Introduction

The fashion industry stands as a cornerstone of global culture, influencing not only how we present ourselves but also our emotional well-being and societal trends. In recent decades, the rapid pace of globalisation has profoundly transformed this sector, with significant implications for consumer behaviour and market dynamics. Based on McKinsey’s (n.d.) examination of fashion projections, the worldwide sector anticipates a modest growth rate ranging between 2% and 4% in 2024, although this may vary at regional and national levels. Similar to previous trends, the luxury market is projected to contribute the largest portion of overall economic gains. Nonetheless, businesses within this segment are likely to face difficulties amid challenging economic conditions. The sector is projected to experience a worldwide growth rate of 3%–5%, a decrease from the 5%–7% seen in 2023, as consumers adjust their spending following a surge post-pandemic. This underscores its substantial economic importance and broad influence on individuals globally. Amid this globalisation movement, one of the most notable shifts has been the rise of fast fashion, characterised by its ability to provide consumers with a vast array of clothing choices at affordable prices.

Fast fashion has redefined success in the industry, offering accessibility and affordability to a diverse consumer base. Statista’s research predicts that the fashion market will witness substantial growth, with revenues projected to soar to around US$770.90 billion by 2024 and potentially reach US$1,183.00 billion by 2029, boasting an annual growth rate of 8.94% (Statista Market Forecast, n.d.). The number of users is expected to surge to 2.8 billion by 2029, with user penetration rising from 33.3% in 2024 to an estimated 37.8% by 2029. The average revenue per user (ARPU) is forecasted to be approximately US$369.20. This phenomenon has enabled consumers to continuously update their wardrobes, contributing to a culture of rapid consumption and disposability. However, alongside its convenience, fast fashion has sparked debates surrounding sustainability, ethical production practices, and its impact on both the environment and labour rights.

Over recent decades, both the manufacturing and use of clothing have seen a steady rise, driven by factors such as the rapid expansion of the population, rising worldwide incomes, and improved living conditions (Shirvanimoghaddam et al., 2020). Style encompasses our entire way of life, including our attire, diet, leisure activities and method of spending time with others. Therefore, fashion plays a crucial role in our daily lives, or what is known as our ‘lifestyle’. The political, social and cultural climate of a society are reflected in its fashion. This visual representation is available for us to see in our daily lives, at museums, in books and other publications, and even when we watch it in a theatre. These visual components were recognised by ancient civilisations in the clothing worn by kings, priests and soldiers to carry out their religious, political or military duties. To ‘belong’ to a community, people kept adorning their clothes and the emblems connected to their respective professions. But starting in the 20th century, society began to open up, and clothing became more widely worn, reflecting both the social class of the wearer and their environment. The mass media, fashion icons and post-industrial production systems all had a significant influence on how cultures lived in this century.

In today’s world, the textile industry is flourishing and expanding high-speed technology according to changing trends. The main motto of the industry is to produce modern, stylish designs and clothes with various materials like fibre, yarn, fabrics and so on. In the global textile industry, China holds the position of being the largest exporter and producer of textiles worldwide. According to trade data from the World Bank, the top five export countries in terms of textiles are as follows: China leads with an estimated export value of US$263,353.18 million, accounting for approximately 33.69% of the export market share. Germany closely follows with a similar export value of US$263,353.18 million, contributing 33.69% to the export sector. Italy ranks third with exports totalling US$36,662.55 million, representing a share of 4.69% in the export market. India follows closely behind, with exports valued at US$36,544.45 million, making up 4.67% of the export market. Vietnam rounds up the top five with exports amounting to US$31,779.09 million, contributing 4.06% to the overall exports. Additionally, in the global textile and clothing business segment, the United States stand out as the primary importing country, while Germany holds the position of the second-largest importer globally, followed by Japan, the United Kingdom and China.

Textile Industry in India

The textile industry in India holds a significant historical legacy as one of the oldest sectors in the country. It encompasses a diverse range of products, including hand-spun and hand-woven textiles. The decentralised power looms, hosiery and knitting sectors represent the largest components within the textile industry. The textile industry is unique when compared with other industries because of the ancient culture and traditions of the country. In India, the textile industry has adequate capacity to produce a wide variety of products according to different market segments within India and throughout the world.

The textile industry in India employs approximately 45 million workers, which includes 3.522 million handloom workers nationwide. Between April and December 2021, exports of all types of textile materials, excluding handmade carpets and jute manufacturing, reached a value of US$29.8 billion. Projections suggest that the Indian textiles market will surpass US$209 billion by the year 2029. As per Invest India (n.d.), the Indian textile and apparel market was valued at roughly $165 billion in 2022, with $125 billion attributed to the domestic market and $40 billion to exports. Projections suggest that the industry’s market size will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 10%, reaching $350 billion by 2030.

