Spaces of Clothing Consumption and Consumer Practices of the Academic Community in Belgrade

Abstract

As part of broader global processes, Belgrade is being transformed under the influence of consumer trends that reshape contemporary urban spaces. Newly created urban environments subsequently influence people's lifestyles, consumer preferences, and habits. The aim of this paper is to analyze changes at the city level, the perceptions, and clothing consumption practices of members of the academic community in Belgrade. The analysis is based on data obtained from the online survey Everyday Life in a Globalizing City – Discourses and Practices of Employees at Universities in Belgrade, conducted by the team of the Institute for Sociological Research at the Faculty of Philosophy during April and May 2021 (N = 230). To examine the peculiarities of these consumer practices, experts were chosen because they possess higher cultural and economic capital; therefore, they can choose between options available within the city and beyond. Additionally, they often have experience of living and/or working in other cities, which enables them to compare and evaluate the possibilities that the city of Belgrade offers.

Regarding the consequences of globalization on urban space, a quarter of the respondents believe that there are too many international cafes, restaurants and shopping malls in Belgrade, which they perceive as negatively affecting the identity of the city. Respondents are significantly more critical of the number of spaces promoting the activities of local authors, architects, artists and creators, with the majority agreeing that there are not enough such spaces. In terms of consumer practices, a somewhat critical attitude was identified, as half of the respondents do not visit shopping malls frequently. However, the collected data indicate that neither ecological lifestyles nor sustainable fashion practices are developed among members of the academic community.

Although the research was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, it also included practices from the pre-pandemic period, thus offering valuable insights into the clothing consumption patterns within the academic community. Nevertheless, it should be emphasized that the study is exploratory, and that a more comprehensive understanding of this topic would require additional quantitative and qualitative research.