Abel Hernandez
MFA Design Research and Development, 2017

Thesis Abstract:
This poster presents current apparel shopping habits and mindsets of millennials based on their perceptions and practice of “Fast” and “Slow” Fashion. Data were collected through two phases of design research with the permission of an Institutional Review Board at The Ohio State University. The first phase was an online survey consisting of open-ended questions collected from over a hundred millennial college students. A thematic coding guide was used to gauge where participants fell in the scope of “Fast” and “Slow” Fashion. The data collected from the survey helped the researcher to identify patterns in shopping and caring for clothes from the Millennials’ perspective. In the second phase of the research, participatory workshops were conducted with smaller groups of participants selected from phase one. Visual thinking and user journey mapping activities were conducted to gain a deeper understanding and develop insight on what the Millennials do, think, and feel about responsible consumption.

Abel Hernández’s aaster’s thesis research investigates the subconscious and deeper understanding behind the decision making process millennials go through when purchasing, using, caring, and discarding their clothing products. He is particularly interested in “Slow Fashion”, a term that counters the growing trend of the “Fast Fashion” industry that has spurred overconsumption, which has created a throwaway mentality. The aim of his research is to develop a critical-creative thinking framework based on the understandings and insights of how Millennials view apparel consumption.