Fashion Opinion Leadership Research Articles

Advancing Muslim Modest Fashion Clothing

The rise of digital marketing involves leveraging fashion influencers, like bloggers and celebrities, to expand brand reach and drive sales, more notably in the post-pandemic era. In the realm of modest fashion, young female Muslim influencers have played a significant role, tapping into a vast market and positively impacting the global economy. Therefore, this study attempts to explore the impact of these influencers on female modest fashion consumers' decisions associated with their visible Muslim identity and to understand the fashion-faith landscape through the challenges for the influencers. Driven by the theory of two-step communication flow among fashion opinion leaders and fashion consumers, this study adopted a qualitative approach and a research design underlying hermeneutic phenomenology by using semi-structured interviews with modest fashion consumers and secondary source information about influencers. The findings offer valuable insights for consumers, industry stakeholders, and policymakers to support the modest fashion trend and promote a dignified Muslim identity.

Opinion Leadership in Clothing Fashions with Specific Reference to Student Community: An Analysis

Abstract: This study investigates the role of fashion opinion leaders and followers in information seeking within the clothing fashion domain. The research focuses on examining the number, frequency, type, and variety of fashion information sources used by leaders and followers during different stages of the fashion adoption process, namely awareness, comprehension, and legitimation. However, opinion leaders demonstrated a higher propensity to consult a greater number of sources and do so more frequently compared to followers. Moreover, both leaders and followers recognized marketer-dominated sources as influential in creating awareness of new clothing styles. Notably, during the comprehension stage, the most significant sources differed between the two groups, with opinion leaders relying more on marketer-dominated sources, while followers leaned towards consumer-dominated sources. Additionally, the research examined demographic characteristics of the respondents but found no significant differentiation between opinion leaders and followers based on these factors. This suggests that the distinction between leaders and followers in fashion opinion is not necessarily driven by demographic attributes

Male fashion leadership: Hedonic and utilitarian clothing shopping motivations within the South African context

ABSTRACT This study aimed to explore how male fashion innovators and opinion leaders differ regarding hedonic and utilitarian shopping motivations for clothing. The survey data were collected using an online self-administered questionnaire that was developed from existing scales. A total of 220 usable questionnaires completed by a purposive sample of male respondents residing and working in urban metropolitans around Gauteng, South Africa, were analysed. MANOVA tests were run to determine the differences between fashion innovators and fashion opinion leaders in terms of hedonic and utilitarian shopping motivations. The findings indicated that fashion innovators were significantly more motivated by hedonic shopping motivation, especially escapism, role, social, and idea shopping. Fashion opinion leaders, alternatively, were more motivated by efficiency shopping. Interestingly, achievement shopping motivation was the most influential shopping driver for both fashion opinion leaders and fashion innovators.

When sarees speak: Saree pacts and social media narratives

Through an ethnographic study of online saree pacts and social media groups, this article charts the emergence of digital saree storytelling as women from India and the global South Asian diaspora post stories about their personal and professional lives while also talking about their sarees. The article examines how saree stories are told and consumed in these online spaces, and the role new media plays in encouraging individual and collective self-expression through fashion. In doing so, it highlights how saree pacts allow for alternative models of fashion opinion leadership and style to emerge in ways that are uplifting and empowering for women who are otherwise underrepresented in print and popular fashion media. It argues that such sites are critical spaces shifting the narrative around women in the Global South from victimhood to pleasure. Additionally, saree pacts represent a new form of digital community formation centred around the appreciation of traditional fashion, which can alter our perception of the intersection of traditional fashion and feminism while also decolonising fashion's existing Eurocentric frameworks.

Does Social Media Moderates Factors that Influence Perceived Value and Personal Value on Purchase Intention of Modest Apparel?

Muslim women are huge target market that fashion industry just cannot afford to ignore. As fashion evolves, the industry had witnessed an evolution in the way of how Muslim women dressed. Donning modern apparel but at the same time still adhering to the strict requirement of covering ones ‘aurat’ had created modest apparel segment that could not to be ignored by fashion industry players due to the increasing demand from that growing niche market. The purpose of this study is to find out the factors that influence Muslim women to purchase modest apparel and whether social media has any influence towards their purchase decision. Fashion Innovativeness and Opinion Leadership are elements that represent the consumer Perceived Value while Fashion Consciousness and Fashion Motivation are elements representing the consumer’s Personal Value are the factors that this study is looking at. The finding from this study will benefit marketers and industry players to understand more about this newly emerging segment and how to attract them. This study was carried out via convenience sampling of Muslim women in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia as Malaysia has more than 60 percent Muslim population. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 22 and Smart PLS 3. Fashion innovativeness was found not to have significant effect towards modest apparel purchase intention and social media does not moderate these factors to influence Malaysian Muslim women purchase attention at the moment.

