Fast Fashion, Loose Ethics

Fast Fashion, Loose Ethics?
Prepared by Aliesha Duffin
Student Number: 2011001324
RESEARCH OBJECTIVE
The aim of this research is to examine whether or not there is a link
between a consumer’s awareness of a companies ethical standards and
buyer behavior within the fastfashion industry in New Zealand.

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Table of Contents
1 ABSTRACT 4
2 INTRODUCTION 5
3 RESEARCH OBJECTIVE 5
3.1 RESEARCH QUESTIONS 5
3.2 OVERVIEW OF SUBJECT 5
3.3 KEY TERMS 6
3.4 LIMITATIONS TO RESEARCH 6
4 LITERATURE REVIEW 6
4.1 FAST FASHION 7
4.2 ETHICS AND FAST FASHION 7
4.3 FAST FASHION ETHICAL STANDARDS 8
4.4 COMPANIES ETHICAL STANDARDS 8
4.5 CONSUMER AWARENESS 9
4.6 BUYER BEHAVIOR IN NEW ZEALAND 9
4.7 CONSUMER RESPONSIBILITY AND FAST FASHION 10
4.8 METHODOLOGIES 11
4.9 TIMELINE AND BUDGET 12
5 METHODOLOGY 13
5.1 INTRODUCTION 13
5.2 RESEARCH TOOLS 13
5.2.1 FOCUS GROUP 13
5.2.2 SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEW 14
5.2.3 QUESTIONNAIRE 14
5.2.4 SECONDARY RESEARCH 15
5.3 RESEARCH METHODS 15
5.4 SAMPLING 15
5.5 ISSUES 16
6 FINDINGS 17
6.1 QUESTIONNAIRE 17
6.1.1 AGE GROUP 17
6.1.2 HOW OFTEN DO YOU PURCHASE NEW CLOTHES? 17
6.1.3 WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVOURITE FAST FASHION STORES TO PURCHASE
FROM? 18
6.1.4 WHAT FACTORS ARE MOST IMPORTANT TO YOU WHEN SHOPPING FOR CLOTHES?
18
6.1.5 ARE YOU AWARE OF WHERE THE CLOTHING YOU PURCHASED IS MANUFACTURED?
19

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6.1.6 ARE YOU AWARE OF WHERE THE RAW MATERIAL OF THE CLOTHING IS SOURCED?
19
6.1.7 ARE YOU AWARE OF UNETHICAL PRACTICES OCCURRING IN FAST FASHION? 20
6.1.8 IF YOU ARE AWARE, DOES THIS INFLUENCE YOUR PURCHASING DECISIONS? 20
6.2 SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEW 22
6.3 FOCUS GROUP 23
8 ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF FINDINGS 25
8.1 CONSUMER AWARENESS 25
8.2 BUYER BEHAVIOUR 26
8.3 FACTORS THAT IMPACT PURCHASING DECISIONS 26
8.4 NEW ZEALAND CONSUMERS FAST FASHION PURCHASES 27
9 CONCLUSION 28
10 RECOMMENDATIONS 29
10.1 CONSUMERS RESPONSIBILITY 29
10.2 MANUFACTURER’S RESPONSIBILITY 29
10.3 NEW ZEALAND CONSUMERS AND FAST FASHION 29
11 REFERENCES: 31
12 APPENDICES 33
12.1 APPENDIX 1 33
12.2 APPENDIX 2 34
12.3 APPENDIX 3 39

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1 Abstract
The aim of this research was to examine whether or not there is a link
between a consumer’s awareness of a companies ethical standards and
buyer behavior within the fast fashion industry in New Zealand. The author
chose an exploratory research methodology using a questionnaire, focus
group and a semi-structured interview in addition to secondary data using
online databases such as Proquest and Google Scholar.
The main findings that the author discovered was that New Zealand
consumers were not always aware of unethical practices that were occurring
in the manufacturing of fast fashion and also in the sourcing of raw products.
Where the consumers were aware of unethical practices occurring this had
little effect on their purchasing behavior and consumers continued to shop at
fast fashion stores regardless of their manufacturing standards, this was a
consistent result across all three methods the author chose to research. The
main factor that was prominent though out the methodology was that when
consumers were purchasing fast fashion was cost, and consumers wishing to
get a bargain whilst shopping.
Future recommendations that the author would suggest in the area of fast
fashion is as follows:
 Consumers taking more responsibility in regards to purchases in fast
fashion
 Manufacturers need to also be taking responsibility for ethical practices
occurring in fast fashion
 Research surrounding the New Zealand consumer and their
relationship with fast fashion

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2 Introduction
The purpose of this research is to identify whether or not New Zealand
consumers are aware of unethical practices that may be occurring within the
supply chain in some of their favourite affordable fast fashion brands. The
author hopes to identify whether or not consumers purchasing decisions are
affected by a companies unethical (or ethical) practices, and to what degree it
affects their buyer behavior.
3 Research Objective
The aim of this research is to examine whether or not there is a link between
a consumer’s awareness of a companies ethical standards and buyer
behavior within the fast fashion industry in New Zealand.
3.1 Research Questions
1. Are New Zealand consumers purchases in fast fashion influenced by a
companies ethical decisions?
2. Are New Zealand consumers aware of the unethical practices
occurring in the manufacturing of products or sourcing of materials?
3. Does a consumer’s awareness of unethical practices affect their buying
behavior?
4. What other factors are considered in a consumer purchasing
decisions?
3.2 Overview of Subject
In todays society it’s become apparent that more and more consumers are
looking at making ethical choices when it comes to purchases. They are
looking at the power of their dollar and wanting to make a difference with their
purchases. (Birch, 2009, Para. 1)This is what research that has been done in
the developed nations has told us, however companies still have unethical
practices occurring, especially when it comes to the manufacturing and
sourcing of products. Major fashion retailers such as The Just Group and
Glasson’s had questionable ethical standards in the manufacturing stage of
production according the Baptist World Aid report. (Baptist World Aid Report,
2015, P.1) When looking at why consumers will continue to shop at places
that have unethical practices, it is important to know if they are aware of what
is happening and if they have easy access to information. Many firms do not
have transparency when it comes to their supply chain, and some companies
did not have any idea of where they were sourcing their cotton. (Baptist World
Aid Report, 2015, P.12) This leads to businesses being unaware of whether
or not they are engaging in ethical practices, this is one of the biggest
problems when it comes to the fast fashion industries. The fast fashion
industry is injecting much needed money into under developing countries
therefore its important that businesses ensure they are doing it in an ethical
fashion. However if consumers purchase decisions are not influenced by
unethical practices then it’s unlikely that the industry will change. The author

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has included a broad overview for the Baptist World Aid Fashion Report, as it
was the catalyst that initiated their research topic.
The Baptist World Aid Fashion report was released in April 2015 and it
identified several companies that operate within New Zealand with a high
level of unethical practices when it came to manufacturing and the sourcing of
raw materials. The report looked at many companies and brands such as
Cotton On, Kmart, the Just Group and Glasson’s to name a few. Some major
issues that the report looks at include workers wages, since the previous
report came out industry wages in Bangladesh have risen 75% although it still
has the lowest wages in the world, living off of US$68 a month. 91% of
companies could not state where the cotton was sourced. Uzbekistan was
one of the most notorious countries for using child labour. Many leading
fashion retail brands such as Levi’s Straus, Kathmandu and Jeanswest have
boycotted buying cotton from this country. This has resulted in the country no
longer systematically using child labour, however there are concerns that it is
still being used and forced adult labour is on the rise. This is just one example
of forced child labour, its also dominant in most phases of the supply chain.
Other countries include Ethiopia, India, Argentina and Turkey to name a few.
(Baptist World Aid, 2015, P.13)
3.3 Key Terms
Fast Fashion
Fast fashion is low cost clothing companies that emulate current fashion
trends that are seen on runways. Trends are changing so quickly and stores
are rotating stock out so quickly that it has become known as fast fashion.
(Joy, Sherry, Venkatesh, Wang & Chan, 2012, P.274)
Ethical Standards
Whilst there is a not a standardized definition for the term ethical standards
the business directory states that it’s a set of principles that when followed,
promote values such as trust, kindness, good behavior and fairness.
(Business Dictionary, 2015, Para. 1)
3.4 Limitations to Research
Limitations to the proposed research that the author may find could be due to
the nature of fast fashion being a relatively new phenomenon the lack of
academic studies done around the topic. Further more it will be limited due to
being in relation to the New Zealand context and additionally the selected
population for the chosen methodologies is the student body.
4 Literature Review
Fast Fashion is a huge industry that is changing the fashion game, allowing
consumers to purchase runway looks at a fraction of the price. Whilst there is
a lot of literature surrounding the topic, this review will focus on 6 key themes

