Re:Create - The Behavioural Implications of Sustainable Service Design in the Fashion Industry
Client: King Louie || MSc thesis - Design for Interaction - Delft University of Technology
Due to emerging climate concerns, a growing pressure is put on the fashion industry to adopt circular business models which encourage sustainable usage of clothing. The clothing supply chain is currently both complicated and polluting. Paired with rising quantities of clothing sales, technological solutions will only temporarily tackle the symptoms of a deeply rooted issue, namely mass-consumerism and underutilisation. How can fashion companies encourage consumers to use their current clothes more often whilst consuming less, in a way that’s also attractive from a business perspective? This project investigates the behavioural implications of creating such a sustainable clothing service.
Design outcome
The Re:Create app
Re:Create is a digital peer-to-peer styling platform that enoucrages women in their 30's to elongate the lifespan of the clothes they already own. Using behavioural science techniques, users are urged to re-invent the self-expression value of their clothes through several inspirational measures and increase their skills in sustainable fashion behaviour.
Sustainability outcome
Two sustainability strategies were employed based on Tunn and colleagues' Circular Business Model Framework.
First, users are encouraged to look at their wardrobe with new eyes: creating new outfits from their owned clothes to extend the lifespan of their wardrobe. Secondly, clothes are encouraged to be shared with other users through a second-hand market plugin.
This strategy is in line with Ellen MacArthur Foundation's Circular Butterfly Model.
Business outcome
From Value Proposition to Circular Business Model, Service Blueprint and Implementation Roadmap.
Re:Create was based on latent user desires paired with the sustainability ambitions of King Louie. To further King Louie's sustainability agenda, a circular business model was created and the implementation details were mapped out.
NOTE: due to a non-disclosure agreement; further business details cannot be shared.
Design process
An interdisciplinary, mixed-method project using behavioural science and service design methods.
The Behaviour Change Wheel approach by Mitchie et al was employed as a scientific basis to reach the design outcome (re-using clothes). The process was led by Design Council's Double Diamond Method, which effectively guided research method decisions throughout the whole process:
Discover: Literature & social media research; survey, interviews, behavioural analysis (COM-B model).
Define: Creative territory, intervention functions, design statement.
Develop: Expert consultations; prototype-driven design tests; Value proposition.
Deliver: User validation (remote prototype testing); business model creation, Behaviour Change Technique implementation; Sustainability strategy; Implementation roadmap.
What did I learn about?
Taking a holistic, interdisciplinary approach towards design for pro-environmental behaviour change.
Using the Behaviour Change Wheel approach and integrating this with the service design process.
Principles of the circular economy applied to the fashion industry; the creation of a circular business model and strategy.
