Sharing is caring : collaborative consumption in the fashion industry : an explorative study of the consumer acceptance for fashion-sharing business models in the outdoor and activewear market

The fashion industry contributes to massive environmental problems due to overproduction and huge amounts of waste. In order for fashion companies to reduce their environmental impact, they need to innovate their business models to transform the way clothes are consumed. The purpose of this master thesis is to explore new forms of sustainable business models in the fashion industry. These models may be built on the phenomenon of collaborative consumption in the form of fashion-sharing models. We aim to check for consumer acceptance of rental and second-hand sale of outdoor and activewear directly through the brand itself and develop new business models for our case company Helly Hansen. First, conceptual business models are developed based on theory and the current business model. Because consumer acceptance is important, a questionnaire is conducted to gain insights into the consumers’ preferences. Lastly, the conceptual business models are modified on the basis of the consumer insights revealed. The results reveal high degree of acceptance for second-hand sale of everyday wear and special occasion wear and some degree of acceptance for rental of special occasion wear. On the contrary, the questionnaire reveals relatively low degree of acceptance for rental of everyday wear. Based on these insights, it seems like there may be potential for developing the new business models. However, the results only apply to our sample due to the sample not being representative. Yet the insights may be an indication of the acceptance of the population. This thesis contributes to consumer insights into the ongoing research of fashionsharing business models and the development of more sustainable business models for fashion companies. Keywords: The Fashion Industry, Sustainability, Business Model Canvas, Circular Economy, Collaborative Consumption, Fashion-sharing, Rental-based Business Model, Second-hand Business Model, Consumer Acceptance