Relationships among fashion consumer groups,locus of control,boredom proneness,boredom coping and intrinsic enjoyment

Fashion change agents and fashion followers differ in their need for mental stimulation. Within a context of fashion diffusion theory, this study examined the effects of locus of control and fashion consumer group on three attributes linked to mental stimulation – boredom proneness, intrinsic enjoyment, and boredom coping. For this US sample of young women, an internal locus of control orientation was associated with a higher level of fashion innovativeness and opinion leadership. Fashion change agents, with either an internal or external locus of control orientation, and fashion followers with an external locus of control orientation, were similar in their heightened ability to entertain themselves (internal stimulation). Fashion followers with an external locus of control orientation were less able to entertain themselves than the other three groups.     

Gender,fashion consumer group,need for touch and Korean apparel consumers' shopping channel preference

Shopping preferences are affected by the culture in which an individual grows up as well as by individual differences in consumers such as differences in gender, fashion leadership and need for touch. The current study examined the influence of consumers' need for touch and fashion leadership on preference for shopping outlets (e.g. touch and non‐touch shopping channels) between genders and within a particular culture. The purpose of this study was to examine gender, fashion consumer group, need for touch and Korean apparel consumers' shopping channel preference. Participants were a convenience sample of 262 Korean college students who were recruited in Changwon, South Korea. A questionnaire was compiled that included a request for demographic information, the Need For Touch scale, the Measure of Fashion Innovativeness and Opinion Leadership, and items assessing preference for touch and non‐touch shopping channels for clothing. Women and men did not differ in overall need for touch or instrumental need for touch. Fashion change agents and fashion followers did not differ in their preference for touch and non‐touch shopping channels. Preference for touch shopping channels was more greatly affected by variables such as need for touch, gender, and fashion innovativeness and opinion leadership than preference for non‐touch shopping channels. Preference for non‐touch shopping channels was virtually unaffected by the variables examined in the current study. Implications for theory and research are provided.     

Fashion consumers and fashion problem recognition style

Consumer spending over the life span of today's 18‐ to 25‐year‐old emerging adults will reach into the $10 trillion range. Emerging adults are a powerful force in shaping demand for consumer products. The problem recognition styles associated with emerging adults can help marketers understand this group of consumers and provide insight into what kinds of products, services, and messages will appeal to them as lifelong consumers. The purpose of this study was to examine differences between men and women and among fashion consumer groups in fashion problem recognition style. Participants were a convenience sample of emerging adult consumers from one Midwestern university in the US, 136 men and 158 women who completed the Measure of Fashion Innovativeness and Opinion Leadership, Fashion Problem Recognition Style Scale, and provided demographic information. Both fashion followers and men reflected a need‐based approach to problem recognition. Both fashion change agents and women reflected a want‐based approach to problem recognition. Male fashion followers differed from all other groups in indicating a need‐based approach to problem recognition. This study built on previous work by examining differences in problem recognition style owing to fashion consumer group and gender. The basic premise behind problem recognition style was validated; that is, actual state (need‐based) vs. ideal state (want‐based) approaches to fashion problem recognition did relate to fashion consumer group membership and gender.     

Materialism,fashion consumers and gender: a cross‐cultural study

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among materialism, gender and fashion consumer groups from two countries – one representative of an individualistic culture (US) and one representative of a collectivistic culture (Korea). Participants were 397 students from a university in Korea (n = 221) and a university in the US (n = 176) who completed the questionnaire. The materialism construct showed adequate reliability for participants in both cultures. Fashion change agents scored higher on materialism (centrality and success) than fashion followers. Females scored higher on materialism than males which seemed to be based on higher scores on the centrality subscale. Participants from the US and Korea differed on all three subscales of materialism with US participants scoring higher on centrality but lower on success and happiness than Korean participants. The findings of this study provide valuable implications for fashion marketers and retailers in Korea and US. The findings are limited to Korean and US consumers and cannot be generalized to other cultures. This paper fills a gap in the literature by comparing materialistic values between genders and fashion consumer groups in an individualistic culture (US) and a collectivistic culture (Korea).     