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fast fashion, ethics and fast fashion, companies’ ethical standards, fast
fashion ethical standards, consumer awareness and buyer behavior in New
Zealand. Although these themes are present in the literature in a variety of
contexts, this paper will relate them to consumer’s awareness of ethical
standards within the fast fashion industry and also buyer behavior within the
New Zealand fast fashion industry.
4.1 Fast Fashion
Within the New Zealand market Fast fashion is growing with homegrown
brands such as Glasson’s going stronger than ever and international fashion
houses looking at entering the New Zealand market. A news article released
last year on retailnews.com stated that fast fashion mega houses H&M, Zara,
Top Shop and Uniqlo are looking at moving into the New Zealand market after
already having great success in Australia. (Retail News, 2014, Para. 4).
However a study done by Joy et al (2012, P.282) examined the relationship
between fast fashion and sustainability and they found that in regards to the
consumers they spoke to that although they were purchasing in fast fashion
stores such as Zara and H&M, they also considered themselves to be
concerned about the environment, the consumers that they looked at were
from Hong Kong and Canada. This literature clearly shows that there is a
need within the New Zealand market for more fast fashion houses, especially
for consumers who can currently only purchase from these international fast
fashion houses either online, or whilst overseas. Also fast fashion mega
houses can take comfort from overseas trends of environmentally concerned
consumers choosing fast fashion over their environmental apprehensions.
4.2 Ethics and Fast Fashion
Ethics and fast fashion go hand in hand, with many consumers questioning
where their clothing is coming from, and the practices that are happening in
the manufacturing stage. A statement that was given in an interview to 3News
in 2014 from World designer Francis Hooper stated, "Basically fast fashion is
instant gratification. It's when you don't think about what you're consuming,"
"Nothing's wrong with fast fashion but what I see of course is the consumer
isn't aware of the supply chain and what is involved in delivering fast fashion
to you." (Penfold, 2014) The news article also examined the fact that we are
asking where our eggs are coming from, where our pork is coming from and
that NZ consumers are concerned if the animals are not being humanely
treated. Now NZ consumers are going to start asking where their clothing
comes from and are humans being humanely treated in the process of getting
cheap clothing.
With consumers changing the way that they look at purchasing there is
sufficient research around the concept of an ethical consumer. Ethical
consumer is a term that is used to refer to describe consumers who are
concerned with factors such as environmental issues, animal issues and
ethical issues. Doane (2011) stated that the “New Economics Foundations

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suggested that despite the rapid growth of ethical consumerism to date, this is
only the beginning of a market which has immense future potential.” (As cited
in Shaw, Grehan, Shiu, Hassan, & Thompson, 2005, Para. 1) This is an
important term to consider when it comes to fast fashion and purchasing
decisions.
4.3 Fast Fashion Ethical Standards
With fast fashion manufacturing predominantly being done in developing
nations, it is important to look at the standard practices occurring in this
offshore production, which are generally practices that would not be able to
happen within the New Zealand Market. In 2011 manufacturing in China
(which accounts for almost half of all manufacturing in developing nations)
grew 14.5%. (UNIDO, 2011, Para. 2,4) this increase of manufacturing
although great for developing nations economies, provides more room for
unethical practices to occur. Some of the unethical practices that have been
called into question include long hours in demanding working conditions,
wages below the standard living wage and forced overtime. (Reinhard,
Schmidt, Rutzel and Zentgraf, 2013, Para. 1) Taking a closer look at these
unethical practices Reinhard et al (2013) revealed that in China workers were
often working 7 days a week, 12-13 hour days sewing until their arms were
sore. In Thailand garment workers were working obligatory overtime and
having to face verbal abuse, penalties and even dismissal if they are unable
to work the extra hours. Workers health and safety was also a major concern
with employees risking loss of wages or their job if they need to seek medical
treatment. Moreover women were risking their reproductive health with
exposure to chemicals, exhaustion and overworking. (Reinhard et al, 2013,
Para. 3)
Sexual harassment is a common issue that arises in these garment factories
due to the nature of the work with women being the main employees.
Research showed that many employers did not understand what constituted
sexual harassment. In garment factories in Guangzhou, China over 70% of
workers had been faced with sexual harassment this is a staggering statistic.
(Brones, 2015, Para. 7) Being aware of the standards in which the majority of
fast fashion clothing is an important factor to consider when consumers are
making purchases, however due to the lack of transparency within many
retailers supply chains (Baptist World Aid, 2015, P. 20) the reality is not in the
consumers face and therefore many consumers may be unaware unless they
have taken the time to research the subject themselves.
4.4 Companies Ethical Standards
When looking at fast fashion brands within New Zealand, the literature shows
that there is a continuous lack of transparency within releasing details of
supply chains and sourcing of raw materials. A report released by Wilson,
(2013) investigating imported clothing looked at some of the biggest brands in
the New Zealand market. Some of the biggest companies on the report
including Farmers, Glassons, Ezibuy and The Just Group does not publish its

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suppliers details. Furthermore these companies have stated that they have
not in fact visited their manufacturing factories and are relying on third party
information. This highlights certain major players in the fast fashion game lack
of concern of their off shore workers and what happens in their manufacturing
stage of the supply chain.
Based on a review of the websites information whilst researching companies
ethical sourcing practices, it was apparent that certain companies such as
Glasson’s (Glasson’s, 2015) failed to mention their ethical standards at all
whereas certain companies like The Just Group had a ambiguous ethical
sourcing code available that lacked in transparency and authenticity. This
includes statements such as “The Group complies with all laws in the
countries in which product is sourced” (The Just Group, 2015) whilst this is a
fine statement to make it does not suggest that The Just Group goes above
and beyond to ensure ethical standards are met and not just the bare
minimum in the developing nations they are manufacturing in.
4.5 Consumer Awareness
Although there is a variety of research around consumer awareness the
author chose to focus on consumer awareness that was also related to more
ethical a study completed in India relating to consumer awareness and
perception towards green products amongst youths showed that although
awareness level towards green products was quite high, that the conversion
into purchase was low. (Kumar, Garg, & Makkar, 2012) Another study that
was published by the International Journal of Consumer Studies stated that
you could put fashion shoppers into three different categories ‘self consumers’
concerned with hedonistic needs, ‘social consumers’ concerned with social
image and ‘sacrifice consumers’ who aim to reduce their impact on the world.
These three different groups have different implications for marketers and
they way that they are marketing sustainable fashion products, with each
group being significantly different. (McNeill and Moore, 2015) This research
identifies that fast fashion firms need to be aware of the different types of
consumers and that they may lose consumers if they are engaging in
unethical practices.
4.6 Buyer Behavior in New Zealand
Literature surrounding buyer behavior within New Zealand and fast fashion
purchases was hard to find, however on a more global scale there is more
literature. A study that was conducted in 2013 looked into factors that resulted
in the avoidance of fast fashion purchases within Korea. They found that
previous literature stated that traditionally ethical and environmental factors
were the last items to be considered in regards to a purchase in fast fashion
and that purchases were made without considering ethical concerns.
(Joergens, 2006 as cited by Niinimäki, 2010) However the author of this study
found that young consumers purchasing fast fashion were increasingly
concerned with ethical factors in regards to production. The author noted that
since many fast fashion houses were producing large amounts of low quality

