A Community Economies Approach to Consignment Clothing in Guelph, Ontario

Abstract

Most studies on economic globalization and commodity chains discuss the economy as exclusively capitalist. Drawing on the works of Gibson-Graham (2006), this study utilizes a community economies framework to investigate consignment clothing sales, consumption and ownership of shops in Guelph, Ontario. The community economies literature encourages a re-imagining of the economic landscape to see diverse economies. Consequently, it is possible to see a plethora of alternative and non-capitalist economies, proving the economy is not inevitably capitalist. A mix of shop owners, seller and consumers of consignment were interviewed, using feminist research methods. Findings suggest that participants experienced consignment in ways that reflect many tenets of community economies as outlined in the literature. For example, participants believed consignment clothing is environmentally sustainable, and ethical. However, complexities arose when participants attempted to discuss the separation of consignment from the larger fashion industry, reflecting the blurring between community economies and the mainstream economy.