In our recent textiles webinar, we spent some time discussing prosumers: who are they and why we should care? As the textiles and apparel industry continues to work to reinvent itself in the face of many challenges—some exacerbated by the pandemic, others by consumer pressure to reduce the industry’s massive and quite negative environmental footprint—the term prosumer seems to be increasingly coming to the fore.

The term “prosumer” was coined by Alvin Toffler in 1980 to describe consumers’ active roles in commercialization, and its usage and meaning have evolved over the years. In effect, it is a blending of the lines between the consumer and the producer, where the consumer takes an active role in the design and/or promotional process for the products or services they are consuming. These can include hobbyists and DIYers, such as many of the customers of Spoonflower, who choose from their designs and apply them to clothing or home goods, then either use these customized goods themselves or market them through sites like Etsy.

But another example of a prosumer is an influencer—it could be a celebrity or someone who has built a large social media following—who promotes certain products through their network. Sometimes these folks are paid to do this, and sometimes they are not. But especially for those that have a larger voice through their celebrity or their following, brands are being to pay more attention, often creating a two-way dialog, and their feedback is rolled into the new product design process. Then they are re-engaged when these products—that they have influenced—are ready to go to market.