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clothing this resulted in excess consumption, also they were more likely to be
disposed of within a year or 2, thus also creating environmental concerns
along with ethical ones. (Kim, Ho, & Yoon, 2013) Although the Korean market
differs from the New Zealand market, similar trends could occur within the
New Zealand market resulting in consumers purchasing products despite any
ethical concerns they may have.
There is conflicting opinions in regards to a consumers ethical beliefs and
their purchasing decisions, another study conducted in 2014 examining the
relationship between personal values and ethical fashion consumption, the
results showed that when a consumer has an openness to experience
personal values and also if they are subject to self enhancement then they are
more likely to participate in ethical purchasing behavior in fast fashion.
(Manchiraju, & Sadachar, 2014). This study reflects a growing concern from
consumers, and is important to note when it comes to buying behavior of fast
fashion.
Although literature relating to buyer behavior within the New Zealand market a
report examining the consumer lifestyle of New Zealanders that was released
in 2014 stated that the financial situation is improving and that this has been
reflected in their spending. It also showed that purchase decisions were
increasingly being effected by factors such as sustainability and personal
health. (Euromonitor International, 2014, P.1) From this report it can be
gathered that although New Zealand consumers are spending more, their
concern with sustainable products could affect the way that they perceive fast
fashion.
4.7 Consumer Responsibility and Fast Fashion
Whilst it is obvious that change within the fast fashion industry needs to come
from manufacturing and retailers it is also clear that consumers are an
important factor when it comes to fast fashion. Elisa Niemtzow the director of
consumer sectors at BSW released an article in 2013 in regards to the fact
that over 1.1 million people had signed a petition pressuring retailers to
provide safe working conditions in factories after the Rana Plaza collapse.
This indicates a shift from consumers in regards to the way that they purchase
and think about fast fashion. (Nimetzow, 2013)
The literature that is available regarding fast fashion, ethics and consumer
decision-making is vast, and however there is a notable lack of research done
in relation to the way that the New Zealand consumer is purchasing in relation
to fast fashion. The themes that the author has examined within the literature
review clearly link back to the authors research objectives, they have also
helped to identify a gap within the literature in regards to the New Zealand
consumers attitudes and purchasing behavior of fast fashion. The literature
shows that the factors that influence buyer behavior include cost, availability,
environmental concerns and ethical production. However the study in Hong

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Kong showed that although students stated that they were environmentally
concerned moreover when it came down to purchases this concerns were
waylaid over the other factors that were previously mentioned.
4.8 Methodologies
Methodologies in relation to the fast fashion industry have been largely
qualitative due to the nature of the research. Joy et al. (2013, P. 277) used
interviews in order gain a rich depth of data to analyse. This provided the
researchers with the ability to gain insight into the personalized opinions of
fast fashion consumers within the Hong Kong and Canadian market. After
examining the methodologies shown the literature the author has decided that
doing qualitative research in the form of focus groups and interviews will
gather the depth of information required for the authors research.

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4.9 Timeline and Budget
3/09 10/09 17/09 24/09 1/10 8/10 15/10 22/10 28/10 2/11 4-6/11
Write
questions for
focus groups
and interviews
x x
Conduct
methodologies
x x
Analyse data x
Write draft of
report
x x
Write final
report and
hand in
x x
Prepare
Posterand
hand in
x x
Presentation x

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5 Methodology
5.1 Introduction
Fast fashion methodologies for research are a relatively new phenomenon
within the fast fashion industry, in particular only a few studies have been
conducted within New Zealand therefore the methods that the researcher has
chosen are ones that have been previously used in similar research that has
been conducted in regards to the fast fashion industry. Whilst looking at the
literature it was evident that a lot of the research done was mainly qualitative
with a small amount of quantitative methods to back up the data. The nature
of the research is exploratory due to time constraints, and because the
research topic has not yet been explored in the New Zealand market. The
author will need to rely not only on conducting some qualitative methods but
also on secondary research and reviewing articles that have already
examined the topic in different parts of the world.
5.2 Research Tools
The research tools that the author has chosen to use include a semi-
structured interview, a questionnaire and a focus group. These three methods
are relevant to the type of research that is to be conducted and also within the
given timeframe.
5.2.1 Focus Group
Focus groups are an effective way to gather a depth of data in a short amount
of time and to also generate debate amongst the participants providing the
researcher with a more diverse set of opinions than may be gathered in an
interview. Focus groups are particularly useful to gather participant’s
knowledge and to draw on their own experiences in order to examine the way
that they think and to try to understand why they think that way. (Kitzinger,
1995, Para. 1)
There are many advantages to using a focus group whilst conducting
research, they can be cost effective and they can provide quick results. They
are also a fluid and a more holistic way to gather information as the moderator
is able to interact with the participants and therefore able to have flexibility
whilst conducting the discussion. They can also encourage participants who
may feel that they have no opinion on the topic to have something to say
whereas they may feel less likely to participate in a one on one interview. (Ball
State University, 2012, Pg. 2)
Whilst the advantages are numerous it is also important to note the
disadvantages that can come from using this method. Creating a time that
suits everyone can be difficult, also having conversations going off topic
during the discussion can occur. Whilst the group setting can help to gain
more information from people who might feel uncomfortable discussing the

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topic in a one on one interview, strong personalities may also dominate the
group and therefore the discussion may become one-sided. (Ball State
University, 2012, Pg.2) It is important for the researcher to take into account
all of these factors whilst structuring the focus group and preparing the
questions. Previous research that has been conducted regarding fast fashion
has used focus groups for the reasons stated above, a study titled
Consumption practices of fast fashion products a consumer-based approach
used focus groups in order to generate discussion and depth in relation to the
issue. (Gabrielli, Baghi, & Codeluppi 2013)
5.2.2 Semi-Structured Interview
A semi-structured interview is a useful tool used in research to generate a rich
depth of data and helps the researcher to have a more organic approach to
the interview and have the questions change as the interview progresses.
(Newton, 2010, Pg. 2) Previous research that has been conducted in the fast
fashion industry field is Joy et al. (2013, P. 277) who used interviews in order
gain a rich depth of data to analyse, this mirrors what the researcher is hoping
to achieve with their interviews and this is why they have chosen to use this
method.
The advantages of using a semi structured interview is the ability for the
researcher to change the questions as the interview progresses and not follow
the more rigid approach that the original interview follows. Another advantage
of this method is that it allows the interviewee to express their opinions they
can also provide the researcher with reliable and comparative data. (Cohen
and Crabtree, 2006, Para. 3) Whilst the advantages include providing a depth
of data and is a great holistic approach there is always the possibility of the
participant being dishonest or generating answers they feel are more
politically correct than what is their actual opinion. Also as this is a single
person’s opinion it does not reflect the greater community and therefore the
bias (if any) needs to be noted by the researcher. (Resources HWB, N.D)
5.2.3 Questionnaire
Questionnaires are a great way to generate a lot of data in a short amount of
time. Although the data collected does not have great depth they are a
practical method to use, which are also generally cost effective. The results
can be quantified quickly and easily through the use of programs such as
excel. When the data has been collected and quantified it is then easy to
compare to other research that has already been completed. (Libweb, 2004)
With the use of tools such as Google Forms and Survey Monkey researchers
are able to distribute a large amount of surveys to a wide audience and also
customize the audience that they are aiming to reach.
Disadvantages of using a questionnaire are that there is no way to tell if the
respondent is being honest, also they may answer questions incorrectly or
skip them altogether. (Libweb, 2004) These disadvantages are important to
consider due to the time constraints the researcher is under. The choice of
using a survey has been made in conjunction with focus groups and

