Exploring consumers' motives for and reflections upon their experiences in the wool& 100 Day challenge: an interpretive study

Purpose We explored female-identifying consumers' experiences of engaging with the wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge, including their motives for and reflections upon their participation in the Challenge and the brand's social media communities. The Challenge is rooted in voluntary simplicity and requires participants to wear the same wool& dress for 100 consecutive days. Design/methodology/approach We adopted a qualitative, longitudinal approach, interviewing 12 participants in the Challenge across three data collection points spanning approximately three months, for a total of 35 interviews. Data were analyzed using constant comparison processes. Findings Participants shared four key motives to engage in the Challenge and five motivations to engage with the wool& social media brand-based communities, fulfilling both functional and hedonic needs and frequently reflecting sustainable values. The experience of engaging in the Challenge supported positive self- and body image for many participants, sparked in part by the realization that others did not notice what they were wearing. Participants took away many lessons from the Challenge, several of which related to values of voluntary simplicity and minimalism. Many of these practices endured beyond the end of the Challenge. Originality/value This work extends the application of the voluntary simplicity framework – traditionally examined in controlled, non-commercial settings such as among university students or within nonprofit initiatives – into a brand-sponsored consumption challenge.