CHAPTER II- CLOTHING CONSUMPTION PRACTICES AMONG OLDER PEOPLE WHO ATTEND SENIOR AGE GROUPS                                                                                                                                                                                                            
Milena Barbosa de Oliveira
Deborah Damasceno Klinger Vieira Araújo
Débora Pires Teixeira
Fabiano Eloy Atílio Batista
Ítalo José de Medeiros Dantas 
Glauber Soares Júnior


                                                                               
Cite this chapter
APA

Oliveira, M. B., Klinger Vieira Araújo, D. D., Teixeira, D. P., Atílio Batista, F. E., Dantas, I.J.M., Júnior, G. S. (2023). Chapter II Clothing Consumption Practices Among Older People Who Attend Senior Age Groups. In  F. E. Atilo Batista (Ed.), Academic Research & Reviews in Art, Design, Architecture and Fashion Breaking Creative Boundaries (pp. 24-40). Ankara, Türkiye: Global Academy Publishing House. https://dx.doi.org/10.59740/academy.57

Introduction
The significant increase in the number of older people in the world and their greater participation in society did not guarantee their effective inclusion in the fashion market, which still focuses on youth, ignoring the consumption potential of the older (Barros, 2015).
The so-called silver economy highlights the rise of elderly consumers worldwide. Although previous research points to the desire to consume clothes and the persistence of the taste for fashion in old age, but related to reconfigured products that meet their desires and needs, little is known about how Brazilians over 60 think and behave as consumers (Lopes et al., 2003; Melo; Teixeira; Silveira, 2017). Moreover, although there are some studies on the subject in international literature, Brazil’s inclusion in researchers’ research agenda in consumption is still very recent (Pinto; Pereira, 2015). As Vasconcelos, Loreto, and Silva (2015) state, in contemporary times, there is a gap in the analysis of purchasing behavior, primarily related to older people. In this context, “knowing the purchasing behavior of the elderly has relevant social and financial implications, given that this population is growing in our country and has potential for consumption” (p.3). In the field of fashion, in national research published in the leading scientific fashion event in Brazil, the Colóquio de Moda, the theme “clothing products for the elderly” appeared more related to product development in the steps that must be corrected to provide satisfaction and user usability (Marteli; Carlos; Landim, 2019), than in issues related to consumption.
Melo and Rocha (2011) advocate expanding knowledge and changes necessary to satisfy consumers’ growing number and desire to consume clothing. Thus, studies on clothing consumption tend to base product design research on adequately serving the public in question since, as Marteli et al. (2018) stated, inclusive clothing must be designed to facilitate use, provide comfort, and promote independence. In this sense, the clothing product must offer mechanisms that guarantee independence for a quality life, focused on health, comfort, safety, and accessibility, considering anthropometric variations and individual limitations. In this sense, it is justified to research the clothing consumption of a population with growth prospects for the coming years, which is still disregarded by the fashion industry. Such research is fundamental to creating a more inclusive, less market-based, and more social fashion while still being profitable, but which takes care of issues of functionality, wearability, comfort, and self-esteem of the older people, promoting their effective inclusion in the fashionable universe.
As stated by Machado et al. (2016), this theme represents a new and current subject, as it deals with fashion and a group of consumers who are changing their expectations and who have been protagonists of a process of change in their lifestyle, interests and in the choice of subjective representation through clothing items. Specifically, the proposal presented here had as its research problem the consumption of clothing among the older people in Seropédica (Rio de Janeiro – Brazil), a city that does not have a vast network of retail stores linked to clothing. It is also justified to carry out the research and disseminate its results to retailers and local clothing brands in Seropédica so that they are aware of the demands of the elderly public and can meet them, avoiding their displacement to other municipalities, which makes it relevant, above all, for older people with mobility difficulties. Those who do not have this characteristic can choose the shopping location that best suits them within their location. In this sense, the general objective of the research is to understand the clothing consumption practices among the older people in Seropédica (Rio de Janeiro – Brazil) who attend municipal Third Age groups. Specifically, the aim is to investigate how older people obtain the clothes they wear (purchase, gifts, donations, among others); understand how often older people buy clothes and the main motivations that determine the purchase; know the places where older adults buy clothes and discover the main difficulties that older people encounter when purchasing the clothes, they wear.