Blurring luxury: the mediating role of self-gifting in consumer acceptance of phygital shopping experiences

The question of how to maintain allure and exclusivity while digitizing luxury brands is a pressing issue. A potential solution is to launch new retail formats that allow luxury shoppers to blur physical and digital (phygital) channels through mobile devices. Luxury shoppers, then, can use their newfound “powers” to fantasize and indulge in store atmospheres through mobile-mediated activities. To that end, this article investigates whether self-gifting, a hedonic shopper behaviour, can drive the acceptance of phygital shopping experiences alongside status-seeking and fashion opinion leadership (OL). To test this prospect, the research design employs an industry consultation and an empirical study. In Study 1, design thinking is leveraged to develop and pre-screen realistic interaction intentions on technology executives in the apparel industry (N = 50). This consultation yields nine interaction intentions that enable shoppers to build communities, break the rules, and alter the division of labour within retail stores. Then, Study 2 involves collecting online survey data from a luxury panel (N = 321) to test a structural equation model. The results show that status-seeking and fashion OL are positively associated with interaction intentions towards phygital shopping experiences. Meanwhile, self-gifting is a generative mechanism for interaction intentions, which mediates fashion OL and partially mediates status-seeking. Therefore, hedonic experiences such as self-gifting and the support of fashion influencers are critical to advance luxury shoppers towards accepting phygital shopping experiences. Yet, status-seeking is needed to a lesser but still important degree to maintain exclusivity in luxury stores.

Fashion Opinion Leadership on Instagram and its Relationships with Intention to Purchase and Adopt New Fashion

Fashion marketers have yet to comprehend the use of online influencers to utilize the influencers’ opinion leadership. This reseach investigates the relationships between Indonesian fashion online opinion leadership on Instagram and consumers’ behavioral intentions, i.e. intention to adopt new fashion and purchase intention. This research employs a quantitative survey with 219 sample of Indonesian respondents who follow either influencers of traditional celebrities or the non-traditional celebrities. The unit of analysis consists of two Instagram communities, one includes the followers of the traditional celebrities and the other one includes the followers of the non-traditional celebrities. Results show that online opinion leadership has positive relationships with consumer’s behavioral intentions. However, there is no significant effect of perceived fit of personal interest on the relationships between them. In addition, findings show that there are no significant differences in the resulting behavioral intentions between the followers of celebrities and non-traditional celebrities. This research provides scholars and practitioners further knowledge on the use of opinion leadership from different types of online influencers on social media. This research also pioneers the studies on fashion online opinion leadership on Instagram and its effect on consumer decision making process within the Indonesian fashion market.

대학생의 유행선도력에 따른 타투인식과 타투행동

This study provides the basic data required for actively responding to tattoo customers’ needs by analyzing the tattoo perception and tattooing behavior by fashion leadership among college students in their 20s. For this, a questionnaire survey was conducted among college students in Busan in June and September 2019. A total of 317 questionnaires were used for the analysis, and the following results were obtained. First, fashion leadership was comprised of fashion innovation, fashion opinion leadership, and fashion information search, while the perception of tattoos consisted of interest, personality, safety, and image. Depending on the fashion leadership, the subjects were classified as a fashion-dual leader, fashion follower, and fashion laggard. In contrast, the interest in tattoos, focus on tattoo images, and non-interest in tattoos were obtained depending on the perception of tattoos. Second, the perception of tattoos revealed differences depending on fashion leadership. Interest in tattoos was highest among fashion-dual leaders with positive thinking. In contrast, it was lowest among fashion-late adopters. In other words, interest in tattoos was mostly high among trendsetting college students. In terms of personality, fashion dual leaders and followers believe that having a tattoo makes them look different, stylish, and conspicuous. Concerning tattoo images, fashion followers concluded that tattoos influence a person’s image while fashion-late adopters did not agree with this perception.

