Paper short abstract:

The presentation examines life with vibrant clothing from acquisition to disposal in the context of sustainability. We examine the co-agency between craft consumers and materials in the consumption of clothing and consider its significance in the formation of sustainable material relationships.

Paper long abstract:

Because materials are an integral and essential part of life, we should learn to live in a sustainable way with materials. Recent scientific debate has highlighted the active agencies of materials in the relationship between human and materials. Empirical research on the phenomenon is still relatively limited, especially in the context of sustainable consumption, where the consumer is mainly seen as an active actor, but the intertwining of human and material is often ignored.

The objective of the study is to understand the relationships between consumers and materials in nurturing behavioral changes when reaching towards sustainable living. The research examines the structure and significance of co-agency between consumers and materials in the formation of sustainable material relationships.

The data consist of craft teacher students' writing assignments (N=18), where they reflect on their relationship with the clothes they own. The data are analysed with a narrative research approach depicting students' writings as cultural stories describing the world of consumer experience.

Clothes interacted with students evoking affects and activity – a pleasant garment might increase care, while an unpleasant one might call up disguise and rejection and possibly, the desire to buy new clothes that bring in a revived sense of joy. Clothes can also wear out and their positions change over time or reappear due to changes in fashion or the body of the consumer. The writings embody the intertwining of human and materials and the active role of clothing in sustainable consumption.