1. Tell me the reasons that you get rid of clothes. How often do you purge your wardrobe?
2. Tell me about your experience shopping at thrift stores, consignment shops, and other clothing resale stores such as Once Upon a Child or Plato’s Closet.
3. Does it ever bother you to wear pre-worn clothes?
4. How important is a recognizable brand or designer name in your apparel purchase, from a regular store or from a thrift store, consignment shop or other clothing re-seller?
5. a. When shopping for apparel in a regular store, if the word “vintage” is used on the tag or label, how do you feel about that apparel? (Would you wear something labeled as “vintage”?
What do you think “vintage” means? Would you buy a “vintage” item at a regular apparel store?)
b. When shopping for apparel in a regular store, if the word “recycled” is used on the tag or label, how do you feel about that apparel? (Would you wear something labeled as “recycled”?
What do you think “recycled” means? Would you buy “recycled” clothing at a regular apparel store?)
6. If secondhand clothes were deconstructed and made into new current designs, would you consider a purchase? Would you purchase this garment if this garment had greater value and a higher price?
7. If only name brand clothes were collected, reconstructed, and made into new clothes, would you consider a purchase?
8. If only certain types of fabrics were collected, such as leather, wool from men’s suits, and dressy fabrics from prom dresses, were deconstructed and made into new clothes, would you consider a purchase?
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9. Clothing that has been deconstructed and made into new clothing is referred to as “upcycled”
clothing. How would you expect upcycled clothes to be cleaned, labeled, and priced?
10. Where would you shop for upcycled fashion? What stores would you expect to carry it?
11. If I gave you a list of stores that are carrying upcycled fashion today, would you consider a purchase of an upcycled fashion item? Why or why not?
12. a. When you see on the tag on a new dress that it says, “made from recycled post-consumer material,” does it make you more or less likely to buy, and why?
b. When you see the tag on a new dress that states, “pre-consumer material,” does it make you more or less likely to buy, and why?
c. When you see the tag of a new dress that states, “new and reclaimed materials as a combination,” does it make you more or less likely to buy, and why?
13. When you are at your job or with your circle of friends, how much self-expression and creativity in your clothing is acceptable?
Interview Questions with Possible Follow-up
1. Tell me the reasons that you get rid of clothes. How often do you purge your wardrobe?
Follow-up if needed:
Do you most often trade, give away, or resell your clothes?
2. Tell me about your experience shopping at thrift stores, consignment shops, and other clothing resale stores such as Once Upon a Child or Plato’s closet.
Follow-up:
Do you buy specific brands so that you can easily resell your clothes?
What kind of person would buy your discarded clothes?
80 3. Does it ever bother you to wear pre-worn clothes?
4. How important is a recognizable brand or designer name in your apparel purchase, from a regular store or from a thrift store, consignment shop or other clothing re-seller?
Follow-up if needed:
What does the brand name or designer name communicate to you?
Quality? Fit? Value?
5. a. When shopping for apparel in a regular store, if the word
“vintage” is used on the tag or label, how do you feel about that apparel? (Would you wear something labeled as “vintage”? What do you think “vintage” means? Would you buy a
“vintage” item at a regular apparel store?)
b. When shopping for apparel in a regular store, if the word
“recycled” is used on the tag or label, how do you feel about that apparel? (Would you wear something labeled as “recycled”? What do you think “recycled” means? Would you buy “recycled” clothing at a regular apparel store?)
6. If secondhand clothes were deconstructed and made into new current designs, would you consider a purchase? Would you purchase this garment if this garment had greater value and a higher price?
Follow-up:
Would you wear a garment like this that no one else is wearing?
Would you wear a one-of-a-kind?
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7. If only name brand clothes were collected, reconstructed and made into new clothes, would you consider a purchase (Differentiate by previous answers—designer labels, moderate chain labels etc.)?
Follow-up:
Do you want to know the genealogy of your clothes?
8. If only certain types of fabrics were collected, such as leather, wool from men’s suits, and dressy fabrics from prom dresses, were deconstructed and made into new clothes, would you consider a purchase?
Follow up:
If only unusual, secondhand textiles were used-parachutes, military uniforms, kimonos?
If the secondhand clothes were changed in some way—printed on, laser cut, etc.?
Is a piece of fabric taken from a recycled or vintage brand name dress in very good condition still quality fabric that you have confidence in? (Keep in mind that fast fashion is only often worn just three times).
9. Clothing that has been deconstructed and made into new clothing is referred to as “upcycled”
clothing. How would you expect upcycled clothes to be cleaned, labeled, and priced?
Would you expect the price to be higher or lower than other garments you might find at certain stores?
10. a. When you see the tag on a new dress that states, “made from recycled post-consumer material,” are you more or less likely to buy, and why?
b. When you see on the tag on a new dress that it says, “pre-consumer material,” are you more or less likely to buy, and why?
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c. When you see on the tag of a new dress that it says, “new and reclaimed materials as a combination,” are you more or less likely to buy, why?
11. Where would you shop for upcycled fashion? What stores would you expect to carry it?
Follow-up
Would you be more inclined to buy an upcycled garment if you were shopping at certain stores that you trust? (JC Penney, Target, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s etc.-suggest stores in line with previous answers on the online survey)
Should recycled clothes be mixed in with new clothes?
Have you ever purchased recycled clothing from a name brand store?
12. If I gave you a list of stores that are carrying upcycled fashion today, would you consider a purchase of an upcycled fashion item? Why or why not?
Follow-up:
Do you care if the fashions you buy are made from recycled materials or not?
13. When you are at your job, or with your circle of friends, how much self-expression and creativity in your clothing is acceptable?
Follow-up:
How important is it to be wearing something that no one else is wearing, a one of a kind (without worrying about cost)?
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