Modelling fashion clothing involvement among gay consumers in South Africa

This study examines fashion clothing involvement among gay men, who are an emerging segment in the fashion industry. Data was gathered via an online self-administered survey, resulting in 150 responses. SEM using the Smart PLS software, version 3, was used to test the hypotheses. The findings uncovered that fashion consciousness and consumer conformity significantly influence fashion clothing involvement, while social comparison, purchase involvement and social consciousness insignificantly influence fashion clothing involvement. In addition, the results revealed that fashion clothing involvement influences both consumer confidence and fashion opinion leadership. Fashion clothing involvement proved to be a positive and a significant mediator between fashion consciousness, social comparison, consumer conformity, purchase involvement, social consciousness, consumer confidence and fashion opinion leadership. This study stands to add new knowledge to the present body of fashion clothing involvement and consumer behaviour literature in Africa—a context that is often ignored by academics in developing countries.

Perceived Innovation Attributes and Acceptance of Chatbots as Determined by Consumer Characteristics

Purpose - The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of chatbots' innovation attributes on the innovation acceptance for consumers who have used chatbots to purchase fashion products that account for a large share of transactions in mobile shopping. Research design, data, and methodology - Data were collected from Korean consumers aged 20 to 49 who had experience using chatbots when purchasing fashion-related products via mobile circumstances. After a pilot survey of 31 customers, pre-questionnaire was revised for the final test, and the final questionnaire was distributed to 1,500 subjects. Out of these, 244 were retrieved. After excluding 48 inappropriate responses, 196 were used for statistical analysis. Frequency analysis, exploratory factor analysis, one-way ANOVA, regression analysis and independent t-test using SPSS 23.0 were employed for data analyses. Results - First, four factors of chatbots' attributes were extracted: relative advantages and compatibility, complexity, sensibility, and diversity. Second, two factors were extracted for fashion leadership: fashion opinion leadership and fashion innovativeness. Two groups based on the fashion leadership were identified: active innovation adopters and passive innovation adopters. Third, relative advantages and compatibility, diversity, sensibility of innovation attributes were found to have effects on the innovation acceptance in order. Fourth, significant differences were found in sensibility of innovation attributes and innovation acceptance in groups by marital status and age. The married in their 30s and 40s perceived sensibility as a more important attribute of chatbots than the unmarried in their twenties. Among the groups of different income levels, meaningful differences were found in diversity of innovation attributes and innovation acceptance. Fifth, there were significant differences found in relative advantages and compatibility, sensibility of innovation attributes, and acceptance of Innovation among the groups by fashion leadership. Active innovation adopters were found to be more aware of the importance of relative advantages and compatibility, and sensibility of innovation attributes, and innovation acceptance. Conclusions - The present study provides chatbots' marketing strategies for fashion items need to be modified by demographic characteristics and fashion leadership. Particularly, fashion leadership was found to be an important factor in determining the perception of innovation attribute as well as innovation acceptance.

GİYİM ALIŞVERİŞİNDE ÇEVRİMİÇİ VE ÇEVRİMDIŞI KANAL TERCİHİNİ BELİRLEYEN UNSURLAR

Tüketiciler fiziksel mağazalara (çevrimdışı kanallar) ek olarak web siteleri, mobil uygulamalar veya sosyal ağlara (çevrimiçi kanallar) yöneldikçe, kanal tercihlerini tahmin etmek için hangi özelliklerin kullanılabileceğini anlamak, hem giyim markaları hem de tüketici araştırmacıları için oldukça önemli hale gelmiştir. Buradan hareketle bu çalışma, tüketicilerin kanal tercihini tahmin etmek maksadıyla moda yenilikçiliği, moda ilgilenimi, moda fikir liderliği, dokunma ihtiyacı, çevrimiçi güven ve demografik özelliklerden hangisinin kullanılabileceğini belirlemeyi amaçlamaktadır. 187 katılımcıdan elde edilen verilerin yapısal model değerlendirmesini takiben, hipotezler Çoklu Ayırma Analizi ve Ki-Kare Testi ile test edilmiştir. Bulgular, moda ilgilenimi, dokunma ihtiyacı ve çevrimiçi güvenin, hem çevrimiçi hem çevrimdışı kanalları tercih eden tüketicileri sadece çevrimdışı kanal tercih eden tüketicilerden ayırt edebileceğini ortaya koymaktadır. Öte yandan, tüketicilerin giyim alışverişindeki kanal tercihi ile demografik göstergeler arasında bir ilişki tespit edilmemiştir.

