Foreign-made Apparel

With the use of a congruity theory approach, consumers were asked to evaluate the quality of apparel for three brand types (name, designer, store), four store types (department, discount, national chain, off-price) and imported versus US-made apparel. They were then asked to evaluate the quality of each store type in association with either US-made or imported merchandise. Subjects were also asked to evaluate the quality of brand types in association with US-made or imported goods. Results revealed that a brand or store association with imported or US-made apparel may significantly increase or decrease the perception of apparel quality. The implications for advertisers, manufacturers and retailers are discussed.