Co Ziying Kelly (SOC), Tan Wee Han (FASS), Xu Ruiqing (FOS), Yeo Zhi Min (FASS), Yu Jiaxiang (SOC)
Academic Advisor: Ms. Sadaf Ansari
Fast fashion is one of the most polluting industrial sectors (Anguelov, 2015). Yet, 25% Singaporeans throw away more than ten items of clothing and awareness of sustainable fashion brands is low (YouGov, 2017). Our survey results for NUS students indicated that 80% respondents (n=73) were willing to switch to more sustainable fashion brands, but 75% lacked knowledge. Our project had two aims – to identify the critical metrics for measuring fashion sustainability, and to bridge the knowledge gap about sustainable alternatives among university students using Instagram. Fabrics and dye were identified as the two strongest markers of fashion sustainability. Using t-tests and multiple linear regression to analyse data, our results indicate that we successfully raised the awareness of fast fashion alternatives. More specifically, knowledge of fabrics and dye emerged as key predictors for increased awareness. Moving forward, we aim to further build the Instagram channel for NUS, and use it to start a sustainable fashion interest group in RVRC.