Consumerism

The prevailing perception among many individuals is that fashion is primarily about wearing trendy clothes or designs. However, the commonly accepted definition of fashion revolves around ‘a prevailing style of dress during a specific period or among a particular social group’. There exists a widespread lack of awareness regarding various aspects of fashion. Modern fashion is significantly influenced by consumption and consumerism. The choices people make in terms of what they buy, their reasons for purchasing, preferences for product quality or brands and shopping destinations all contribute to the social and environmental impact of the fashion industry. Consumerism can shape the fashion industry through the selection of products that individuals opt to purchase.

The fashion industry affects our emotional health, which makes it an important part of our lives. Fashion is about people and art before it becomes a tremendously profitable enterprise. But over the past few decades, the globalisation movement has taken over the world. As a result, among the industries most impacted by the shift in the global economy is the fashion sector. Fast fashion is a new definition of success since it gives us access to a wide selection of clothes at lower prices and enables us to regularly update our wardrobes. Numerous businesses, like Zara, H&M, Nike, Adidas and others, were early adopters of the fast fashion movement and grew richer by mass-producing inexpensive clothing and regularly releasing new styles that follow trends. As consumers, we are impressed by this new cloth arrival, and people consume more and more without thinking of its existing cloth life cycle or other information related to the clothes, especially the drawbacks to the environment, economy and so on. Within this evolving landscape, understanding consumer behaviour becomes paramount for businesses seeking to thrive in the competitive fashion market. Demographic segmentation stands out as a vital approach in this pursuit, providing valuable insights into the specific preferences and drivers of various consumer segments. Through analysing demographic elements like age, gender, income and geographic location, companies can customise their marketing tactics and merchandise selection to more effectively connect with their desired customer base. Keeping these points in mind, the researcher has chosen the area of the study to explore the influence of demographic segmentation on the rationale for clothing purchases, shedding light on the complex interplay between consumer demographics and the reason for buying clothes. So, this study aims to know the effect of demographic variables towards reason for buying clothes.

Review of Literature

Chi et al. (2023) analyse how stimuli provided by fashion rental services have a more significant influence on consumers’ perceived utilitarian and hedonic value compared to perceived performance, financial, and social risks. Tryphena and Aram (2023) explore consumer perceptions and behaviours regarding the purchase of sustainable or eco-friendly clothing. Bläse et al. (2024) emphasise the impact of Fear of Missing Out on driving fast fashion consumption and its adverse effects on brand credibility, with implications for sustainable fashion choices. Zhang et al. (2023) investigate and profile Generation Z consumers engaged in sustainable fashion consumption. Ponnambalam et al. (2023) identify and analyse barriers to implementing textile recycling in India, covering various aspects of sustainability. Dangelico et al. (2022) examine factors influencing green consumer behavioural intentions in the clothing industry. Papadopoulou et al. (2022) assess customers’ knowledge, attitudes and behaviours towards sustainability issues in fast fashion contexts. Han et al. (2022) explore the positive relationship between consumer confidence and intentions to make green purchases. Mandari? et al. (2022) study consumer attitudes towards fashion brand sustainability and its impact on purchasing decisions. Vladimirova (2021) focuses on consumption corridors in fashion, highlighting the motivations behind voluntary reductions in apparel consumption. Abrar et al. (2021) investigate the motivations of Generation Y and Z consumers for purchasing green apparel. Blas Riesgo et al. (2023) identify segments of sustainable fashion consumers in Spain and analyse the drivers and barriers to sustainable fashion consumption. Milne et al. (2020) explore various perspectives on mindful consumption, including economic-based consumption, monitoring firm activities and understanding the impact of consumption choices. Yi?it (2020) examines the role of hedonic shopping value and mood in the relationship between consumer mindfulness and impulse buying behaviour. Djafarova and Bowes (2021) investigate stimuli evoking positive emotions in Generation Z females, leading to impulse purchases. Paço et al. (2021) study consumers’ clothing disposal behaviours, motivations and perceptions of second-hand apparel in the context of sustainable clothing purchases. Rathinamoorthy (2019) analysed the knowledge on sustainability fashion. It provides the noted behaviour of the consumer towards sustainable apparel brands, purchases and utilisation. Khare (2020) explores how past environmental actions, the influence of environmentally conscious peers and knowledge about eco-friendly clothing affect Indian consumers’ assessment of the perceived advantages of green apparel. Saha et al. (2019) study analysed the awareness of green fashion among young Indian consumers. All the previous existing studies were focused on sustainable consumption, which focused in general on all the products. Only a few studies covered TAF products. Nevertheless, there remains a gap that comprehensively explores the effect of demographic variables on the reason for buying clothes. The study assesses advancements and trends in research to provide insights for various stakeholders.