Centrality of visual product aesthetics,tactile and uniqueness needs of fashion consumers

The purposes of this study were to determine whether fashion consumer groups (fashion followers, fashion innovators, fashion opinion leaders and innovative communicators) differ in centrality of visual product aesthetics, consumers' need for uniqueness and need for touch, and to examine possible correlations among these variables. Fashion design and merchandizing students completed the following scales: Need for Touch, Consumers' Need for Uniqueness, Centrality of Visual Product Aesthetics, Measure of Fashion Innovativeness and Opinion Leadership plus demographic information. Innovative communicators had a greater need for uniqueness than followers and opinion leaders, but not than innovators. Fashion followers scored lower on Centrality of Visual Product Aesthetics than did innovative communicators, innovators and opinion leaders. There was no difference in Need for Touch among fashion consumer groups. Scores on Need for Touch were positively correlated with scores on Centrality of Visual Product Aesthetics and Consumers' Need for Uniqueness. Scores on Centrality of Visual Product Aesthetics were positively correlated with scores on Consumers' Need for Uniqueness. Scores on Fashion Innovativeness and Opinion Leadership were positively correlated with scores on Centrality of Visual Product Aesthetics and Consumers' Need for Uniqueness. Scores on Fashion Innovativeness and Opinion Leadership were not significantly correlated with those on Need for Touch. Fashion consumer groups did differ in centrality of visual product aesthetics and need for uniqueness, but not in need for touch.     

Vanity and public self‐consciousness: a comparison of fashion consumer groups and gender

The purpose of this study was to compare vanity and public self‐consciousness between fashion consumer groups (fashion change agents, fashion followers) and genders. Vanity has four dimensions: concern for physical appearance, a positive (perhaps inflated) view of physical appearance, concern for achievement and a positive (perhaps inflated) view of achievement. Participants (284 women; 116 men; mean age = 21.16) completed scales measuring consumer vanity, public self‐consciousness and fashion innovativeness and opinion leadership. Women scored higher on vanity physical concern, vanity achievement concern, vanity achievement view and public self‐consciousness than men. Fashion change agents scored higher on vanity physical concern, vanity physical view and public self‐consciousness than fashion followers.     

Pre‐purchase and post‐purchase satisfaction and fashion involvement of female tennis wear consumers

This study examined the relationship among pre‐purchase and post‐purchase satisfaction and fashion involvement of women who participated in tennis. As women's activities in sports, including tennis, are growing, it is necessary to investigate their clothing needs in order to meet consumers’ needs. A final sample consisted of 124 women who attended a Cortec United States Tennis Association Women's Pro Tournament. The questionnaires were personally distributed and collected during the tournament. The theoretical base for this study was the Engel, Blackwell, and Miniard model on consumer decision making. There was a positive significant relationship between pre‐purchase satisfaction and post‐purchase satisfaction (P < 0.01). There was a positive significant relationship between pre‐purchase satisfaction and fashion involvement (P < 0.001). Also, there was a positive significant relationship between post‐purchase satisfaction and fashion involvement (P < 0.001). Comfort was identified as the most important clothing attribute and fit the second most important for women to achieve satisfaction before and after purchasing tennis apparel. Seventy‐two percent of the women indicated the need for improved fit of tennis wear. Women of all ages reported garment length as a problem for each garment type. Two major reasons for not purchasing tennis clothing were high prices and inappropriate sizes.     

Extending the diversity conversation: Fashion consumption experiences of underrepresented and underserved women

This research brings in the voice of underserved and underrepresented women of various racial or ethnic origins and social classes, who have differing buying powers, sexual orientations, body shapes, and physical appearances, into the conversation of fashion diversity. Through a qualitative inquiry with 38 semi-structured in-depth interviews, the researchers analyzed the consumption experiences of diverse women to expose what the fashion scene is lacking. The study's main contribution is the depiction of overlooked diversity categories in fashion, such as the non-White and non-Black women of color, women of average sizes, and women with characteristics that the fashion industry has long seen as flaws. For women's physical and psychological well-being, the authors of this study hope to lead fashion producers and researchers into a new era of diversity and minimize certain consumer groups' exclusion through discrimination, isolation, and segregation.     