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interviews. The survey will serve the purpose of providing data to shape the
focus group and interview questions.
5.2.4 Secondary Research
The secondary research that will primarily be used in order to structure and
shape the primary research conducted will be using online databases and
journals such as Proquest and Google Scholar. This will allow the researcher
to examine and compare literature that has already been done in this field.
5.3 Research Methods
The three methods used; focus group, semi-structured interview and
questionnaire are particularly relevant for the exploratory research that the
author has chosen to conduct.
5.3.1 Focus Group
The focus group that was conducted consisted of 4 participants and was
guided by the moderator; it included three engagement questions, 3
exploration questions and an exit question. See Appendix 1 for a list of
questions and notes taken during the discussion. Also the discussion was
recorded using an IPhone.
An interview was conducted with a buyer from a medium sized retailer; the
interview was semi-structured in nature in order to be flexible and to gain a
quality depth of data. The interview was recorded using an IPhone and
transcribed immediately after. (See Appendix 2.)
5.3.3 Questionnaire
A pilot test was done in the questionnaire, it highlighted 2 questions that need
to be restructured in order to provide clarity. (See Appendix 3.) The questions
used will be closed and the data collected will be compared to the data
collected from the other two methods.
5.4 Sampling
When choosing the population for the methods intended the researcher had to
take into consideration the time constraints and also to whom the author had
access too.
5.4.1 Focus Group
The focus group will be conducted using fashion students; this particular
sample was chosen in order to gain an educated perspective on fast fashion
and ethics.
Due to unforeseen circumstances the author was unable to gain access to the
fashion students and therefore the focus group will now consist of 2 business
students, a merchandiser and a makeup artist, these participants have been
chosen due to access and the time constraints that the author was facing due
to unforeseen issues arising.

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The participant for the semi-structured interview was selected based on the
author’s prior relationship to them. The participant is a buyer for a medium
sized retailer.
5.4.3 Questionnaire
In the first research proposal that was presented the author originally intended
to distribute the questionnaire to the entire SIT student population and to
gather 100 respondents. However after discussion with the supervisor, the
sample population changed to 50 female students. The reason for this change
was due to the 2 other methods being used that a larger population was not
needed. Due to the prior literature that has already been conducted it was
deemed that the main consumer for fast fashion was females therefore only
females were to be chosen for this study. The author had access to SIT
students and therefore this was also taken into consideration when planning
the appropriate methods to use for this research.
5.5 Issues
The author originally intended to approach the fashion department at SIT and
to setup a focus group using fashion students in order to gather their opinion.
However due to lack of interest from the fashion students this option was not
viable. Another issue that arose was that after the questionnaires had been
collected it was clear that many respondents failed to fill out the survey
correctly and chose 3 answers as opposed to the 2 that were asked of them.

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6 Findings
For this research the author conducted a focus group that consisted of 4
participants, a semi-structured interview with a buyer of a medium sized
retailer and a survey that had 8 closed questions on it and had 55
respondents.
6.1 Questionnaire
The Questionnaire had 55 respondents, See Appendix 5 for final summary of
Answers
6.1.1 Age group
The majority of respondents were between the ages of 18-34 this is down to
the sample population being students at SIT. The target demographic of fast
fashion is also within this age range.
6.1.2 How often do you purchase new clothes?
Respondents were asked to choose the answer that best applied to them
47% of respondents purchased fast fashion 1-10 times a year and 18%
purchased once a month.
Age Group
18-24
25-34
35-44
45+
Purchasing Behaviour
1-10 times a
year
Once a month
1-5 times a
month
6-10 times a
month

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6.1.3 What are some of your favourite fast fashion stores to purchase
from?
Respondents were asked to select all responses that applied
Glasson’s and Cotton On were the 2 stand out stores for favourite fast fashion
purchases, however it should be noted that due to Invercargill’s small size as
a town that there is very limited options to choose from.
6.1.4 What factors are most important to you when shopping for
clothes?
Respondents were asked to choose the 2 most important factors that applied*
Favourite FastFashionStores
Glassons
Just Jeans
Jeanswest
Supre
Dottie
Jay Jays
Cotton On
Factorie
The Warehouse
Kmart

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*16/55 respondents failed to answer this question as per the instructions and therefore were
unusable for analysis
Style and cost were the overwhelmingly 2 most important factors that
respondents chose. With cost slightly edging out style with 4 more people
choosing cost over style.
6.1.5 Are you aware of where the clothing you purchased is
manufactured?
60% of respondents identified that they were aware of where their clothing
was manufactured.
6.1.6 Are you aware of where the raw material of the clothing is
sourced?
MostImportantFactors
Style
Cost
Convenience
Where it is made
Brand
Companies Reputation
Yes No

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Aliesha Duffin
In comparison with the 60% of respondents who knew where their clothing
was being manufactured only 12% of respondents had an idea of where the
raw material used in the clothing was being sourced.
6.1.7 Are you aware of unethical practices occurring in fast fashion?
When asked if respondents were aware of unethical practices occurring 57%
said no, this is contrast to the amount of respondents who were aware of
where the clothing was manufactured and is not consistent with the results
that would be anticipated.
6.1.8 If you are aware, does this influence your purchasing decisions?
Please do not answer this question if you are unaware of unethical practices*
*Although only respondents who had answered yes to the previous question were asked to
respond to this question, 45 respondents actually answered.
Only 30 respondents had answered yes to question 7 however 45
respondents answered this question. However it appears that a consumers
Yes No
Yes No
Yes No It depends on the Product

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Aliesha Duffin
ethical purchasing decisions depends on the product and 24% of respondents
felt that it did not matter at all and with only 20% saying that a companies
unethical practices would affect their purchasing decisions.

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6.2 Semi-Structured Interview
The semi-structured interview was conducted with a buyer for a medium sized
retailer in order to gain an in depth look at what prompts buyers when they are
purchasing and also what factors are considered before they make their
decisions. The participant stated that when researching suppliers that a
number of factors were considered such as the reputation of the supplier, (do
they supply on time, quality of the product) the stores history with a supplier
and also they find products whilst at convention fairs (which does a certain
amount of pre vetting). When researching the companies they talk to other
companies that supply them, conduct an online search and they keep an eye
out for any red flags that may arise whilst researching them. When choosing a
product to go into the store several factors are considered whether it was a
product that had historically sold well, future trends and they may have
identified a price gap within their products.
The participant was then asked if ethics was a considered factor when
purchasing, they stated that it can be a factor and that they think ethics will
play a significantly big factor in the future. They mentioned the Baptist World
Aid report and the Rana Plaza Factory collapse in regards to ethics playing a
bigger part and also certain major NZ retailers such as Glassons being
slammed in the media due to unethical sourcing behaviors. Another
contributing factor was the cost of freight and also their ability to negotiate
terms of trade agreements with suppliers due to the retailer having an
excellent payment history with suppliers. When asked if they ever got
feedback from customers in regards to requesting fair trade or ethical
products they said that it was very rare that this occurred however that this
could be due to the store being in a smaller town and also the type of
consumer that was shopping there. The participant theorized that New
Zealand retailers who shop at international gift fairs are becoming more and
more aware of where the products they are buying are coming from. Also that
the New Zealand consumer appeared to have a growing awareness of
unethical practices occurring however they did not seem to recognise the
effect that their purchasing behavior had on it. The participant had this to say
in regards to consumers buying behavior “But you cannot blindly go in and
buy cheap as chips items and think that you don’t have part of the say in how
that product is sourced and manufactured and I think while this focus is going
to come into course over the next 2 years very closely on the ethics of NZ
retail and NZ brands I equally believe that there needs to be a recognition on
the consumers part that they drive that behavior.” (Interviewee, 2015) The
buyer also pointed out that as a retailer that they would never knowingly
purchase unethical products and that the store, and the buyer personally
wanted no part in it. However the buyer also pointed out that a lot of suppliers
themselves didn’t know the full extent of where the raw materials of their
products were sourced and this in itself made it difficult to know how ethical
and end product really was. Another point that the participant brought up was
the fact that there was often a disconnect from consumers, they may not be
able or willing to link “value” prices with unethical behavior and that New