남녀 대학생의 유행선도력에 따른 액세서리에 대한 인식과 구매행동

This study examined the rapidly-changing diverse needs of college students to provide basic data to reflect these needs to accessories production and marketing with a goal of promoting college students’ purchase of accessories. For this, a questionnaire survey was conducted among college students in Busan in May 2018, and a total of 237 copies (men: 118, women: 119) were used for the final analysis. The results found the following. First, fashion leadership was divided into fashion opinion leadership, fashion innovation, and fashion information search. The perception of accessories was classified into interest in accessories and use of accessories. Second, depending on the fashion leadership, the following types were observed: Not fashion conscious; fashion dual leader who plays two roles (fashion innovator, fashion opinion leader); and fashion follower who stays in the middle among fashion opinion leadership, fashion innovation and fashion information search. Third, the perception of accessories revealed a significant difference by fashion leadership. In other words, fashion leadership has an influence even on the perception of accessories. Fourth, depending on the fashion leadership, a significant difference was observed in the following: Place of purchase, purchase frequency, frequency of accessorizing, most frequently purchased accessories, most frequently worn accessories, the most important factor in purchasing accessories, preferred earring type, and length of necklace. Fashion leadership had an effect on the accessory purchase behavior. Therefore, consumer segmentation by fashion leadership will be needed to develop an efficient accessory marketing strategy.

패션 명품 브랜드에 대한 소비자 태도 형성과정과 마케팅 커뮤니케이션 매체 활용

This study was aimed at examining the use of marketing communication media in consumer attitude formation toward fashion luxury goods. In particular, consumers’ fashion opinion leadership was considered to examine utilization of various marketing communication media at different stages of consumer attitude formation. For this purpose, a qualitative research method was implemented, and in-depth interviews with 18 female consumers were conducted. The participants were recruited using a snowball method, and the data were analyzed using a phenomenological interpretation. Results of the study indicated that consumers utilized various marketing communication media, and their media usage varied according to fashion leadership. The implication of this study is that luxury brand managers should revise their marketing communication strategies on the basis of new customers’ attitudes and behavior toward fashion luxury products. These younger consumers were influenced not only by traditional media such as magazines but also by new media such as social network services even though magazines were still determined as the most dominant media for consumers aged 40 years and above.

Predicting consumer intention to purchase clothing products made from sustainable fabrics

Abstract The goal of this study is to investigate the differential influences of environmental concern and fashion opinion leadership on consumer intention to purchase clothing products made of sustainable fabrics. In doing so, this study examines the mediating role of environmental attitude towards clothing consumption. The data were collected from 122 US college students with an average age of 21.4. The majority of the participants were female (83.6 per cent) and Caucasian (64.5 per cent). A weighted least squares hierarchical regression analysis was used for the data analysis. The results suggested that fashion opinion leadership was a more powerful determinant than environmental concern in predicting consumer intention to purchase clothing products made of sustainable fabrics. However, environmental attitude towards clothing consumption did not serve as a significant mediator. These findings provide beneficial insight for fast fashion retailers mainly targeting fashion opinion leaders. Managerial implications are discussed to delineate how fast fashion retailers can benefit from sustainable production and retailing strategies.

Predicting consumer intention to purchase clothing products made from sustainable fabrics: Implications for the fast-fashion industry

Abstract The goal of this study is to investigate the differential influences of environmental concern and fashion opinion leadership on consumer intention to purchase clothing products made from sustainable fabrics. In doing so, this study examines the mediating role of environmental attitude towards clothing consumption. The data were collected from 122 US college students with an average age of 21.4. The majority of the participants were female (83.6 per cent) and Caucasian (64.5 per cent). A weighted least squares (WLS) hierarchical regression analysis was used for the data analysis. The results suggested that fashion opinion leadership was a more powerful determinant than environmental concern in predicting consumer intention to purchase clothing products made from sustainable fabrics. However, environmental attitude towards clothing consumption did not serve as a significant mediator. These findings provide beneficial insight for fast-fashion retailers mainly targeting fashion opinion leaders. Managerial implications are discussed to delineate how fast-fashion retailers can benefit from sustainable production and retailing strategies.

Fashion opinion leadership, innovativeness and attitude toward advertising among Portuguese consumers

In the context of the fashion market, this study aims to analyze opinion leadership and, specifically, to verify the correlation that may exist between opinion leadership, fashion innovativeness and attitude towards fashion advertising. It is also intended to identify two different consumer groups: opinion leaders and fashion followers based on “opinion leadership” construct. Data collection was done through a self-administered questionnaire with a convenience sample of 203 graduate and postgraduate students of two universities of Porto, the second major city of Portugal. Results show a positive correlation between fashion innovativeness, fashion opinion leadership, and attitude towards fashion advertising. It was possible to identify two groups of consumers: fashion influencers, who exhibit a moderate sense of innovativeness and a positive attitude towards fashion advertising; and fashion followers who don’t consider themselves neither innovators nor opinion leaders, but have a moderate positive attitude towards fashion advertising.