Information seeking by female apparel consumers in South Africa during the fashion decision‐making process

Fashion information is sought during the fashion decision‐making process and can be obtained from various sources such as magazines, fashion consultants, websites and store displays. Various levels and methods such as internal and external search for information are used to assist the consumer in making informed fashion decisions. The broad research aim of this study was to determine which methods, sources and economics of fashion information are sought and used by female educators in Vanderbijlpark (South Africa) during the fashion decision‐making process, and to which extent. A self‐administered, structured questionnaire was used to collect the data. Section A measured methods of information seeking, section B determined the economics of information search and section C investigated sources of fashion information. Demographic information was investigated in Section D. A random cluster sample of eight schools was chosen from the female educating staff of 22 schools. The biggest group of the educators (40.18%) was between the ages of 41 and 50, which according to a South African categorization represents baby boomers. Almost all (95.5%) had a higher education qualification obtained at a university and most (82.14%) were married. Regarding the methods of information seeking, the respondents depended on internal information seeking more than on external methods and were moderately involved in the process. Shopping in stores was regarded the most important source of fashion information. Cluster analysis revealed that four clusters of respondents could be distinguished, each with a specific disposition towards the methods and economics of search as well as sources used during the fashion decision‐making process.     

The fashion‐conscious behaviours of mature female consumers

Under‐appreciation of mature consumers as a numerous and comparatively wealthy market segment has resulted in not only lost revenues for business, but also lost consumption and service opportunities for the elderly. In response to expressed needs for more research into actual and desired consumption by older consumers, this study examined the apparel and shopping preferences of mature women in America. Independent living residents were surveyed concerning fashion consciousness, fashion information sources and shopping behaviours. Young and mature consumers’ reactions to female apparel ensembles were compared. Mature subjects purchased apparel for pleasure or need, but less for conformity. Decisions were influenced more by fit and comfort than by fashion, despite suggestions that dressing stylishly was important. New fashions were encountered via catalogue illustrations, social gatherings and window displays. Subjects high in fashion consciousness had greater financial and social involvement with fashion, greater chronological‐to‐cognitive age differences and larger clothing budgets. Young and mature consumers’ responses to apparel illustrations differed significantly. As the mature market expands, attention to age‐divergent definitions of fashion (such as those based upon admiration of comfort) will determine the success of apparel businesses. Assessment of cognitive age will facilitate identification of those mature consumers most predisposed toward fashion consumption.     

Understanding gay consumers’ clothing involvement and fashion consciousness

This study’s primary objective was to provide a better understanding of gay consumers’ clothing involvement and fashion consciousness. Personal in‐depth interviews were conducted with 13 gay professionals in Canada. One hundred and forty‐five usable survey questionnaires were also collected from gay consumers. The Fashion Involvement Index Scale (FII scale) was adapted for this study. Interview participants indicated that, in general, gay men tend to be more fashion conscious than heterosexual men. Survey results also indicated two dimensions, fashion interest and fashion awareness that were found to be stronger for this group of gay consumers than for heterosexual men. The FII value for the survey participants also resulted in a sum score mean value of 11.2, a medium level of fashion involvement that is a slightly higher level than has been found for heterosexual consumers. Interestingly, this study does not provide strong evidence of gay consumers’ involvement in cutting‐edge fashion trends.     

The fashion engagement grid: understanding men's responses to fashion advertising

This study examines how men who are interested in fashion interpret fashion advertisements. Data are garnered from interviews with adult men who regularly read fashion magazines and buy fashion clothing. Findings reveal that men process fashion advertisements through the same five modes as women. The current study also demonstrates that men's responses to fashion advertisements can be categorized through the Fashion Engagement Grid which examines men's characterizations of and motivations for fashion behavior. This study expands theoretical understandings of gender in advertising research and recommends advertising elements to attract male consumers.     

