Fashion Apparel Research Articles

Development of Local Cultural Woven Textile Product to Contemporary Fashion Product

This research has purpose to take local woven or “Pahkahmah” which is a cultural product of the local woven of Nong Kao district in Kanchanaburi province of Thailand to develop for and applying with contemporary fashion design in order to increase its value. The process of creation in this research has 5 steps as 1. Create concept and inspiration 2. Design collections for the improved textiles 3. Create decoration technique for the improved textile and collections 4. Create the prototype collections and products 5. Evaluate satisfactory for the prototype collection and products. The improved textiles were used in making 3 collections of fashion apparels and costume accessories in street fashion for present lifestyle. Knowledge to improved and develop local Pahkahmah woven textile and the idea from prototype collections and products from this research was relayed to makers of Pahkahmah woven textile in Nong Kao district, Kanchanaburi province. Evaluation for satisfactory to the creative idea and developed textile products by representatives of Pahkahmah woven textile maker community and consumers revealed average score 4.45 with standard deviation 0.27. Knowledge from this research become a guideline for sustainable development and innovative idea for increasing commercial value to the local Pahkahma woven products of Nong Kao district community.

Exploring the dynamic impact of the Northern Sea Route on China-Europe multimodal transportation competition in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative

As Arctic sea ice continues to melt, the Northern Sea Route (NSR) is anticipated to become the third major China-Europe transportation corridor, alongside the Suez Canal Route (SCR) and China Railway Express (CRE). This study investigates the integration of the NSR into the Belt and Road multimodal transportation network and analyzes its dynamic competition with traditional corridors across heterogeneous regions and markets in China. To achieve this, we developed a novel hybrid multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) framework to evaluate the NSR's potential as an alternative China-Europe trade route. This framework introduces a new criteria utility function (CUF) and integrates the Bayesian best-worst method (BBWM) and measurement of alternatives and ranking according to compromise solution (MARCOS) method. This approach evaluates and prioritizes routes based on cost, time, reliability, safety, sustainability, and convenience, thereby detailing the NSR's market advantages and business prospects. The findings suggest that simply increasing the frequency of transportation services is insufficient to attract Chinese customers to the NSR. Instead, the route's competitiveness is primarily determined by transportation costs. In future scenarios, the NSR will offer additional route options for China-Europe containerized intermodal transport, potentially serving as a complementary corridor to the SCR and CRE under certain conditions. Coastal and sub-coastal regions north of Fujian Province are potential markets for the NSR, while inland regions far from seaports are better suited for connections via the CRE. Notably, time-insensitive containerized cargoes, such as industrial accessories, mechanical equipment, and metal crafts, exhibit higher potential demand for the NSR. In contrast, time-sensitive commodities like fashion apparel, electronics, and medical devices are more likely to be transported by cross-border railroads due to their urgency. Stakeholders, including government agencies, shipping companies, and exporters, can utilize these insights to optimize China-Europe transport organization and effectively commercialize the NSR.

Optimizing Fashion Marketing Strategies: Understanding Consumer Behavior in Bangladesh

This study delves into the intricate dynamics of consumer behavior in the context of fashion apparel, focusing on t-shirts and denim pants in Bangladesh. Consumer preferences, perceptions, and purchasing decisions are explored through qualitative research methods, aiming to uncover insights crucial for marketers and retailers. The research emphasizes the significance of fashion attributes such as quality, comfort, fabric, color, and special effects in influencing consumer choices. A sample of 500 young Bangladeshi consumers participated in structured interviews, providing nuanced perspectives on their preferences and expectations. Findings highlight a strong preference for quality and comfort in both t-shirts and denim pants, with significant variations in color and fabric choices. The study underscores the evolving nature of consumer behavior influenced by globalization and digital advancements, posing challenges and opportunities for fashion marketers. By understanding these dynamics, stakeholders can optimize marketing strategies to better meet consumer demands and foster brand loyalty in a competitive marketplace.

