TRANSFER - Trading Approaches to Nurturing Sustainable consumption in Fashion and Energy Retail

ESRC funded this project explores how energy and fashion retailers face the common challenge of encouraging the reduced consumption of a saleable product in order to promote sustainability and conform to existing and emerging legislation, while simultaneously maintaining growth and financial prosperity.

Energy retailers are experienced in such practices having been legally required to promote energy-efficiency to consumers for some years. This is paired with a growing recognition among fashion retailers of the need to engage in activities that help to promote sustainable consumption among consumers.

An installation took place in Feb 2014 in Leeds, inviting the public to visit the TRANSFER factory and chat with a specialist team who asked a series of questions derived from their research about shopping habits. Answers to the questions directly informed how the participants T-Shirt was manufactured, from the colour to the pattern and print. At the end of the interview a personalised manufacturing docket was passed to a group of skilled makers and machinists. The interviewee was then be able to watch their T-Shirt being brought to life by the team. Each garment was a unique money can’t buy item to their exact specifications. Each shopper to visit the exhibition was invited to be photographed for the project and asked what shopping and style means to them.

A project website has been created, as well as animations and films.

In September 2015 the project film & animation was launched (http://www.project-transfer.com/public-engagement-impact/).

Two further films sharing the process behind the project and the public response to the work were published in April 2016 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwtkLB-G-BQ and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBZ0B8QmGBc).

Principal Investigator: Christopher Jones (Psychology, University of Sheffield)
Co-Investigators: Lenny Koh (Management, Sheffield); Helen Storey, Alex McIntosh, Professor Dilys Williams (University of the Arts London)

• http://www.project-transfer.com/
• http://sustainable-fashion.com/blog/fash...
• http://www.project-transfer.com/public-e...
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwtkLB-G...
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBZ0B8Qm...