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Aliesha Duffin
Zealand customers on a whole tend to be very value conscience and can look
the other way when it comes to a bargain.
The buyer used the following example “Customers don’t always care about
ethics, if you look at awareness of pigs are farmed in NZ, very few people will
either stop eating bacon or buy free range cause they’re driven by price.
These customers know what happens to these animals (chicken as well) and
customers will still purchase it. There’s a whole lot of ethical stuff that’s
already in existence that’s proven not to effect customer demand, which
frankly is appalling. So I think it will be a very challenging time for the industry
and it will get vilified through the media, whether that actually effects change
from the customer, which will be the ones that drive the change at the end of
the day. I don’t know, because it hasn’t happened in the food industry, which
has had an immense amount of negative press.” to clarify why they felt that
change within the fast fashion industry may be slow or nonexistent.
The buyer also stated that in order for change there needs to be change
effected from all sides, suppliers, retailers, and the consumer. There needs to
be enough pressure from all sides for companies to stand up and say that we
are not going to stand for unethical practices. All human beings deserve the
right to live above survival and it’s not right that our wealthy west is living off of
the backs of a very poor east. Finally the buyer left with this food for thought
“People want to look at good things and pretty things in the world. If we could
take the following in the likes of what Kim Kardashian had, and the likes of
what are important to her and put them on something that is actually important
in the world, what a beautiful world we’d have. But we are uninterested in
that.” (Interviewee, 2015)
6.3 Focus Group
The focus group was conducted using a relaxed format with open questions in
order to start to garner a discussion, the respondents were asked to identify
their favourite fast fashion brands these were noted as Glassons, Topshop,
Valley Girl and Dotti. The participants were then asked if they knew where the
clothing they purchased was made, the answers were either no or everything
is made in China. When asked if cost was a factor in their purchasing
decisions it was a resounding yes, the reasons given for cost being such an
important factor was due to that with fast fashion it is likely to go out of style
relatively quickly, the low quality of the clothing, the fact that other people
were likely to be wearing the exact same thing and finally that as they were
not considered classic or time pieces that the respondents would be reluctant
to spend a significant amount of money on them.
The participants were asked if they were aware of any unethical practices that
occurred within the industry, child labour and slave labour were mentioned,
they were then asked if this affected their buying behavior and how it made
them feel when they made the purchases. Some respondents said that they

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Aliesha Duffin
felt bad about the purchases however this did not affect their buying behavior
and that the cheap sales helped to stimulate their buying behavior. They also
noted that in the circumstances where they were aware they chose to not
think about it when making purchasing decisions.
When asked if they thought that businesses or consumers should be more
active in regards to ensuring that there are more ethical practices at the
manufacturing end, all of the participants felt that businesses needed to be
moderating the behavior as opposed to the consumer. Finally the participants
were asked if there was anything else that they would like to add in regards to
the topic one participant felt that businesses were already actively trying to
make a change however that this was a slow process. Another opinion that
was offered included that consumers and the public in general needed to be
more educated in regards to where their clothing came from and finally that
more money needs to be spent in the manufacturing stage in order to provide
better working conditions.

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Aliesha Duffin
8 Analysis and Interpretation of Findings
The analysis of the research that has been conducted resulted in four
prominent themes through the three different research methods that were
used these include consumer awareness, buyer behavior, factors that impact
purchasing decisions and New Zealand consumers fast fashion purchases.
8.1 Consumer Awareness
Looking at consumer awareness 40% of survey respondents identified that
they were aware of where their clothing was manufactured however only 12%
had an awareness of where their clothing was sourced. From the total
respondents 43% of participants said that they were aware of unethical
practices occurring however 53% of participants who were aware identified
that their purchasing decisions were then dependent of the product. When
conducting the focus group the participants were asked if they had anything to
add all four of the participants mentioned that there needs to be greater
transparency within the supply chain of fast fashion and more information
available easily to the public in order for them to make an informed decision
easily.
The focus group identified that they were aware of unethical practices
occurring such as child and slave labour that this did not have a significant
impact on their buying behavior this correlates with the research conduced in
India where Kumar, Garg, & Makkar, 2012) found that although the
participants had an awareness of green products the conversion into
purchasing was low. This was also in line with the interview that was
conducted, where the participant felt that although consumers wanted to be
ethical that in the end a bargain would win out over an ethical purchase.
When the focus group asked if they were aware of where their clothing was
manufactured there was a certain level of naiveté from the participants and
the stock answer was China, they were unaware of other countries that help
to manufacture fast fashion.
Existing literature by (Mcneill and Moore, 2015) identified that fast fashion
firms need to be aware of the different types of consumers that there are and
that a business may lose consumers if they are engaging in unethical
practices. This literature appears to be in opposition to the primary research
that was conducted, in both the focus group and the survey that was
conducted ethics was not a major contributing factor even when consumers
were aware of unethical practices occurring. The fact that cost was an
overriding factor could be due to the sample population of students and also a
lack of awareness around the subject. Only 43% of respondents said that they
were aware of unethical practices occurring however this did not correlate
with other answers that were given in the survey in relation to where raw
materials were sourced and where the manufacturing occurred.

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8.2 Buyer Behaviour
A study that was conducted in Korea stated that due to the fast fashion
houses producing large amounts of low quality clothing results in excess
consumption and also creates environmental concerns along with ethical
ones. (Kim, Ho, & Yoon, 2013) This literature although conducted in Korea
can be analysed in conjunction with the New Zealand study as both studies
consisted of students and young females across a general population. The
data that was found when conducting the focus group where participants
identified that as fast fashion goes in and out of style so quickly and is usually
of low quality therefore consumers are unlikely to spend a high amount of
money on them.
The interviewee had the opinion that consumers often have a disconnect in
regards to their impact on the products that they were buying, they said “But
you cannot blindly go in and buy cheap as chips items and think that you don’t
have part of the say in how that product is sourced and manufactured and I
think while this focus is going to come into course over the next 2 years very
closely on the ethics of NZ retail and NZ brands I equally believe that there
needs to be a recognition on the consumers part that they drive that
behavior.” (Interviewee, 2015) This view is in line with existing literature of
Penfold (2014) who stated "Nothing's wrong with fast fashion but what I see of
course is the consumer isn't aware of the supply chain and what is involved in
delivering fast fashion to you." The literature also examined the fact that we
are asking where our eggs are coming from, where our pork is coming from
and that NZ consumers are concerned if the animals are not being humanely
treated. Now NZ consumers are going to start asking where their clothing
comes from and are humans being humanely treated in the process of getting
cheap clothing. This also mirrors the buyer’s views on Kiwi’s questioning
where their products are coming from however the interviewee was of the
opinion that due to the lack of change within the farming industry that this lack
of change could also mirror the fast fashion industry. The interviewee stated
“Customers don’t always care about ethics, if you look at awareness of pigs
are farmed in NZ, very few people will either stop eating bacon or buy free
range cause they’re driven by price. These customers know what happens to
these animals (chicken as well) and customers will still purchase it. There’s a
whole lot of ethical stuff that’s already in existence that’s proven not to effect
customer demand, which frankly is appalling. So I think it will be a very
challenging time for the industry and it will get vilified through the media,
whether that actually effects change from the customer, which will be the ones
that drive the change at the end of the day. I don’t know, because it hasn’t
happened in the food industry, which has had an immense amount of
negative press.”
8.3 Factors that Impact Purchasing decisions
When looking at factors that impacted purchasing decisions style and cost
were identified as the 2 most important factors, this was also conclusive to the