Opportunities and challenges of smart technology for small independent fashion retailers: a reflexive thematic analysis using the technology-organization-environment framework

Smart technology has become an increasingly prominent feature in the fashion apparel industry. However, small retailers still face challenges while trying to adopt such innovative smart technologies to increase consumer interaction and sales. By applying the Technology, Organization, and Environment (TOE) framework, the aim of this study is to understand small independent fashion retail owners’ and employees’ thoughts on innovative retail technologies and their reactions to the currently available new technology. A qualitative research method of in-depth interviews with 11 participants working in fashion companies was used. The themes that emerged in this study represent criteria to be met prior to adopting new technology for small fashion retailers, including transparency, consistency, and integration of technology. While there were concerns regarding the cost and timing of adopting smart technology, they all expressed unanimous agreement that these advancements would become the next major trend in fashion retail, enhancing consumer connectivity. In particular, the smart technology they plan to adopt must possess the capability for reciprocity between consumers and the company. This will motivate a resurgence of innovative technologies in the less advanced fragment of small independent fashion retailers. Future research can focus on analyzing how the implementation of new smart technologies affects these types of businesses and their customer satisfaction.

Consumer Involvement and Impact of Bollywood on purchase of Fashion Apparel

Understanding consumer purchase behaviour is imperative to success in contemporary marketing. When it comes to purchase of fashion apparels, consumer involvement plays an important role. Bollywood fashion is the also an influential factor behind the latest trends. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of consumer involvement and Bollywood on the purchase of fashion apparels. A conceptual review of consumer involvement and impact of Bollywood on purchase of fashion apparels was done to get insights on the subject and which helped in framing the hypothesis. A questionnaire was designed for tapping product involvement, purchase decision involvement, consumption involvement and celebrity and Bollywood impact. Convenience sample of 200 respondents from Ajmer and Jaipur city was used. Descriptive statistics were assessed to examine the sociological variables including gender, age, etc. SPSS 15 for windows was employed for exploratory factor analysis. Findings indicate that consumers are much thoughtful while purchasing fashion apparels. Respondents who showed a stronger affiliation to movies and celebrity indicated a higher level of consumer involvement and resultant purchase of fashion apparels. However, self assessment also plays an important role.

Dominant Color Detection For Online Fashion Retrievals

This paper introduces a novel approach aimed at efficiently extracting dominant colors from online fashion images. The method addresses challenges related to detecting overlapping objects and computationally expensive methods by combining K-means clustering and graph-cut techniques into a framework. This framework incorporates an adaptive weighting strategy to enhance color extraction accuracy. Additionally, it introduces a two-phase fashion apparel detection method called YOLOv4, which utilizes U-Net architecture for clothing segmentation to precisely separate clothing items from the background or other elements. Experimental results show that K-means with YOLOv4 outperforms K-means with the U-Net model. These findings suggest that the U-Net architecture and YOLOv4 models can be effective methods for complex image segmentation tasks in online fashion retrieval and image processing, particularly in the rapidly evolving e-commerce environment.

Use of Big Data for Textile Fashion and Garment Industry

Big data is such type of data which requires a different processing approach. The feature of data science is to drive the fashion and textile industry forward. Among the revolutionary technologies big data is the most useful tool for industries. One of the most basic questions in research is how block chain empowered by big data can be handled and utilized to manage traceable and information sharing more perfect through global supply chains. At present the number of applications of big data technology in textile manufacturing sections in organized manner is limited. In fashion apparel businesses there are numerous benefits of retail analytics. Data related to style designs is the information about the components and standards of plan, which joined together, give the plan of a design item. Big data can allow fashion industry to examine popular patterns at a granular level to allow them understand about who is buying and why.

Rethinking Curriculum through Trainees' Eyes: Investigating Perceptions of Technical and Vocational Trainees' English Proficiency

This study investigates English language proficiency and difficulties among trainees at Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Technical and Vocational Training Institute (TVTI). As English proficiency becomes increasingly vital for career success, particularly in technical fields like garment and apparel fashion, understanding the specific language needs within the Ethiopian TVET context is crucial. Using a mixed-methods approach, data were gathered from 108 trainees through questionnaires, observations, and interviews. Quantitative data were analyzed with SPSS 25, and qualitative data with NVivo. Results indicated that writing is perceived as the most challenging skill, with variability in responses influenced by individual factors. Note-taking, technical reports, and understanding instructions were also rated as difficult. These findings align with previous research, emphasizing the impact of cultural and confidence factors on language perceptions. The study underscores the importance of contextualized skill development to meet the technical terminology demands in this context.

