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Social Media and the Circular Wardrobe: A Study on Upcycling Trends and Zero-Waste Fashion Communities

Shikha Singh Rajpoot, Research Scholar, Scholar Cinema Department, AAFT University of Media and Arts, India, shikha.singh1282@gmail.com

Abstract

The growing concern over fashion’s environmental footprint has prompted a shift toward sustainable practices, with circular fashion emerging as a key movement. This paper, “The Circular Wardrobe and Social Media: An Analysis of Upcycling Patterns and Zero-Waste Fashion Communities,” explores how social media platforms function as catalysts in promoting circular wardrobe concepts and influencing consumer behavior toward sustainability. Through the lens of digital communities, the study examines the role of influencers, brands, and user-generated content in fostering awareness and participation in upcycling, repair, and clothing exchange practices. It highlights how visual storytelling, trend-sharing, and online tutorials have transformed upcycling into both a creative expression and a socio-environmental act. The research also investigates how hashtags, online challenges, and digital campaigns nurture zero-waste communities, encouraging collective responsibility and ethical consumption. Findings suggest that social media not only democratizes access to sustainable fashion knowledge but also reshapes consumption patterns by making circularity aspirational, accessible, and community-driven. This analysis underscores the significance of digital engagement in accelerating the transition toward a circular and zero-waste fashion ecosystem. The study also looks into how digital campaigns, online challenges, and hashtags support zero-waste communities by promoting ethical consumption and group accountability. According to research, social media not only democratizes access to information on sustainable fashion but also changes the way people consume by elevating circularity to a community-driven, accessible, and aspirational goal. The importance of digital participation in quickening the shift to a circular and waste-free fashion ecosystem is shown by this analysis.

Keywords- Upcycling, zero-waste fashion, social media, digital communities, sustainability, ethical consumption, fashion activism, and a circular wardrobe.