The Fascinating Psychology Behind Fashion and Consumerism

Have you ever wondered what really drives consumption? What the motivations are — on a psychological level — that drive people to consume.

Can psychology help explain this rapid increase in consumption that we’ve seen in recent years and help us understand why it’s so difficult to shift towards more conscious consumption habits?

And then on the flip side of that, how could we potentially use behavioral psychology to help us communicate about sustainable fashion in the most effective way possible?

These are big questions that I am definitely not qualified to answer but our guest is! I’m talking with Shakaila Forbes-Bell, a published Fashion Psychologist, writer, consultant, and owner of FashionisPsychology.com, a platform dedicated to making academic research into Fashion Psychology more accessible.

Shakaila is answering all those questions that I just asked, plus she’s going to explore with us:

How representation in fashion and media influences behavior and beliefs,
What the impact of virtue signaling or performative inclusion in fashion is,
And why people might actually buy MORE when they perceive something to be sustainable.

Tune in to this episode of the Conscious Style Podcast below, or on your favorite podcast app.

Quick Links: Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, or Google Podcasts.

Or, watch this interview on YouTube!

Get the Transcript for this episode [PDF]

ABOUT SHAKAILA:

Shakaila Forbes-Bell is a published Fashion Psychologist, writer, consultant, and owner of FashionisPsychology.com – a platform dedicated to making academic research into Fashion Psychology more accessible.

Her work investigating the impact of racial diversity in fashion media has been published in the International Journal of Market Research. As a Fashion Psychologist, she has worked with international companies like Next, Afterpay, and Hubbub. As a freelance writer, she has bylines in Glamour, Marie Claire, and i-D Magazine. She has been featured in numerous international publications including Vogue, CNN, Stylist, the Guardian, and more. She has 5 years’ worth of marketing experience under her belt and is currently the marketing manager of an influencer marketing and brand advocacy platform.