The growth of cheap, industrial, mass-production—so-called “fast fashion”—has led to dramatic increases in levels of consumption. Inexpensive products tend to foster unsustainable consumption behaviors, which negatively impact the environment and increase pressure to obtain goods at lower and lower prices; this, in turn, has the competitive effect of decreasing wages. This study focused on the concept of socially responsible consciousness in relation to fashion products. Environmental and labor issue concerns were employed as major variables. Empirical data were collected from males and females, between the ages of 10 and 50. Demographic differences were found in SR consciousness. For example, participants in their 10s, 40s, and 50s had higher levels of SR consciousness than those in their 20s and 30s. In addition, consumers’ levels of environmental and labor issue concerns had varying effects on the criteria they used to select clothing. Product category type was also an influential factor. Moreover, the analysis showed that SR consciousness was less important in the apparel industry than in the food sector. The study also found an attitude-behavior link in relation to the concept of SR consciousness. The link was stronger for environmental concerns than for labor issue concerns. This study aimed to develop a better understanding of current customers’ characteristics and levels of SR consciousness.

This study examines how environmental consciousness and socially responsible clothing consumption attitude influence people's perceptions of the consequences of fast fashion. Data were collected through a questionnaire survey administered to females in their 20s to 40s, and a total of 430 surveys were used in the final analysis. The research results are as follows. First, environmental consciousness-which was conceptualized as interest in consumer effectiveness and the environment-had a positive influence on attitudes toward socially responsible clothing consumption attitude, i.e., clothing recycling and resource conservation. As the perception of consumer effectiveness was high, respondents had a tendency not to follow trends. Second, consumers with a high level of interest in the environment perceived the effect of fast fashion on the environment as serious, and they felt negatively toward personal use of fast fashion. Third, consumers with strong resource conservation behavior perceived the effect of fast fashion on the environment as serious, but those with positive attitudes toward secondhand clothing did not appear to have that perception. Finally, consumers who followed trends and those with weakly held attitudes about resource conservation felt positively toward personal use of fast fashion. The results of this research indicate that environmental consciousness is an important factor for socially responsible clothing consumption behavior. In addition, consumers with strong attitudes regarding resource conservation were more perceptive of the negative effect of fast fashion on the environment.