Exploring Japanese consumers’ cultural meanings and consumption of American fashion

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to explore how Japanese consumers perceive American fashion and how this perception is related to the purchase of American fashion products based on Consumer Culture Theory. For this research, cultural meanings of American fashion in Japanese fashion market were collected and analyzed using a thematic analysis method through Japanese consumers’ online postings and discussions. Results showed Japanese consumers perceived American fashion to (1) be economical/causal and lack fashion sense, (2) have different fashion trends for celebrities and general population, and (3) be individualistic without obvious fashion trends. This research also found Japanese consumers preferred American fashion for four reasons: (1) preference for American casual fashion styles, (2) emulation of existing styles of American celebrities, (3) availability of styles and sizes for non-regular Japanese body size, and (4) unique fashion styles rare in the Japanese fashion market. On the other hand, Japanese consumers identified various reasons why they are reluctant to consume American fashion. Three reasons include (1) different styles, (2) different aesthetics views due to different body sizes, and (3) reluctance to conform to current American fashion styles in the Japanese fashion market.