The Motivation of Generation Z to Adopt Sustainable Fashion Practices, Including the Purchase of Secondhand Items
Abstract
Generation Z (Gen-Z) consumers are becoming increasingly aware of climate change and are adjusting their fashion consumption habits towards more sustainable practices, such as thrifting, renting, and swapping. Although these practices are less common in Egypt, recent trends indicate a growing acceptance among Egyptian Gen-Z consumers. This study aims to address the limited research on fashion collaborative consumption in the Egyptian market by exploring factors influencing the adoption of secondhand and rental fashion through in-depth interviews with 20 participants. Findings show that traditional practices like borrowing clothes are prevalent for cultural and economic reasons rather than sustainability alone. Despite interest driven by economic challenges and social media, barriers like inconvenience, high costs, and limited options hinder broader adoption. To facilitate growth, enhanced shopping experiences, improved accessibility, and shifts in social attitudes are necessary, alongside support from the government and brands. This research offers valuable insights for tailoring business strategies to different consumer segments to promote sustainable fashion practices.
Full text article
References
Jokar, D., Khakzand, M., & Faizi, M. (2021). The application of low impact development approaches toward achieving circularity in the water sector: A case study from Soltan Abad, shiraz, Iran. Journal of Cleaner Production, 320, 128712. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.128712 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.128712
Boyer, S., Jiang, Z., & Lyu, J. (2024). Sustainable style without stigma: Can norms and social reassurance influence secondhand fashion recommendation behavior among Gen Z? Journal of Global Fashion Marketing, 15(3), 341–356. https://doi.org/10.1080/20932685.2024.2317796 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/20932685.2024.2317796
Enterprise. (2022). Egypt is getting on the thrifting bandwagon. Enterprise. https://enterprise.press/stories/2022/11/14/egypt-is-getting-on-the-thrifting-bandwagon-87098/
Gopalakrishnan, S., & Matthews, D. (2018). Collaborative consumption: A business model analysis of second-hand fashion. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFMM-05-2017-0049 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JFMM-05-2017-0049
Herold, P., & Prokop, D. (2023). Is fast fashion finally out of season? Rental clothing schemes as a sustainable and affordable alternative to fast fashion. Geoforum. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2023.06.001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2023.103873
Jain, R., Sethi, N., & Sethi, S. (2021). Mainstreaming fashion rental consumption: A systematic and thematic review of literature. Journal of Business Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.09.034 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.10.071
Khalil, S., Ismail, A., & Ghalwash, S. (2021). The rise of sustainable consumerism: Evidence from the Egyptian Generation Z. Sustainability, 13(24), 13804. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132413804 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su132413804
Lang, C., & Armstrong, C. (2017). Collaborative consumption: The influence of fashion leadership, need for uniqueness, and materialism on female consumers’ adoption of clothing renting and swapping. Sustainable Production and Consumption. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spc.2017.04.001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spc.2017.11.005
Leifhold, C. (2018). The role of values in collaborative fashion consumption: A critical investigation through the lenses of the theory of planned behavior. Journal of Cleaner Production. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.07.076 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.07.076
Liang, J., & Xu, Y. (2017). Second-hand clothing consumption: A generational cohort analysis of the Chinese market. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.12393
International Journal of Consumer Studies, 42(1), 120–130. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.12393 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.12393
Liu, S., Liu, C., & Lang, C. (2024). Consumer engagement in fashion circularity in China: Exploring consumer online fashion resale through the lens of social practice theory. Sustainability, 16(11), 4733. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16114733 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su16114733
Machado, M., Almeida, S., Bollick, L., & Bragagnolo, G. (2019). Second-hand fashion market: Consumer role in circular economy. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFMM-12-2018- 0207 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JFMM-07-2018-0099
McCosker, J. (2023). The impact of fast fashion on garment workers. Good On You. https://goodonyou.eco/impact- fast-fashion-garment-workers/
McKeown, C., & Shearer, L. (2019). Taking sustainable fashion mainstream: Social media and the institutional celebrity entrepreneur. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 18(5), 406–414. https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.1780 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.1780
McNeill, L., & Venter, B. (2019). Identity, self-concept, and young women’s engagement with collaborative, sustainable fashion consumption models. International Journal of Consumer Studies. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.12516 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.12516
Mohammad, J., Quoquab, F., & Sadom, N. (2021). Mindful consumption of second-hand clothing: The role of eWOM, attitude, and consumer engagement. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFMM-05-2020-0080 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JFMM-05-2020-0080
