This study analyzed the effects of fashion consumers’ moral identity and empathy propensity on ethical consumption attitude and donation behavior, and the effect of ethical consumption attitude on donation behavior. The survey was conducted on consumers over the 20s who experienced the donation of fashion products, 384 responses were used for data analysis. The result showed that the internality and symbolism of moral identity had a positive effect on ethical consumption attitudes. The all factors of empathy propensity positively affected eco-friendly oriented consumption, and cognitive empathy and social empathy positively affected boycott oriented consumption. The cognitive empathy, social empathy and relational empathy positively affected community oriented consumption and practice oriented consumption. Furthermore, social empathy and relational empathy positively affected recycling oriented consumption. The eco-friendly, boycott, community, and recycling oriented consumption positively affected temporal donation. The all factors of ethical consumption attitude positively affected emotional donation, and eco-friendly, community, recycling, and practice oriented consumption positively affected material donations. The internality and symbolism of moral identity positively affected temporal and emotional donation, and the symbolism except internality positively affected material donation. The cognitive empathy, social empathy and relational empathy positively affected the temporal donation and material donation. In addition, the all factors of empathy propensity positively affected emotional donation. The results of this study will contribute to the ethical product strategy, marketing, and sustainable development of the fashion industry.

Upcycling is the process of repurposing abandoned resources or useless products into products of better quality or higher environmental value. Upcycling products are evaluated to be sustainable because they demonstrate environmental values. However, domestic upcycling companies are operating on a small scale with a slow growth rate. This study aims to examine the value and risk factors of upcycling products from previous literature and clarify the effect of these ambivalent characteristics on purchase intention. This provides direction regarding factors upcycling companies should focus on. The data were collected via an online experiment with women in their 20s and 30s residing in South Korea, nationwide. The data were statistically analyzed using SPSS 21.0 and AMOS 18.0. Analysis of this data suggests that environmental, design, and self-expression value positively affect purchase intention. This extends previous upcycling literature by identifying design and self-expression value as important antecedents of purchase intention. However, in contrast to previous literature, no significant effect of performance or diversity risk was found. These results indicate that ethical attitude has a moderating effect on the relationship between environmental value and purchase intention. This study confirms that consumers intend to purchase upcycling products when they possess not only environmental value but also design and self-expression value.

본 연구는 윤리적 패션으로서 업사이클링 패션 브랜드의 지속가능성을 살펴보고 패션 산업의 지속가능한 발전 가능성을 모색하고자 하는 것이다. 본 연구의 목적은 첫째, 지속가능한 발전에 대한 관심에 따라 윤리적 패션, 국내 업사이클링 패션 브랜드에 대한 개념과 특성을 이해한다. 둘째, 윤리적 패션으로서 지속가능한 발전을 위한 국내 업사이클링 패션 브랜드의 현황과 사례를 살펴본다. 셋째, 국내 업사이클링 패션 브랜드 5곳을 선정하여 윤리적 패션으로서 국내 업사이클링 패션 브랜드의 지속가능한 발전 특성을 도출한다. 윤리적 패션으로서 국내 업사이클링 패션 브랜드의 지속가능성은 첫째, 사회적 지속가능성에서 패션 취업 교육 및 훈련이나 교육서비스 제공을 통해 업사이클링에 관한 정보를 제공하여 사회적 책임을 독려하는 사회적 가치를 추구할 수 있는 것으로 나타났다. 이는 지속가능성이라는 공공의 가치를 높이며 사회적 공동체의 이익 실현하여 지역사회 발전에 기여하는 사회적 지속가능성을 실천하는 것이다. 둘째, 경제적 지속가능성은 국내 업사이 클링 패션 브랜드의 일자리 제공이나 협력 업체와의 공정 및 공동 경제 활동을 통해 시장 경쟁력을 확보하여 경제적 이익 창출로 나타났다. 셋째, 환경적 지속가능성은 업사이클링 브랜드의 창의적인 패션디자인 제안, 개선된 품질, 친환경 및 고기능성 소재 사용에 대한 미래 환경 관심으로 나타났는데, 이는 환경보호운동 같은 캠페인과 천연소재 및 기능성 소재를 활용을 제시하여 지속가능한 패션 산업을 위한 미래 환경의 중요성을 강조할 수 있다.