Valued as a $28 billion industry in 2021, the second-hand clothing industry, or thrifting industry, has been exploding (2020 Fashion Resale Market and Trend Report, 2020). This has been aided by a myriad of technological advancements, social movements, and economic factors. The goal of this thesis is to uncover consumer behaviors leading to this growth across behavioral, emotional, perceptual, and belief factors. Additionally, this thesis aims to provide strategic implications for marketing professionals, create recommendations for brands to successfully enter this industry and target consumers. In this study, a Qualtrics survey was distributed to students at Arizona State University. The results were analyzed through Microsoft Excel. The results showed that in order to be successful in this industry, brands should: emphasize sustainability in marketing, increase brand awareness, highlight feelings of pride in products, uniqueness, and affordability, mitigate feelings of poverty, low quality, and lack of variety, understand the perceptual differences in shopping versus thrifting, and take advantage of branded fashion.

Social media has shifted the fashion industry to a new norm of fast fashion. This study examines the impact of social media marketing tactics utilized by the fashion industry, to determine the long-lasting effects on the environment. Primarily, research was conducted through a literature review to analyze the history of the fashion industry, as well as the shift to fast fashion, which encompasses microtrends, overproduction, overconsumption, and product utilization. Later, the literature review analyzes the environmental impact pertaining to each part of the product life cycle. Finally, two surveys were created and distributed to Arizona State University students in the W.P. Carey School of Business to further understand consumer behavior, opinions, and prominent purchase factors present in their decisions. The data interpretation from both surveys correlates to the research findings in the literature review, connecting the idea of low consumer value for ethical sustainability in purchasing habits, in addition to the level that student purchase habits are influenced by social media in respondents aged 18-24. This research provides the basis for needed legislation and corporate initiative, to alleviate the environment from the hazardous consequences of the fast fashion market.

Braille Retail is a student-led effort to promote awareness and inclusivity for visually impaired and blind individuals through legible braille designs on fabric. Our mission is to bring awareness to the visually impaired and blind community and increase braille literacy. We plan to reach our mission by placing legible braille and its translation on our sweatshirts. Furthermore, we want to support the visually impaired and blind community by donating 5% of our profits to local blind charities.

The 70s in the UK were a time of social unrest that turned many youth onto an attitude of rebellion. In stark contrast with the love ethos of the 60s, the 70s economic downturn left many outraged and with the need to express their dismay. This “anti” attitude would bleed into many aspects of culture like the emerging fashion of the decade. Youth subcultures were a place for young adults to find solidarity. Punk trends including leather, safety pins, distressed clothing and denim. The Sex Pistols rocked the music industry leading way for other like The Clash and Joy Division to join the scene. With records such as ‘God Save the Queen’, the Pistols cemented the new culture movement as politicized. As the decade continued Punk became more intensified; becoming its own subculture of both street style and high couture.