality_Congruity_and_Fashion. Accessed 24 July 2023.
    [Google Scholar]
  22. Norman, D. (2005), Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things, New York: Basic Books.
    [Google Scholar]
  23. Research and Markets (2023), ‘Swimwear Global Market Report 2023’, March, https://www.researchandmarkets.com/report/swimwear#tag-pos-1. Accessed 30 June 2023.
  24. Schnurr, R. E. J., Alboiu, V., Chaudhary, M., Corbett, R. A., Quanz, M. E., Sankar, K., Srain, H. S., Thavarajah, V., Xanthos, D. and Walker, T. R. (2018), ‘Reducing marine pollution from single-use plastics (SUPs): A review’, Marine Pollution Bulletin, 137, December, pp. 15771, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.10.001.
    [Google Scholar]
  25. United Nations Environment Programme (2023), ‘Everything you need to know about plastic pollution’, 25 April, https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/everything-you-need-know-about-plastic-pollution. Accessed 30 June 2023.
/content/journals/10.1386/cc_00060_1
Loading
/content/journals/10.1386/cc_00060_1
Loading

Data & Media loading...

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a success
Invalid data
An error occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error
Please enter a valid_number test