Fashion opinion leadership among working and non-working women

Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine fashion opinion leadership among working and non-working women. Data were collected by mail survey from 630 working and non-working women in the USA. Employment orientation (i.e. viewing work as either a job or a career) and satisfaction with career apparel were investigated among working women to determine whether there are differences in these dimensions between fashion leaders and fashion followers. Results contradict earlier studies by indicating that fashion opinion leadership among working and non-working women is independent of education and income. Fashion opinion leadership among working women is independent of occupational level. Whether one works in a managerial position or a service position, or one considers work to be a job or a career, has no significant effect on fashion opinion leadership. Fashion opinion leaders among working women demonstrated greater satisfaction with career apparel and were younger than their fashion follower counterparts. Fashion leadership, regardless of work status, was found to be a strong determinant of apparel satisfaction for all women. The results suggest that the effect of being a fashion opinion leader may be greater when considering apparel that is more salient to the wearer.     

Exit from the high street: an exploratory study of sustainable fashion consumption pioneers

In today's fashion system, dominated by business models predicated on continual consumption and globalized production systems that have major environmental and social impacts, the consumption of ‘sustainable fashion’ takes on an almost paradoxical quality. This paper explores this paradox by focusing on a previously under‐researched group of consumers – ‘sustainable fashion consumption pioneers’ who actively engage and shape their own discourse around the notion of sustainable fashion consumption. These pioneers actively create and communicate strategies for sustainable fashion behaviour that can overcome the nebulous and somewhat paradoxical reality that sustainable development in the fashion industry presents. Specifically, we use passive netnography and semi‐structured interviews to illuminate the role of motivational and contextual factors that help shape these consumers' definitions of sustainable fashion including such key behaviours as purchasing fewer garments of higher quality, exiting the retail market, purchasing only second‐hand fashion goods and sewing or upgrading their own clothing. Central to much of these behaviours is the notion that personal style, rather than fashion, can bridge the potential disconnect between sustainability and fashion while also facilitating a sense of well‐being not found in traditional fashion consumption. As such, our research suggests that for these consumers sustainability is as much about reducing measurable environmental or social impacts as it is about incorporating broader concepts through which to achieve goals beyond the pro‐environmental or ethical.     

Women's responses to fashion media images: a study of female consumers aged 30–59

The purpose of this study was to examine whether female consumers ranging in age from 30 to 59 prefer fashion advertising models more closely resembling their age. The sample for this study consisted of 182 women. Stimuli included full‐colored photographs of current fashion models. A questionnaire designed to explore participants' responses to the stimuli included scales measuring participants' beliefs about the stimulus models' appearances and attractiveness, participants' purchase intentions and perceived similarity with the models and participants' perceived fashionability of the model's clothing. Participants rated models appearing older in age significantly higher than younger models on the characteristics related to appearance and attractiveness. Advertisements with older models also had a significant positive relationship to participants' purchase intentions as compared to younger‐age models. Participants who perceived more similarity to the models were found to have more positive beliefs about the model's appearance and attractiveness and the fashionability of the model's clothing. Perceived similarity also had a significant positive relationship to participants' purchase intentions. As a result of this study, findings suggest that marketers and retailers should consider the age of the model used in their promotional materials. Specifically, it is possible that female consumers either transitioning into, or currently in, the middle adulthood life stages may have a preference for fashion models more closely resembling their age group.     

市场营销领域的时尚研究缘起、内容及展望

当前,赋予产品时尚特性已经成为营销实务界人士的主要工作,但营销领域对时尚的研究却并没有得到广泛的关注。文章通过对时尚研究文献进行梳理发现,对时尚的研究经历了一个从静态到动态、从单一学科分析到多学科结合研究、从简单定性研究到定性与定量分析相结合的过程,这显示了时尚研究的不断丰富,也为时尚理论研究及企业营销实践提供了重要的依据和方向。但纵观国内外营销领域有关时尚的研究,仍然存在很多有待进一步研究和探讨的地方。未来对时尚的研究应主要包括以下几个方面:一是时尚的维度问题,二是有关时尚价值的进一步研究,三是对时尚研究对象的扩展。这些问题的解决具有重要实践意义。     

Fashion sensitive young consumers and fashion garment repair: Emotional connections to garments as a sustainability strategy

