Abstract:

Until recently the textile and clothing industry has been developed based on technological and cost factors. As a result, manufacturers have generally implemented research/technology- driven and price-driven innovations rather than user/consumer-driven innovations. The aim of this article is to start a discussion about the ways to increase the role of consumers’ inputs into textile and clothing innovations, including so-called ‘sustainable innovations’. The article presents the results of research that the author carried out using a representative random sample of 981 Polish adults. The research aimed: to establish the degree of consistency between types of innovations currently prioritized by the textile and clothing industry and the present needs of Polish consumers; to create a hierarchy of innovations that R&D centres may offer with respect to those needs; to analyse the survey respondents in terms of their socio-demographic characteristics in order to describe consumers interested in particular types of innovations according to the accepted criteria.