Papamichael, I., et al. (2024). Investigation of customer behavior regarding circular fashion. Science Direct. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.136730 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scp.2024.101675
Ronda, L. (2023). Overcoming barriers for sustainable fashion: Bridging attitude-behavior gap in retail. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJRDM-02-2023-0056 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJRDM-02-2023-0056
Selim, T. (2020). Sustainability & the circular economy: An emerging pre-owned clothes market in Egypt? Business Forward AUC. https://businessforwardauc.com/2020/09/27/sustainability-the-circular-economy-an-emerging-pre-owned-clothes-market-in-egypt/
Statista.(2024). Apparel-Egypt: Statista market forecast. Retrieved July 25, 2024, from: https://www.statista.com/outlook/cmo/apparel/egypt
Statista(2024).Secondhand apparel market worldwide 2021-2028. Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/826162/apparel-resale-market-value-worldwide/
Tabikha, K.(2023). Cairo’s thriving used-clothes market is a sign of the times. The National. https://www.thenationalnews.com/weekend/2023/04/21/cairos-thriving-used-clothes-market-is-a-sign-of-the-times/
Talaat, R. M. (2022). Fashion consciousness, materialism, and fashion clothing purchase involvement of young fashion consumers in Egypt: The mediating role of materialism. Journal of Humanities and Applied Social Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHASS-05-2021-0063
UNDP. (2023). Sustainable development goals. United Nations Development Programme. https://www.undp.org/sustainable-development-goals
Virgens, N., Silva, S., & Laranjeira, E. (2022). Applications of the circular economy to the second-hand textile and clothing market: The case of Humana in Portugal. International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/17543266.2022.2150447 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17543266.2022.2150447
Xu, Y., Chen, Y., Burman, R., & Zhao, H. (2014). Second-hand clothing consumption: A cross-cultural comparison between American and Chinese young consumers. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 38(6), 670-677. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.12139 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.12139
Yang, J., et al. (2024). Predicting the significance of consumer environmental values, beliefs, and norms for sustainable fashion behaviors: The case of second-hand clothing. Asia Pacific Management Review. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmrv.2024.04.001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmrv.2024.01.001
Zahid, N., Khan, J., & Tao, M. (2022). Exploring mindful consumption, ego involvement, and social norms influencing second-hand clothing purchase. Current Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-02657-9 doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-02657-9 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-02657-9
Authors
Copyright (c) 2025 Sawsan M. Elsharkawi, Jie Sun

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
- The Author shall grant to the Publisher and its agents the nonexclusive perpetual right and license to publish, archive, and make accessible the Work in whole or in part in all forms of media now or hereafter known under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License or its equivalent, which, for the avoidance of doubt, allows others to copy, distribute, and transmit the Work under the following conditions:
- Attribution: other users must attribute the Work in the manner specified by the author as indicated on the journal Web site;
With the understanding that the above condition can be waived with permission from the Author and that where the Work or any of its elements is in the public domain under applicable law, that status is in no way affected by the license.
- The Author is able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the nonexclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the Work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), as long as there is provided in the document an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post online a pre-publication manuscript (but not the Publisher's final formatted PDF version of the Work) in institutional repositories or on their Websites prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (see The Effect of Open Access). Any such posting made before acceptance and publication of the Work shall be updated upon publication to include a reference to the Publisher-assigned DOI (Digital Object Identifier) and a link to the online abstract for the final published Work in the Journal.
- Upon Publisher's request, the Author agrees to furnish promptly to Publisher, at the Author's own expense, written evidence of the permissions, licenses, and consents for use of third-party material included within the Work, except as determined by Publisher to be covered by the principles of Fair Use.
- The Author represents and warrants that:
- The Work is the Author's original work;
- The Author has not transferred, and will not transfer, exclusive rights in the Work to any third party;
- The Work is not pending review or under consideration by another publisher;
- The Work has not previously been published;
- The Work contains no misrepresentation or infringement of the Work or property of other authors or third parties; and
- The Work contains no libel, invasion of privacy, or other unlawful matter.
- The Author agrees to indemnify and hold Publisher harmless from Author's breach of the representations and warranties contained in Paragraph 7 above, as well as any claim or proceeding relating to Publisher's use and publication of any content contained in the Work, including third-party content.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Article Details
Accepted 2024-12-22
Published 2025-03-27