From leaves to fabric: the beauty of Econic

Learning outcomes This case is primarily intended fior students to evolve ideas in context to the challenges catering to a green fashion clothing line selling their products in the emerging economy of India wherein the masses are far behind considering the sustainable value of their products. In response to these challenges, the learners would be able toanalyze the influence of internal and external enhancers and inhibitors on a sustainable fashion brand to improve its scalability; articulate the factors influencing diffusion of sustainable fashion apparel; and formulate a strategic plan to aid in the growth and scalability of the brand and building micro-economies that will thrive in the future.The case also addresses topics like consumer attitude toward sustainable fashion clothing line and pricing challenges faced by such brands in developing economies like India. Case overview/synopsis This case describes the challenges faced by the co-founders, Sanghamitra and Mayuree, who introduced a sustainable fashion apparel brand called Econic. Marketing and sales of Econic’s products came with a bundle of challenges, and it was not easy to convince customers about the authenticity, quality and pricing of these products. Indian consumers had less awareness of the value of sustainable fashion clothing thereby presenting a huge challenge for Econic to flourish and sell their products in India. Thereafter, the brand aimed at expanding beyond the geographical boundaries of India. This further led Econic to face a cutthroat competition from various established players with comparatively huge market shares. Majority of Econic’s sales arose from expatriates or outlanders. Considering the response of local impediments and constraints from India, Sanghamitra began targeting the foreign markets. She saw global expansion as an opportunity for driving the brand’s growth. Eventually, Econic witnessed nascent success when the founders started exporting their products in the markets of UAE [1] and USA [2]. Contrarily, the brand’s co-founder Mayuree felt that it was too early for the brand to enter international market, and instead, it would be more sensible to focus attention in India itself. The approach of both the co-founders seemed paradoxical. At one point, Econic was facing a fierce local competition for their products. How could the brand increase awareness and acceptance of its products was an area of concern for Sanghamitra. Second, expanding into international market posed certain other challenges. The key dilemmas encountered by the co-founders continued to remain that which growth strategy should Econic adopt; how could Econic ascertain to set foot into which market; what were the likely scalability challenges they faced by entering international market; and what could be the finest marketing strategy for their brand. Complexity academic level The case is relevant for students in disciplines of green marketing, principles and concepts of sustainability, climate change and development, corporate social responsibility, marketing and strategy. It is designed for advanced MBA/PGDM and capstone courses. Supplementary material Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

The role of marketing as a determining factor in the production and sale of fashion apparel

The role of marketing as a determining factor in the production and sale of fashion apparel

Knowledge Distillation for a Domain-Adaptive Visual Recommender System

In the last few years large-scale foundational models have shown remarkable performance in computer vision tasks. However, deploying such models in a production environment poses a significant challenge, because of their computational requirements. Furthermore, these models typically produce generic results and they often need some sort of external input. The concept of knowledge distillation provides a promising solution to this problem.In this paper, we focus on the challenges faced in the application of knowledge distillation techniques in the task of augmenting a dataset for object detection used in a commercial Visual Recommender System called VISIDEA; the goal consists in detecting items in various e-commerce websites, encompassing a wide range of custom product categories. We discuss a possible solution to problems such as label duplication, erroneous labeling and lack of robustness to prompting, by considering examples in the field of fashion apparel recommendation.

Service quality expectations of international fashion apparel brands in India: Satisfaction loyalty and the mediating role of culture

Service quality is an important determinant of customer brand experience, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty, with cross-cultural differences leading to varied expectations of service from consumers. Our research aims to understand the influence of the service quality expectations and cultural factors that influence customer satisfaction and loyalty, and the moderating role of cultural values on the relationship between customer satisfaction and loyalty of international fashion apparel brand purchasing of young consumers in India. Data collected across 142 young consumers in India via questionnaire are analysed using PLS_SEM structural modelling. The findings indicate that the service quality parameter tangibility has a significantly positive relationship with customer satisfaction while both reliability and formality positively influence customer loyalty. The cultural value self-transcendence depicts a significant positive relationship with customer loyalty, while the moderating effect of conservation on the relationship between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty is also significantly positive, validating the role of cultural values as both a predictor and moderator of customer purchase motivation.

