The Velary: A Library For Your Clothes

Existing consumption practices in the fashion industry are using excessive resources. Largely caused by the ever increasing consumer cycles, in which we are now seeing as many as 52 “seasons” a year at large fast fashion retailers. Simultaneously technology and social media have been speeding up our own cycles of identity creation and connection, and in response movements such as minimalism and essentialism that advocate for owning less, and living with more intention, have gained mainstream exposure. Founded in contemporary contexts this thesis explores how the integration of sharing economy and circular economy principles in retail services can offer paradigm shifting user experiences. This concept engages users in considered consumption that builds off of existing personal identity and wardrobe composition. And supplements these with mid-term garment leasing that provides a sense of renewal. Considering the existing context of over consumption I set out to draw insights from personal experiences through ethnographic research methods that revealed individual behaviours, needs, and expectations. Through a process of analysis and synthesis, I identified a hybrid approach to sharing garments that allows for an integration of ownership, and shared-use to foster a transition away from highly consumptive practices. The Velary is a library for your clothes. It is a garment sharing service that introduces a two-tiered wardrobe that consists of a core wardrobe (garments a user already owns, loves, or would invest in independently), and a renewal wardrobe (garments provided through the service that update a users wardrobe for a specific time frame, between 1 and 6 months). The two-tiered model allows users to maintain a curated and intentional core wardrobe that is personally significant, and the renewal wardrobe allows users to engage with change cycles without the wasteful outcomes of highly consumptive behaviours fostered by fast fashion. This model is flexible and considers new modes of use and ownership within existing contexts. Building upon circular economy practices around material waste, The Velary moves beyond the product itself to explore alternative modes of consumption. The Velary considers behaviour change from an altruistic and functional perspective, it engages users in experience models that remove barriers to sharing which are based on the fear of losing control. The two-tiered wardrobe approach can be generalized as a hybrid sharing model, where users engage in both owning and sharing. This can be applied to examine behaviour on a scale of impact where we analyze the implications of consumer behaviour considering the most problematic areas (which in this case has been identified as fast fashion). The application of this model of behaviour mapping can lead to the creation of new systems that shift behaviour in key areas before introducing completely new ways of engaging in retail or consumption.