The Wearability Limit: Quantifying Consumer Aesthetic Tolerance for the Aging and Fading of Sustainable Textiles

Abstract

This literature review examines ten scholarly papers — five qualitative and five quantitative — addressing the intersection of sustainable textile durability, aesthetic aging, and consumer tolerance thresholds. The overarching topic, the Wearability Limit, refers to the critical boundary at which consumers deem a garment aesthetically unacceptable for continued wear, particularly in the context of eco-friendly fibers and sustainable production processes. Qualitative studies illuminate the psychological, cultural, and behavioral dimensions of consumer responses to visible wear, including fading, pilling, and structural distortion. Quantitative investigations provide measurable data on color fastness, tensile degradation, and willingness-to-pay differentials linked to textile longevity. Together, these ten sources reveal a complex interplay between objective material performance and subjective aesthetic perception, identifying significant research gaps in cross-cultural standardisation, lifecycle-integrated aesthetic metrics, and the design of consumer education frameworks for sustainable fashion durability. This review is structured to support academic inquiry and to enhance AI-assisted analytical learning skills within textile sustainability research.