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Aliesha Duffin
factors identified by the focus group. Cost was identified as a leading factor
due to the nature of fast fashion, with a high turnover of product and styles
that are out of fashion within a couple of weeks respondents were less likely
to spend a high amount of cash on fast fashion in comparison to a classic or
timeless piece. Previous research states that traditionally ethical and
environmental factors were amongst the last to be considered in regards to
fast fashion purchases, the author also found that young consumers were
increasingly concerned with ethical factors in regards to production.
(Joergens, 2006 as cited by Niinimaki, 2010) This research was conducted in
2010 however in the authors research this was not a prevalent theme and that
cost was still the biggest factor for fast fashion purchases.
8.4 New Zealand Consumers Fast Fashion Purchases
The primary research that was conducted using the survey and focus group
found that their purchase decisions was not based on a businesses ethical
standards or their awareness of unethical practices but rather on the factors
cost and style. The participants of the focus group also felt that one person
could not actually effect change and therefore they individually could do
nothing. In the interview that was conducted, the buyer stated that the
consumers rarely if ever asked for ethical products and that there was often a
disconnect between a consumers awareness of ethical behaviours and then
into the conversion of sales. The interview participant felt that New Zealand
consumers were driven by price and due to the fact that the unethical nature
of their fast fashion purchases was not directly in their faces that they did not
have any responsibility.
The interviewee had a unique perspective on the New Zealand consumer as
this was who they purchased for to go into their retail store they stated that
“Another point that the participant brought up was the fact that there was often
a disconnect from consumers, they may not be able or willing to link “value”
prices with unethical behavior and that New Zealand customers on a whole
tend to be very value conscience and can look the other way when it comes to
a bargain.” (Interviewee, 2015) There is a gap in the literature in regards to
New Zealand consumers and fast fashion however a article that was released
last year on retailnews.com stated that fast fashion mega houses H&M, Zara,
Top Shop and Uniqlo are looking at moving into the New Zealand market after
already having great success in Australia. (Retail News, 2014, Para. 4). This
identifies that there is a definite gap in the market when it comes to fast
fashion and that it is something that the New Zealand consumer is looking for.
This ties into the opinion that the interviewee had, which is that there is a
disconnect between New Zealand wanting ethical products but also wanting
discount fashion and choosing not to make the connection between the 2
areas.

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Aliesha Duffin
9 Conclusion
The purpose of this research was to examine the link between a consumers
awareness of a companies ethical standards and buyer behavior within the
fast fashion industry in relation to the New Zealand market. In order to explore
this relationship the author adopted an exploratory methodology including
primary research, which included a focus group, questionnaire and a semi-
structured interview. Secondary research was also used which included using
online databases such as Google Scholar and Proquest.
The results of the author’s research showed that where New Zealand
consumers were aware of unethical practices that it had little effect on their
buying behavior and that cost was an overriding factor when it came to
purchasing decisions. This was prevalent in the focus group, interview,
questionnaire however was contradictory to the existing literature. The
findings were also not what the author was expecting to find and the author
also found that their was a degree of naiveté in the focus group in regards to
where manufacturing occurred.

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10 Recommendations
The following recommendation by the author is based on the research that
was conducted and gaps in the literature that the author identified after the
fact. The recommendations include the theory that change needs to be
effected from all sides include consumers and manufacturers.
10.1 Consumers Responsibility
Whilst conducting research the author identified a course of action that could
be taken in future research around the topic of ethics and fast fashion. This
includes further investigation into the consumer’s responsibility within the
industry, the interview participant identified that consumer’s need to be willing
to take more responsibility in order to effect change including asking for more
ethical products and that “In the end it comes down to every dollar you spend
as a customer, every dollar the retailer spends, every dollar the supplier
spends is a vote for the world that we want.” The focus group that was
conducted also stated that consumers needed to take more responsibility
when it comes to ethical consumption of fast fashion. Whilst this theme was
prominent in the research that was conducted and there was a gap in the
literature that is currently available (although Niemtzow, 2013) believed that
consumers were taking a step in the right direction. Therefore this course of
action would be recommended to take in future research conducted around
fast fashion and ethics.
10.2 Manufacturer’s Responsibility
A theme that was prominent in regards to the research but did not directly
relate to the authors research was that manufacturer’s need to be taking more
responsibility in regards to ethical standards that occur in manufacturing and
also the sourcing of raw materials. This was reflected in the opinions of the
focus group where individuals felt that manufacturers of fast fashion products
should be taking more responsibility in regards to ethical behavior. In the
interview that was conducted the interviewee stated that “There needs to be
enough pressure from all sides for companies to stand up and say that we are
not going to stand for unethical practices.” (Interviewee, 2015) The focus
group also stated that they believed businesses should be taking a greater
role when it came to providing safe working conditions and that they should
be spending more money at the manufacturing end and either absorbing the
costs or explaining to consumers why there may have been a price increase.
This coincides with existing literature such as the Baptist World Aid Report
(2015) which states that there is a lack of transparency when it comes to
manufacturing.
10.3 New Zealand Consumers and Fast Fashion
When conducting the research the author identified a gap in the literature that
would need to be addressed when conducting research in the future. This is in
regards to New Zealanders and their buying behavior, attitudes and
awareness in regards to fast fashion and ethics. Whilst the authors research

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Aliesha Duffin
is in relation to New Zealand consumers the sample population used was
students and the population generalized as such however due to a students
limited income this may have affected the outcome of results. Also due to the
author’s time and access restraints research done on a wider scale may
generate a greater depth of data. The literature that the author has found was
in relation to general spending, (Euromonitor International, 2014) stated that
New Zealand consumers were increasingly being affected by factors such as
sustainability and personal health.
The following is a list of recommendations in regards to future research
surrounding fast fashion:
 Consumers taking more responsibility in regards to purchases in fast
fashion
 Manufacturers need to also be taking responsibility for ethical practices
occurring in fast fashion
 Research surrounding the New Zealand consumer and their
relationship with fast fashion

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Aliesha Duffin
11 References:
Ball State University (2012) Using Focus Groups Retrieved from https://cms.bsu.edu/-
/media/WWW/DepartmentalContent/Effectiveness/pdfs/Wkbk/WBKM12012%20%20
Ch%209.pdf
Baptist World Aid. (2015) The Australian Fashion Report 2015 (Baptist World Aid Fashion
Report) Australia: Nimbalker, Mawson, Cremen, Wrinkle & Eriksson
Birch, s. (2009) Rise of Shopping Ethics Retrieved July 27, 2015 from
http://www.ethicalconsumer.org/commentanalysis/ethicalsceptic/riseoftheethicalcons
umer.aspx
Boundless. “Consumer Awareness.” Boundless Marketing. Boundless, 21 Jul. 2015.
Retrieved 03 Aug. 2015 from
https://www.boundless.com/marketing/textbooks/boundless-marketing-
textbook/introduction-to-marketing-1/the-importance-of-marketing-22/consumer-
awareness-129-4833/
Business Dictionary, 2015. Retrieved 03 Aug. 2015 from
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/ethical-standards.html
Brones, S. (2015) 9 Ways Women are Getting Abused in the Garment Industry Retrieved
from https://bkaccelerator.com/9-ways-women-getting-abused-fashion-industry/
Cohen, D and Crabtree, B. (2006) Semi Structured Interviews Retrieved from
http://www.qualres.org/HomeSemi-3629.html
Ethical Sourcing Statement For The Just Group ("Group"). (2014, January 1). Retrieved May
25, 2015, from http://www.justgroup.com.au/asp/ethical.asp
Euromonitor International. (2014) Consumer Lifestyle in New Zealand. Retrieved from
http://www.euromonitor.com/consumer-lifestyles-in-new-zealand/report
Gabrielli, V., Baghi, I., & Codeluppi, V. (2013). Consumption practices of fast fashion
products: A consumer-based approach.Journal of Fashion Marketing and
Management, 17(2), 206-224. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JFMM-10-2011-0076
Glassons (2015) Terms and Conditions Retrieved from http://www.glassons.com/
Joy, Sherry, Venkatesh, Wang & Chan. (2012) Fashion Theory. Fast Fashion, Sustainability,
and the Ethical Appeal of Luxury Brands, DOI:
10.2752/175174112X13340749707123
Kim, H., Ho, J. C., & Yoon, N. (2013). The motivational drivers of fast fashion
avoidance. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 17(2), 243-260.
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JFMM-10-2011-0070
Kitzinger, J (1995) Introducing Focus Groups. Retrieved from
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2550365/pdf/bmj00603-0031.pdf
Kumar, S., Garg, R., & Makkar, A. (2012). Consumer awareness and perception towards
green products: A study of youngsters in india. International Journal of Marketing &
Business Communication, 1(4), 35-43. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/1478016636?accountid=46872