Estimating Cloth Simulation Parameters From Tag Information and Cusick Drape Test

AbstractIn recent years, the fashion apparel industry has been increasingly employing virtual simulations for the development of new products. The first step in virtual garment simulation involves identifying the optimal simulation parameters that accurately reproduce the drape properties of the actual fabric. Recent techniques advocate for a data‐driven approach, estimating parameters from outcomes of a Cusick drape test. Such methods deviate from standard Cusick drape tests, introducing high‐cost tools, which reduces practicality. Our research presents a more practical model, utilizing 2D silhouette images from the ISO‐standardized Cusick drape test. Notably, while past models have shown limitations in estimating stretching parameters, our novel approach leverages the fabric's tag information including fabric type and fiber composition. Our proposed model functions as a cascaded system: first, it estimates stretching parameters using tag information, then, in the subsequent step, it considers the estimated stretching parameters alongside the fabric sample's Cusick drape test results to determine bending parameters. We validated our model against existing methods and applied it in practical scenarios, showing promising outcomes. (see https://www.acm.org/publications/class-2012)

Tailoring Garment Fit for Personalized Body Image Enhancement: Insights from Digital Fitting Research

In the context of the Fashion Apparel Industry 4.0, a transformative evolution is directed towards the Online Apparel Mass Customization (OAMC) strategy, which provides efficient and personalized apparel product solutions to consumers. A critical challenge within this customization process is the determination of sizes. While existing research addresses comfort evaluation in relation to wearer and garment fit, little attention has been given to how garment fit influences the wearer’s body image, which is also an important purchase consideration. This study investigates the impact of garment fit on the wearer’s body scale perception using quantitative research design. A digital dataset of avatars, clothed in varying sizes of T-shirts, were created for the body scale perception experiment, and an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model was developed to predict the effect of T-shirt fit on body image. With only a small number of garments and body measurements as inputs, the ANN model can accurately predict the body scales of the clothed persons. It was found that the effect of apparel fit on body image varies depending on the wearer’s gender, body size, and shape. This model can be applied to enhance the online garment shopping experience with respect to personalized body image enhancement.

Exploring the Influence of Social Media on Consumer Purchasing Behavior in the Fashion Apparel Industry. A study in the Indian Market

Exploring the Influence of Social Media on Consumer Purchasing Behavior in the Fashion Apparel Industry. A study in the Indian Market

The influence of visual marketing on consumers' purchase intention of fast fashion brands in China-An exploration based on fsQCA method.

Under the rapid development of e-commerce, offline brick-and-mortar stores have been severely impacted. However, the importance of the visual, sensory and even psychological experience in the apparel industry makes offline stores still irreplaceable. The impact on consumers' visual experience cannot be ignored and is a significant influencing factor in determining consumers' psychological change and purchase intention. Especially for fast fashion brands which pursue low costs, visual marketing strategies is a cost-effective marketing tool to enhance the visual experience. In this paper, by adapting SOR theory and using fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) research method, 15 fast fashion apparel brands and 374 valid questionnaires are adapted in China to explore not only the influence of individual dimensions in visual marketing on consumers' purchase intention, but also the action of multi-dimensional combinations. The research finds that: (1) there are two driving paths for high consumers' purchase intention. The first path is a combination of high clarity of arrangement and low display density; the second path is a combination of low light intensity, high clarity of arrangement, high tonal harmony and high window appeal. (2) There are also two paths that drive non-high consumers' purchase intentions, and they are asymmetrically related to the paths that drive high consumers' purchase intentions. The findings of this study help to provide direction and suggestions for offline visual marketing strategies of fast fashion apparel brands to increase consumers' psychological perception and purchase intention through a range of visual presentation techniques.