Analysing factors affecting consumer innovativeness in fashion clothing and the influence of morning TV shows

The purpose of this paper was to explore the antecedents of consumer innovativeness (CI) which are fashion opinion leadership (FOL), product involvement (PI) and consumer need for uniqueness (CNU) and the effect of morning TV shows as intervening variable in the choice of fashion clothing. Results revealed that CI is strongly dependent on FOL and CNU. The impact of morning TV shows on the purchase intentions of innovative consumers was not found to be significant. However, this study expands the existing knowledge by highlighting the role of media and media-vehicles in the purchase of fashion clothing among female consumers in Pakistan. It also offers the impetus for the researchers and marketing managers to further explore the effects of media on the fashion innovativeness of women in the apparel category in Pakistan.

자기이미지와 패션리더성향: 의복관여와 소비자 자신감을 중심으로

People are exposed to diverse images and naturally find images to express themselves to others for personalsatisfaction. They present ideal images that they desire to obtain or actual images that they already have. People find differences between ideal images and actual images as well astry to overcome differences by managing appearance or purchasing fashion items. The congruence between real and ideal self-images and perceived body images stimulate clothing involvement or consumer confidence to influence fashion innovativeness and fashion opinion leadership. Fashion leaders are known for confidence when making buying decisions on new fashion products and are more likely to influence other consumers to buy new items. This study useda structural equation model to understand the influence of perceived self and body image on clothing involvement and consumer confidence as well as define how perceived images influence fashion leadership through clothing involvement and consumer confidence. The results of this study indicated that self-image congruence has a positive impact on social body image and personal body image. A positive influence of perceived body image on clothing involvement and consumer confidence was also detected. Fashion opinion leadership could be explained by clothing involvement and consumer confidence; however, fashion innovativeness could only be explained by consumer confidence.

Repurchase loyalty for customer social co-creation e-marketplaces

Purpose – Social co-creation refers to the process of using social media as a vehicle to carry out customer co-creation engagements. By allowing many customers to contribute to a specific co-creation initiative, social media makes co-creation platforms more efficient. The purpose of this paper is to examine: first, whether usability and information quality, visual appeal and image, interactivity, and web innovativeness, as perceived web site quality dimensions, were related to value equity; second, whether value equity was related to commitment and repurchase loyalty to social co-creation; and third, the moderating effects of aesthetic appreciation and fashion opinion leadership. Design/methodology/approach – The conceptual foundation was based on the Quality-Value-Satisfaction model. Data were collected from US online apparel shoppers (n=691) using a consumer panel via an online survey. Structural equation modeling was employed to test the proposed model and research hypotheses. Findings – Usability and information quality, visual appeal and image, interactivity, and web innovativeness had indirect influences on commitment and repurchase loyalty, mediated by value equity of social co-creation. Originality/value – This proposed model may provide useful insights for apparel e-retailers to use in order to differentiate their e-strategies and develop successful social co-creation web sites. Furthermore, the proposed strategies will enable apparel e-retailers to fulfill customers’ increasing demand for more interactive and online social shopping experiences that utilize the customer's own creativity.

Study on the Characteristics of Fashion Leaders in College Clubs' Fashion Networks

Fashion leadership is divided into visual influence, linguistic influence, and dual leadership. We refer to people exercising such influential power as fashion innovators, fashion opinion leaders, and fashion double leaders, respectively. Scholars and marketers have raised continuous questions on this issue: who are these fashion leaders and what characteristics do they have? In this study, social network analysis is applied to grasp the existence of three types of fashion leaders in college clubs, examine their positions in fashion process networks and investigate their individual and social characteristics. For this study, three college clubs were recruited through convenience sampling and surveyed online. Peer nomination questions for structuring fashion process networks and self-evaluation questions for measuring personal characteristics are included. Two fashion networks, an opinion leadership network and an innovativeness network, embrace four to six leaders and illustrate similar structure patterns in the three groups, which indicates that dual leaders enjoyed the lion’s share in college clubs. The number of fashion innovators tends to be fewer compared to that of fashion opinion leaders, and we infer that peer relationship appears to intervene with fashion opinion leadership. Other personal characteristics supporting results from previous studies are also confirmed in this study.