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Libweb. 2004 Introduction to Research. Retrieved from
http://libweb.surrey.ac.uk/library/skills/Introduction%20to%20Research%20and%20M
anaging%20Information%20Leicester/page_51.htm
Manchiraju, S., & Sadachar, A. (2014). Personal values and ethical fashion
consumption. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 18(3), 357. Retrieved
from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1660748548?accountid=46872
McNeill, L & Moore, R. (2015) Sustainable Fashion Consumption and the Fast Fashion
Conundrum: Fashionable Consumers and Attitudes to Sustainability in Clothing
Choices. International Journal of Consumer Studies. Retrieved from
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ijcs.12169/abstract
Niemtzow, E. (2013) Are Consumers Done With Fast Fashion. Retrieved from
http://www.bsr.org/en/our-insights/blog-view/are-consumers-done-with-fast-fashion
Newton, N. (2010) The Use of Semi Structured Interview in Qualitative Research: Strengths
and Weaknesses. Retrieved from
http://www.academia.edu/1561689/The_use_of_semi-
structured_interviews_in_qualitative_research_strengths_and_weaknesses
Penfolds, P. (2014) The Ugly Side of ‘Fast Fashion’. Retrieved from
http://www.3news.co.nz/tvshows/3d/the-ugly-side-of-fast-fashion-
2014062516#axzz3aR3zKPv9
Retail News. (2014) Get Ready – The Fast Fashion Icons “are coming”. Retrieved from
http://retailnews.co.nz/2014/08/get-ready-fast-fashion-icons-coming/
Reinhard, Schmidt, Rutzel and Zentgraf (2013) Working Conditions in the Global Fashion
Industry Retrieved from https://laboureconomics.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/working-
conditions-in-the-global-fashion-industry/
Resources HWB. (N.D) Semi Structured Interview. Retrieved from
http://resources.hwb.wales.gov.uk/VTC/ngfl/psychology/learn_train/research_method
s/208E70A8-8FBD-45C2-8DC2-
A212F1991377/s03research_methods/070a_semistruct.htm
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Wilson, J, (2014) Imported Clothing. Retrieved from
https://www.consumer.org.nz/articles/imported-clothing

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12 Appendices
12.1 Appendix 1
Focus Group Questions
Before focus group starts, introduce myself and what we will be discussing
today, explain what fast fashion is.
Engagement Questions
1. What are some of your favourite fast fashion brands to shop at?
Glassons, topshop, vally girl, dotty,
2. Do you know where your clothing sourced from and where it is made?
No and China pretty much anything China
3. Is cost a factor when purchasing?
Cost is with fast fashion because it out of fashion within 12 months. Its
crap and other people will have the same cloths. Not a time piece
Exploration Questions
1. Are you aware of any unethical practices within the fast fashion
industry?
Slave labor, child labor.
2. If you are aware does this affect your buying behavior?
Bad, like a jerk, this doesn’t effect the behaving behavior and the
cheap sales stimulate more buying, bargaining behavior. Still aware but
don’t think about it.
3. Do you think consumers or businesses or both should be more
active in trying to achieve more ethical behavior at the manufacturing
end?
Business need to moderate behavior not the consumer.
Exit Questions
1. Is there anything else that you would like to add in regards to this topic
and/or the reasons why you purchase fast fashion?
Business are trying to moderate the factories in China but it is going to take a
while. Consumers and public need to be educated to make the biggest
change. More money spent more interest in the source of the clothing!

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Aliesha Duffin
12.2 Appendix 2
Interview Transcription
A: How were your companies researched before buying from them?
B: Usually we talk with the companies when we considering purchasing from
them, so there will be some dialogue around, well it depends on how much
information they put up front. Often we will already know about them from just
being in the industry with them. There is some pre-vetting if its at an industry
gift fair, which is where we go and many of the suppliers will be there and we
can shop within one area. Usually in a convention centre, there is usually
some pre-vetting done by those who run the gift fairs. And then we can do our
own online investigation, we also talk retailer to retailer and we have some
relationships in buying groups, in which we can actually talk within and also
often there’s a term of agreement signed between the two companies, an
agreement to trade in which information is passed. We don’t, it depends on
what we want to know, what the investigation will entail. What we want to
know. Are they good suppliers, will the supply what we have bought on time at
the price, at the quality. We would research that differently to how we would
research whether they are an ethical supplier or not.
A: When you did choose suppliers why did you choose them, is it
because there was demand from customers or you felt it would sell
well?
B: It was all of that, when you are buying you never usually come from one
aspect, you are usually juggling about 6 balls at once. So it’s a combination of
all those things, we will see a trend coming and we wish to source it ahead of
customer demand, it might be that its historic, that we have had that kind of
product, if not that exact same product before, that sold well we wish to
reengage or the customers are asking for it. It may just be a gut feel and we
think its awesome, which we don’t make that decision particularly often. It may
be a pricing decision, that we are missing that pricing and that maybe we
have priced to low and that all our products are to entry level, too cheap or we
are to high and we feel we have gaps in our profiling.
A: What factors did you as a buyer consider when buying? Was ethics a
factor? Did you mainly look at price?
B: Ethics can be a factor and will be significantly more of a factor going
forward, there’s a lot of talk about it, mainly coming from the rana plaza
collapse and the Baptist world aid report. There are pretty big things coming
and we have already seen Glassons pipped at some of their sourcing
behaviours. When our buyers go to make the decision to purchase it is based
on a number of things, it can come down to what price can we buy it? It
comes down to what we call terms of trade and terms of trade are basically an

