Apparel acquisition: why more is less?

In recent years, issues of responsible consumption and environmental sustainability have received increased attention in the literature. Many scholars in the apparel scholarship have researched for solutions to promote responsible consumption of apparels in consumers. Despite the promotion of responsible consumption of apparels by various scholars and marketers, observations show that consumers remain upbeat in apparel acquisition and are continuously buying apparels in large quantities and frequencies, which may seem that most consumers are purchasing more than what they actually need. Other areas of marketing and consumer behaviour have showed that consumers are in fact aware about the importance of responsible consumption and environmental sustainability, and thus, there may be some hidden rationales for consumer on-going rise in purchase and consumption of apparels. This study, therefore, attempts to fill in this gap by extending knowledge in the current scholarship by exploring for the underlying reasons for consumer apparel acquisitions. The study is exploratory in nature and employs a qualitative research approach using indepth interviews as a method of data collection. Findings from the study suggest that consumers acquire apparels due to peer pressure, selfidentity, job requirement, price and convenience, and retailer’s influence. Notably, consumers see it to be more beneficial to consume more apparel to avoid lesser disappointments in relation to personal and societal expectations. Implications and recommendations from research findings are also presented.