Blagovne znamke hitre mode: trajnostne tržne prakse in nakupovalno vedenje potrošnikov

The fast fashion boom is faced with economic, environmental and social justice objections. Sustainable mar­keting initiatives have become a new style statement, and brands are shifting to environment-friendly manufacturing. This study explores how fashion apparel brands adopt sustainable marketing practices to promote sustainable purchase behaviour. A cross-sectional survey using a quantitative research design was followed to collect responses from fashion brand consumers. Variance-based partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to assess the hypothesized model. Two-step bootstrapping was conducted to explore the mediating role of brand perception in the relationship between sustainable marketing activity and brand loyalty. The study suggests that firms can support sustainable marketing practices by creating a brand image and building trust. This can influence consumers' perceptions of sustainability and promote brand loyalty. The study also emphasizes the significance of brand loyalty in developing sustainable purchase behaviour that endures over time. The study provides insights into sustainable marketing strategies and pol­icies in indigenous markets.

Socio-demographic factors of fashion purchase. A case of apparel consumption among kenyan university students

There has been a rapid growth of global fashion industry. Kenya like other developing nations is fighting for a slice of this growth and positioning itself as a competitive contributor to the same. In this regard, both the fashion marketers and the academia are becoming increasingly interested in variables of fashion consumption. This paper investigated the relationship between the socio-demographic characteristics of university students and apparel purchase. Demographic characteristics of students such as age, gender, marital status and religion play a key role in students’ apparel fashion consumption decision making. Targeting 4 public and 16 private universities, this study sampled 7 universities and 534 students. However, 503 questionnaires were completed hence used. Using a questionnaire to collect data, a chi square tested the null hypothesis; Socio-demographic characteristics of university students have no relationship with their apparel consumption. Results showed that there was no significant relationship between age and fashion need conceptualization (x2 = 7.905, df =5, p-value = 0.162) among university students. There was no significant relationship between students’ gender and evaluation of all information before making an apparel purchase (p-value = 0.066) though females were more likely to conceptualize a need before buying new clothes than males. The study revealed that there was a significant relationship between marital status of students and evaluation between possible alternatives (p-value =0.043). Religion of the students had no significant relationship with any stage of fashion consumption. Summatively, the study results showed that demographic characteristics of respondents had no significant relationship with apparel fashion consumption decision making among university students (chi-square = 15.000, df = 12 and p-value = 0.241).

Livestream Shopping Breakthrough: Fast Fashion’s New Frontier Explored through Attitude, Influencer’s Advice, and Portal Quality

In today’s phygital world, the present study demystifies the impact of perceived benefits of Livestream shopping on the purchase intention of users toward fast fashion apparel aligned with theory of planned behavior. The uniqueness of the study is that it presents a novel stance by integrating stimulus-organism-response (SOR) theory and theory of planned behavior (TPB) to propose a comprehensive framework encompassing the relationship between perceptions, attitude and intention in the case of livestream shopping. It also extends the model by incorporating drivers- portal’s quality and influencer’s advice as the moderators to bridge the prevailing gap in literature. Structural equation modeling is applied to analyze the direct and indirect relationships (with attitude as a mediator) in the proposed model followed by evaluating the moderated mediation of portals’ quality and influencers’ advice through SPSS (Hayes, Model 21). Data is collected from 276 respondents using snowball-sampling technique. The novelty of this research lies in its investigation of the mediating role of attitude between perceived benefit of live-stream shopping and intention to purchase, where influencers’ advice was found to have moderated mediation between attitude and intention to buy. On contrast, portals’ quality had no significant moderated mediation effect between perceived benefit and attitude. This study broadens the scope of the application of the SOR model to contribute to the growing body of literature on live stream marketing.

Factors Influencing Customers’ Apparel Shopping Intention in Metaverse

ABSTRACT The emergence of the metaverse has opened an unbelievable online virtual world offering real-life immersive experiences to consumers. This study examines customers’ fashion apparel shopping intentions in the e-commerce metaverse. We propose a conceptual framework based on behavioral reasoning theory (BRT) to investigate the reasons for the adoption (or not) of the metaverse. The survey of 1170 customers was performed, and PLS-SEM was used to analyze data. The findings suggest that perceived enjoyment, interactivity, imagination, and sense of immersion favors the adoption, whereas perceived risk, traditional barrier, image barrier, and technological anxiety deter metaverse adoption. Our results advance the literature on innovative shopping technology and metaverse fashion apparel shopping intention. We provide guidelines for metaverse marketers and managers.