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Aliesha Duffin
agreement to engage and we can negotiatie discounts for volume and
payment discounts, as in guaranteed payment, which isn’t always the case for
some retailers. Some retailers can’t always pay on time everytime, which is
something that we always do. So because of that we can negotiate a bit more
strongly. It comes down to a lot of things that we talk about, it can be that
historically we have traded with them and there’s no reason that to change
that so we continue on, or we have ongoing lines with them that we wish to
continue with. For us being in NZ a lot of it comes down to freight terms as
well we have to pay to move the product around NZ. Freights a major
concern, the timeframe of supplier, yes we are placing it with that supplier but
we are placing it in context of what we have on the floor currently, of what we
have planned for that season, cause we buy seasonally so there’s 2 seasons
a year, although there can be trans seasonal as well. We have a plan for what
we are going to purchase within that season and if the supplier is saying that
they will supply within that time frame then we would consider that part of our
plan down the track. However if that supplier has historically been a pain with
supply and not delivered when they said, we face loss sales cause we have
planned that product and we have planned the sales of that product for that
time frame.
A: Do you ever get feedback from consumers wanting fair trade or
ethical products?
B: not really, it’s a rare occurrence. I think that its particular to where we live,
they are not, its not on their agenda, however if I reflect that backwards, when
NZ companies shop at international gift fairs we are very well known for
asking questions around ethics so NZ retailers have an awareness of it, I think
NZ customers have a growing awareness of it but a failure to recognise their
behaviours impact on this. So my point for that would be you cannot expect to
have cheap items without having a negative effect somewhere up the supply
chain. So if something is $2 you would have to expect that there are some
negative associations around that, maybe. Lets be careful around that, not
guaranteed, it could be $2 cause it hasn’t sold and we have cut it to $2 to get
rid of it. But you cannot blindly go in and buy cheap as chips items and think
that you don’t have part of the say in how that product is sourced and
manufactured and I think while this focus is going to come into course over
the next 2 years very closely on the ethics of NZ retail and NZ brands I
equally believe that there needs to be a recognition on the consumers part
that they drive that behavior. If you don’t buy it, I’m not gonna buy it.
Consumers drive the demand, we choose what goes in the store, and there
are things that we refuse to put on the floor. We will never knowingly engage
with any supplier that is sourcing unethical product, we will walk away; we
don’t want a bar of it. Both personally ethically and for the branding of our
company we are uninterested and we will never do that. However what you’ll
find often times with New Zealanders is that it’s a smoke screen in terms of
NZ suppliers will not always know to the full extent where that product has
come from and its components. Even products made up of multi components

36
Aliesha Duffin
they may not be able to source it right back. If you think clothing wise, the
brands or suppliers bringing it into NZ may not always know exactly where
their thread has come from to the end degree.
(Goes off topic)
Its not always the NZ suppliers fault, they often don’t have the purchasing
clout to go up the supply chain and say that’s not cool we can’t engage with
this. And on the front facing of that, to put an ethically sourced lets say linen,
sheets in front of a NZ customer, it’s a lot of money and NZ customers often
are on the whole very conscience of bargains and maybe not aware of value
and ethics although I would caution that there is a growing awareness. To the
general mass often price is the biggest indicator and there’s often a
disconnect between the realities of how that price comes to be and the
ethical. So the same person watching a program on tv talking about ethical
demands of fashion. Going man that’s horrible, that’s awful how can that ever
be? I would never take part in that will go and buy a product that is actually
coming out of those factories at a bargain rate and not understand that they
are part of the cycle.
(Goes off topic)
Customers don’t always care about ethics, if you look at awareness of pigs
are farmed in NZ, very few people will either stop eating bacon or buy free
range cause they’re driven by price. These customers know what happens to
these animals (chicken as well) and customers will still purchase it.
(Goes off topic)
There’s a whole lot of ethical stuff that’s already in existence that’s proven not
to effect customer demand, which frankly is appalling. So I think it will be a
very challenging time for the industry and it will get vilified through the media,
whether that actually effects change from the customer, which will be the ones
that drive the change at the end of the day. I don’t know, because it hasn’t
happened in the food industry, which has had an immense amount of
negative press.
(Goes off topic)
At the end of the day the biggest thing that will drive any change will be
customers, the best thing that any customer can recognise can be that every
dollar that they spend is a vote for the world they want to live in. so you can
vote for the good guys or you can vote for someone else. And ask the
questions, if you don’t wish to buy things that are sourced unethically, ask,
push it back.

37
Aliesha Duffin
A: It’s definitely something that I think needs, in the fast fashion
industry more transparency within the supply chain.
B: Absolutely, there’s a whole lot of work that the retailers can do and the
suppliers can do to get ahead. But lets be very clear that retail is a very tough
business and unless there is a big drive to change it won’t cause its just
another added cost another added extension of time in an already busy world.
From my point of view and from my companies point of view its something we
are conscience of, we don’t want to engage with we don’t wish to put
unethically sourced products on our shelves, we never knowingly do so, ever.
A: Its obviously very hard with fashion as you just can’t always trace the
supply chain to the original source.
B: its very hard, but then with that said if enough demand comes from the
customer and enough demand comes from the retailer and enough demand
comes from the suppliers back to where its sourced, things will start to
change. Its not something that we just have to accept and run on with and
don’t get me wrong, I’m not putting all the onus on the consumer I’m just
saying that a lot of the responsibility does sit there and equally it sits with the
retailers and it sits with the suppliers and if everybody starts pushing the same
bandwagon, things will change. All three parts of this industry has a
disconnect between the products on the shelves and how that product was
made.
(Goes off topic)
In the context of the world NZ has less than 1% of trade so our impact on the
change is minimal however these talks have been going on for a long time in
bigger areas such as the UK in particular for a long time. Supermarkets first,
that’s done very well and now moving to the more fashion retailers. So its
coming but people will need to bandwagon. We need to make it important or it
won’t happen.
(Goes off topic)
Everyone deserves the right to live above survival and its not ok that our world
is, that our very wasteful wealthy west is built on the back of a very poor east.
That’s not ok. In the end it comes down to every dollar you spend as a
customer, every dollar the retailer spends, every dollar the supplier spends is
a vote for the world that we want. However if we have a shop full of ethically
sourced product that no one is buying we put hundreds of people out of a job.
So when a buyer goes into buying they consider 6 or more things, not just
ethics but that aspect needs to be on the table. Ten years or so ago when I
started buying and I was in the Jewelery field and I asked those questions

38
Aliesha Duffin
people looked at me like I was a crazy and now I think they would find that,
that question gets asked a lot more. And it should be and we should be asking
those questions and I really welcome the shifts in changes that will be coming.
It will be hard but I think it can only be a good thing if we start looking after
these people.
(Goes off topic)
Its something that I would say that any large retailer will be aware of cause a
lot of large format retailers that is doing vertical supply chain and bring in their
own products under their own labels has impact here. Retailers using poor
quality to pass on lower prices also brings into question the sustainability of
fast fashion.
Fast fashion has a lot of answer for in that regard but I don’t think anyone will
change the appetitie of the consumer now, that they want new new new, it
would be hard to argue that. People want to look at good things and pretty
things in the world. If we could take the following in the likes of what Kim
Kardashian had, and the likes of what are important to her and put them on
something that is actually important in the world, what a beautiful world we’d
have. But we are uninterested in that.
A: That was all my questions; I really wanted to get your perspective as
buyer, thanks so much for your time.

39
Aliesha Duffin
12.3 Appendix 3
Age Group*Requi redPlease select the appropiate age group.
 18-24
 25-34
 35-44
 45+
How often do you purchase new clothes?*Requi redPlease pick the answer most suitable to you
 1-10 times a year
 Once a month
 1-5 times a month
 6-10 times a month
 11+ times a month
What are some of your favourite fast fashion stores to purchase from*Requi redPlease select all
that apply
 Glassons
 Just Jeans
 Jeanswest
 Supre
 Dotti
 Jay Jays
 Cotton On
 Factorie
 The Warehouse
 Kmart
What factors are most important to you when shopping for clothes?*Requi redPlease choose the
2 most important factors to you from the list
 Style
 Cost
 Convenience
 Where it is made
 Brand
 Companies reputation
 Other:
Are you aware of where the clothing you purchased is manufactured?*Requi red
 Yes
 No

40
Aliesha Duffin
Are you aware of where the raw materialsof the clothing is sourced from?*Requi red
 Yes
 No
Are you aware of unethical practices occuring in fast fashion?*Requi red
 Yes
 No
If you are aware, doesthis influence your purchasing decisions*Requi redPlease do no answer
this question if you are not aware
 Yes
 No
 It depends on the product
Add item

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