'Earth
provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's
greed.' (Mahatma Gandhi)
How
does the industry changes our needs into desires, which overwhelm our
thoughts and make us purchase things beyond what we really need? Are
we simply victims of the greediness of the industry? For
understanding a bit of the theory behind my project, I will share in
the coming posts some theoretical background I came across during my
readings.
Through
planned and aesthetic obsolescence the industry encourages fast
changing fashion cycles (Burns, 2010). Every year, the fashion
industry runs between 30 to 50 trend-driven fashion seasons which
result in a very high resource depletion (SiegleI,
2012). They emphasis low prices per item, which is provoking a rather
poor product quality.
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Clothes Collecting Center: Clothes collected during 2 days (image by the author) |
For
understanding the basic actions and motives of the consumer, we need
to go way back, and follow the main drive and motivation for their
behaviour. At the beginning are human needs, which are for example
defined by the American psychologist
and philosopher Abraham Maslow and Manfred
Max-Neef, a Chilean economist.
Needs
are motivators for actions of acquiring something. Humans have
specific needs, which are independent of our nationality, religion or
culture. “Needs
cannot be programmed by society or modified by the will of the
conscious mind. (Ekins and Max-Neef, 1992, 182)”
Maslow
categorized all human needs in a pyramid of five levels. This pyramid
is widely known as the Maslow's hierarchy of needs. He divided the
levels into physical needs like water, food and air to breath. The
next level build safety and security needs e.g. shelter, form one
section. On top of the pyramid are social needs, ego needs and
self-actualization needs. In the western world,
where most of the physical and safety needs are provided, consumption
is mainly driven by ego, social or self-actualization need.
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image from: ontaria.ca |
Manfred
Max-Neef accomplished an extensive research study in Latin America.
They were researching on the connection of human needs and economic
development. In the resulting research publication “Human Scale
Development” he identifies those 9 needs as subsistence,
protection, affection, understanding, participation, idleness,
creation, identity and freedom. Those again can be clusters into
material (physical) and nonmaterial (psychological) needs.
Max-Neef
is explaining the possibilities of satisfying different needs with
according satisfiers. He categorizes them into five sections, namely:
violators
or destroyers, pseudo-satisfiers, inhibiting
satisfiers over-satisfy, singular satisfiers which satisfy only one
given need and in the best case scenario, one satisfier is able to
satisfy several needs at the same time: a synergic satisfier. At
its best, fashion can become a synergetic satisfier and satisfy
physical and psychological needs.
Kate
Fletcher suggests, that Max-Neef's taxonomy of human needs, can build
a base when designing for value and social sustainability. Designers
can use it as powerful tool to analyze and identify potential ideas,
strengths and weaknesses towards social responsible design. (Fletcher
and Grose, 2012)
References:
Brian
Burns in Tim Cooper (2010) Longer Lasting Products: Alternatives to
the Throwaway Society, 'Re-evaluating
Obsolescence and Planning for it.” UK: MPG Books Group, pp. 39-61
Kate
Fletcher and Lynda Grose, (2012), 'Fashion & Sustainability –
Design for Change', London: Laurence King Publishing
Paul
Ekins
and Manfred Max-Neef, (1992) 'Real
Life Economics: Understanding Wealth Creation', Routledge,
London
Manfred
Max-Neef, (1991) 'Human
Scale Development – Conception, Application and further
reflections',
New York: The Apex Press
Lucy
SiegleI, 'H&M the new home of ethical fashion?', The
Guardian, April 07, 2012