초록
Although DIY(Do-It-Yourself) clothes are not popular in Korea, they continually reflect emerging DIY trends. Previous studies have approached the technical aspect of DIY clothes or have considered them only as an aspect of consumption tendencies. The purpose of this study is to look into online communities to investigate distinctive elements, which form the DIY clothing culture. Participant observation of texts and pictures from the online community's postings about DIY was conducted and used for the analysis. Research results showed that personal and social factors motivated DIY clothes. Personal motivations are comprised of factors such as practical creativity and personal enjoyment. Practical creativity occurred when someone wished to express aesthetics and personality in DIY clothes; personal enjoyment refers to the pleasure and utility that one feels when one makes DIY clothes. The social motivations were comprised of factors such as a desire to show off and to expand social exchanges. The desire to show off involved wearing DIY clothes and then finding satisfaction from reactions of people who notice it. The "expansion of exchanges" was not only about sharing information about DIY clothes in an online community but also about distributing or giving real goods (materials or tools for DIY clothes and finished goods) as gifts. Furthermore, some "DIYers" made DIY clothes sustainable by pursuing economic feasibility as an additional motivational factor. When they had expertise and commercial traits, they established businesses in the form of independent creative firms, transforming themselves from productive consumers to producers.