SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Sustain.
Sec. Sustainable Consumption
Consumer Adoption of Fashion Rental for Sustainable Consumption: A Systematic Literature Review and Integrative Framework
Provisionally accepted
- 1Jiangxi Institute of Fashion Technology, Nanchang, China
- 2INTI International University, Nilai, Malaysia
- 3Shinawatra University, Sam Khok District, Thailand
- 4Wekerle Sandor Uzleti Foiskola, Budapest, Hungary
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As a promising solution for the circular economy, fashion rental addresses sustainability concerns while meeting consumer demand for fashion variety. This study conducts a systematic literature review following PRISMA guidelines to synthesize a fragmented body of research. We analyzed 68 peer-reviewed articles from the Web of Science and Scopus (2015-2024) to map the current state of knowledge and develop an integrative framework. The analysis reveals a rapid growth in research output since 2019, with a notable concentration in sustainability and consumer behavior journals, as well as a geographical focus on the United States and China. Drawing on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework, our thematic analysis identifies three key categories of stimuli (product, platform, and marketing), three types of organismic states (cognitive, emotional, and normative), and two forms of behavioral responses (intentions and actual behaviors). The proposed framework illustrates how external stimuli trigger consumers' internal evaluation processes, which in turn lead to behavioral outcomes, with these relationships being significantly moderated by individual and situational differences. This study contributes to the literature by presenting a comprehensive systematic review of the field. Its primary contribution is the development of an integrative S-O-R framework that synthesizes diverse findings and provides a more nuanced foundation than prior models by holistically incorporating external cues, a fuller spectrum of consumer psychology, and critical moderating variables. The framework advances theoretical knowledge and provides actionable insights for fashion rental platforms.
Keywords: Fashion rental, sustainable consumption, consumer behavior, Sharing economy, S-O-R
Received: 12 Aug 2025; Accepted: 06 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Song, Xu, Rahman and Yan. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Mingli Song, songmingli@jift.edu.cn
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.