From Necessity to Identity: Entrepreneurial Perspectives on Key Drivers of Second-Hand Clothing Consumption in the Philippines' Ukay-Ukay Sector

Abstract

Global textile waste from fast fashion has necessitated the rise of circular economies. In the Philippines, a vibrant, culturally embedded market known as ukay-ukay offers a grassroots model of circularity. While historically viewed through a lens of economic necessity, the motivations driving this sector remain largely misunderstood. This study investigates the motivations behind Filipino consumers' engagement with second-hand apparel from the perspective of business owners. The findings represent "market-facing" insights, where sellers act as expert observers of consumer behavior and psychographics. Using a qualitative approach, in-depth interviews were conducted with seventeen ukay-ukay entrepreneurs, and data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Data collection ceased when thematic saturation was reached, with legacy entrepreneurs providing longitudinal depth, while newer entrants validated current trend-driven shifts. Seven interconnected motivational themes emerged: redefined affordability, social influences, the pursuit of uniqueness, perceptions of quality, growing environmental awareness, the thrill of discovery, and the importance of trust. Findings reveal a market evolution where consumption is shifting from necessity to identity construction. The study introduces a dual-theory lens integrating the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Diffusion of Innovation (DOI): TPB explains micro-level intentions (attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control), while DOI captures macro-level adoption dynamics (relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, observability). The inclusion of "Trust" as a proxy for PBC is specifically justified by the informal nature of the market, where relational reliability facilitates consumer control over transactions. The integrated TPB–DOI model clarifies how improved curation, live selling, and social visibility reduce perceived complexity and increase PBC, accelerating adoption across consumer segments. Our findings empirically demonstrate the integrated TPB–DOI framework by showing how affordability and uniqueness simultaneously shape attitudes (TPB) and relative advantage (DOI), revealing tensions between economic necessity and identity-driven adoption. This contextual adaptation highlights how informal, culturally embedded markets challenge conventional assumptions of behavioral control and innovation diffusion. This research contributes a context-specific, theoretically integrated framework that advances understanding second-hand fashion in informal, culturally embedded markets and offers actionable implications for sustainable fashion entrepreneurship and policy in emerging economies.