Research Methodology

The research is empirical in nature. The relationship between people and objects (clothes) is governed by various reasons that influence consumer purchase behaviour. Remember that the purpose of the study is to find out how certain demographic factors affect clothing purchases. The necessary data are gathered for this purpose through primary data collected by using structured questionnaires. The questionnaire and its variables were developed with the assistance of prior literature. The questionnaire is divided into two sections: the first section includes demographic variables, and the second section includes a variety of questions pertaining to the reasons behind wearing more clothes. The questions are posted in a Google Form and are only available in English. A variety of publications, including books, magazines, newspapers and news items, are used to gather secondary data. This study utilised a sample size of 100 respondents selected through the snowball technique.

Results and Discussion

An attempt has been made to know the effect of demographic segmentation on fashion clothes; 100 respondents have been selected for the study through a mail survey. Keeping this in mind, percentage analysis, the chi-square test and one-way ANOVA have been applied to attain the results.

Table 1 indicates that 83% of respondents are female. The largest demographic group, comprising 69% of respondents, falls within the 18–25 age bracket. Additionally, 65% of respondents are unmarried. A majority of 51% have attained either a diploma or graduate degree. Furthermore, 37% of respondents identify as students. In terms of income, the majority (67%) earn less than `25,000. Similarly, 67% of respondents come from nuclear families. Lastly, 47% of respondents reside in rural areas.

Table 1. Socioeconomic Profile of the Respondents.

Source: Primary data.

 

Table 2 reveals that the mean score for wearing clothes to build confidence is 4.57, with a standard deviation of 0.590. Moreover, the mean score is more than 4.0 towards clothes that make the respondents secure, clothes that make them happy and clothing that gives them uniqueness. It is concluded that the respondents give their opinion and agree. There is no deviation in their opinion on these four variables. The mean score is more than 3.0 towards the variables such as feeling better than what others have, being more susceptible to advertising than I believe, wearing clothes making me compensate for my deficiencies, finding myself happy or satisfied when I buy more stuff, thinking that I am stubborn in my buying habits, limited offers and discounts rushing me to buy more, buying the clothes that will be scarce in the shop and dress sense shaping my image. Only two variables have a value a value less than 3.0. Hence, it is concluded that out of 14 variables, 12 variables have a mean score greater than 3.0. Hence, respondents agreed with variables on the reason for buying clothes.

Table 2. Descriptive Statistics (Reason for Buying Clothes).

Source: Primary data.

 

Association Between Monthly Income and Purchasing of Clothes Per Year

In order to determine the association between monthly income and the purchase of clothes per year, the chi-square has been applied.

H₀: Monthly income and the purchase of clothes per year are independent.

H₁: Monthly income and the purchase of clothes per year are related.

Table 3 shows that a maximum 34.8% of respondents towards buying clothes 5–10 per year are below the `25,000 income categories, followed by 27.3% of respondents towards less than 5 per year in the same category of income group. Moreover, the chi-square value is 24.081 and the P value is less than .05 at the 5% significant level. Hence, the null hypothesis is rejected. Therefore, there is a highly significant association between monthly income and the purchase of clothes per year.

Table 3. Monthly Income and Purchasing of Clothes Per Year.

Source: Primary data.

Association Between Purchasing of Clothes Per Year and Possession of Clothes

In order to know the association between the purchase of clothes per year and the possession of clothes, chi-square has been applied.

H₀: There is no association between the purchase of clothes per year and the possession of clothes.

H₁: There is an association between the purchase of clothes per year and the possession of clothes.

Table 4 denotes that a maximum 63.9% of respondents who buy clothes from 5 to 10 per year possess less than 50 clothes, followed by 86.4% of respondents who buy less than 5 per year and have less than 50 clothes in their wardrobe. A maximum of 38.5% of respondents who buy clothes from 15 to 20 per year have more than 100 clothes. Moreover, the chi-square value is 38.660, and the P value is less than .05 at the 5% significant level. Hence, the null hypothesis is rejected; therefore, there is a highly significant association between the purchase of clothes per year and the possession of clothes.

Table 4. Purchasing of Clothes Per Year and Possession of Clothes.

Source: Primary data.

 

Relationship Between Age and Reasons for Buying Clothes

In order to know the relationship between age and reasons for buying clothes, a one-way ANOVA has been applied.

H₀: There is no relationship between age and reasons for buying clothes.

