Practising fashion and wardrobe studies: A geographical reframing?

Abstract

Abstract Everyday household sustainability challenges and dilemmas, particularly related to consumption of domestic resources energy, water, and food, are already an important focus in contemporary geographical inquiry. This paper seeks to advance the perspective by exploring a less obvious aspect: everyday fashion consumption practices specifically in the use phase of clothing. Whereas research on clothing sustainability impact has largely pursued production, acquisition, and divestment, here the spotlight is on the active everyday use of clothing already owned. Data were gathered in Ireland using wardrobe studies, a range of visual, verbal, and aural methodological approaches employed to uncover knowledge about wardrobe contents, user practices, cultures, and experiences, along with overarching systems. A central aim of the paper is to explore what geography can learn from wardrobe studies methodologies, thereby opening new opportunities to investigate and to generate valuable data regarding sustainable consumption in both the home and the wardrobe. Consequent to a critical review of current geographical work concerning the sustainability implications of clothing use and an examination of existing research on the geographical dimensions of household sustainability, the paper presents some key ways in which wardrobe studies may be more widely employed by geographers as an effective research method to reframe, analyse, and appreciate the complexities of everyday actions in the clothing use phase. Much research on clothing sustainability impact has largely pursued production, acquisition, and divestment. Here, the spotlight is on the active everyday use of clothing already owned. Data were gathered in Ireland using wardrobe studies, a range of visual, verbal, and aural methodological approaches employed to uncover knowledge about wardrobe contents, user practices, cultures, and experiences, along with overarching systems. A central aim of the paper is to explore what geography can learn from wardrobe studies methodologies, thereby opening new opportunities to investigate and to generate valuable data regarding sustainable consumption in both the home and the wardrobe.

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