Where clothing consumption has continued to rise around the world, a deeper understanding of how and why garments are disposed of is critical in regard to addressing the issue of textile waste by consumers. The purpose of this study was to explore the garment management processes of young, fashion sensitive consumers, examining their disposal behaviours as well as motivations towards garment end‐of‐life extension through maintenance or repair of damaged fashion clothing. A survey of 161 South Korean young consumers (18–34 years) was conducted, utilizing a fashion sensitivity scale to measure impact on unsustainable garment disposal practices and garment repair behaviour. Further, general recycling behaviour of these individuals was examined, as linked to garment repair propensity. Results indicate that fashion sensitive consumers dispose of garments more rapidly, and with less ethical consideration. However, these same consumers are motivated to repair items that support their fashion identity. The study contributes some useful insight into encouraging garment life extension practise among heavy consumers of fashion, thus extending what is known about fashion garment disposal in the sustainability context.     

The effect of consumers' involvement and innovativeness on the utilization of fashion wardrobe

This study proposed wardrobe utilization as a means of explaining consumer clothing use behaviour, and aimed to explore its relationship with other antecedent variables. We posit that use innovativeness functions as an antecedent of wardrobe utilization within a model comprised of fashion‐related variables, such as fashion innovativeness and fashion involvement. An empirical study was conducted to test this relationship with 211 adult women between the ages of 20 and 40 years. In order to calculate wardrobe utilization, the number of clothing items worn by each respondent was divided by the total number of clothes that the respective respondent owns. The findings of this study revealed a measureable effect of use innovativeness on wardrobe utilization and apparel purchase behaviour. In addition, fashion innovativeness and fashion involvement was shown to affect use innovativeness; however, the two variables did not have a significant impact on influencing wardrobe utilization. These results showed that use innovativeness plays a role of the full mediator variable in the path from fashion involvement and fashion innovativeness to wardrobe utilization. These also indicated that people who are very innovative in their use of fashion are likely to broadly utilize their respective wardrobes. Finally, the impact of purchase behaviour on wardrobe utilization was dismissed, as purchase behaviour and use behaviour were found to be clearly distinguished from one another. Clothing utilization is related to the life cycle of clothes including their purchase, usage and disposal. And in better understanding clothing utilization, the needless waste of clothing would be reduced and would encourage better management of clothes after their purchase. In the context of the product life cycle, this study of clothing use behaviour can assist in building a more sustainable environment for the textile and fashion industry.     

From quantity to quality: understanding slow fashion consumers for sustainability and consumer education

There is a growing interest in slow fashion, a production method which emphasizes quality as a way of achieving sustainability in the fashion industry. In order to develop a sophisticated and targeted marketing strategy, this study aimed to identify potential slow fashion consumer segments and understand their characteristics. The final 221 completed responses from a sample of nationwide U.S. consumers were analyzed by cluster analysis. Based on consumer orientation to slow fashion, four consumer groups were identified: Highly‐involved in slow fashion group, Conventional group, Exclusivity oriented group and Low‐involved in slow fashion group. The characteristics of each group were profiled according to personal values, apparel consumption behaviours and demographics. With distinctive profiles of each group, different marketing strategies were suggested to address the needs of each group effectively. This study extends academic understanding of slow fashion in consumer perspectives, and provides important perspectives for consumer education on apparel consumption.     

“We make the shoes,you make the story” Teenage girls’ experiences of fashion: Bricolage,tactics and narrative identity

This article explores the ways that French teenage girls use fashion discourse to construct their evolving identity from their recently left childhood to their future as fully grown women. Verbatim texts of 14 phenomenological discussions concerning clothing, accessories, make‐up and fashion are interpreted using the concepts of bricolage (Lévi‐Strauss), tactics (Certeau) and narrative identity (Ric?ur). The findings resonate with Thompson and Haytko’s portrayal of a dialogical relationship between consumers and a system of countervailing fashion meanings and with Murray’s exposition of a dialectical and discursive tension between sign‐experimentation and sign‐domination. But beyond this we elucidate the process by which teenagers also acquire, from personal social milieu, skills and tactics through which they toy with preconstrained sartorial symbolism to construct the plot line of their own lives which, in turn, reflects their past, defines their present self and presages their future.