Fashion Revolution in Italy: An Exploration of Gen Z’s Approach to Activism in the Fast-fashion Industry

The chapter revolves around the issue of consumer activism in the fast-fashion apparel industry among Italian Generation Z, which appears overlooked so far, to explore how young consumers can develop a sense of collectivism that would engage them in social causes and lead them to become activists in the fast-fashion industryfashion industry. To accomplish our research goal, we adopt a mixed methodological approach based on a face-to-face élite interview and a survey to 1428 young Italian individuals belonging to the Gen Z. Our results show, counterintuitively to the literature, that Gen Z is willing to withdraw from the fast-fashion industryfashion industry and become activists if they feel empowered enough to develop autonomous choices, however, guided by a sense of collectivism that increases the perceived effectiveness of their actions.