           H₁: There is a relationship between age and reasons for buying clothes.

Table 5 indicates that all 14 variables’ P values are greater than the conventional significance level of .05. Therefore, we fail to reject the null hypothesis for these variables. This suggests that there is no significant relationship between age and the reasons for buying clothes represented by these variables. Based on the ANOVA results and the given null hypothesis, we do not find sufficient evidence to reject the hypothesis that there is no relationship between age and the reasons for buying clothes.

Table 5. Age and Reasons for Buying Clothes.

Source: Primary data.

 

In order to know the relationship between income and reasons for buying clothes, a one-way ANOVA has been applied.

H₀: There is no relationship between income and reasons for buying clothes.

           H₁: There is a relationship between income and reasons for buying clothes.

Table 6 reveals that all 14 variables’ P values are greater than the conventional significance level of .05. Therefore, we fail to reject the null hypothesis for these variables. This suggests that there is no significant relationship between income and the reasons for buying clothes represented by these variables. Based on the ANOVA results and the given null hypothesis, we do not find sufficient evidence to reject the hypothesis that there is no relationship between income and the reasons for buying clothes for the variables.

Table 6. Relationship Between Income and Reasons for Buying Clothes.

Source: Primary data.

 

Discussions, Future Research Directions and Limitations

An important factor in clothing purchases is one’s emotional state. It is vital to examine consumerism since it has a significant bearing on economics and how businesses are conducted. From an economic standpoint, widespread consumerism drives people to spend more money on products and services, which boosts demand and propels economic expansion. Mass consumption, according to many critics of consumerism, depletes natural resources, generates a huge quantity of garbage that needs to be disposed of, and exacerbates environmental issues at practically every step of the production process. One of the main causes of consumerism is online shopping. These days, regardless of their socioeconomic background, there are those who purchase more garments than they need. Therefore, the study helps society reduce the excess of buying clothes.

Policy Implications

Policymakers must develop regulations and policies that promote sustainability while safeguarding the environment and consumers through organic clothing consumption. Furthermore, policymakers must develop policies that address labelling with bar codes, ensuring that all consumers have access to know supply chain transparency through blockchain technology.

Managerial Implications

The need for marketers to create awareness campaigns through mass media aimed at distinguishing between sustainable and non-sustainable products and services can be implemented globally to encourage sustainable consumer behaviour, thereby contributing to both the company’s and the country’s achievement of sustainable development goals.

Research Implications

Therefore, future studies should consider widening the sampling to attain more diversification on the basis of the demographic and geographic aspects, which would increase the validity of the findings. Table 7 offers a more in-depth discussion of existing research and future research suggestions for each of these scientific areas.

Table 7. Current Research and Suggestions for Future Research.

 

In conclusion, the ultimate goal for future studies is to test this article’s conceptualisation/measures within other settings to fully understand involvement with other categories of products as well as other segments of consumers. Future research may, for example, include variables related to values, personality and situational, social or cultural aspects to provide a more comprehensive understanding of fashion clothing involvement construct. In addition, further research should look into how new formats of the stores (i.e. online marketing, viral marketing, etc.). as well as the infrastructural developments could influence customers’ shopping styles/values or their clothing involvement.

Limitations

The sample is somewhat heterogenous and consisting of consumers with restricted purchasing power. Because a major focus of the article was on consumer involvement in fashion clothing. Likewise, the product category chosen for this article was fashion clothing; yet, different attitudes can be formed towards different products. This study used a non-probability snowball sampling technique which was adequate for the purpose of this study. The sample was selected from one region in Tamil Nadu (i.e. Salem) and the participants’ number was relatively small, which can undermine the possibility to generalise the results to the rest of the state. While this study reviewed existing research on sustainability and fast fashion, it did not conduct any specific analysis or generate findings related to sustainability.

Conclusion

This study provides a crucial contribution to the understanding of the complexities of consumer behaviour within the dynamic fashion landscape. The study also unravelled the intricate interplay between demographic characteristics and consumer preferences. Consumption permeates every aspect of our lives and organises our daily schedules. Our societal and personal experiences are becoming more and more shaped by the values, meanings and costs associated with the things we consume. The main factors enforcing our actions are the demographic as well as socioeconomic characteristics of the respondents. Without demographic segmentation, it is impossible to understand what the customers want. Demographic segmentation helps the corporation with market segmentation and also determines the purchasing attitude of respondents. Therefore, it is concluded that demographic segmentation does not significantly impact the reason for purchasing clothes.

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.

Funding

The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.

ORCID iDs

Brinda Sree  https://orcid.org/0009-0003-5790-3104

R. Kavitha  https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8527-0808