• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.605-611
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• 2024

The study explores the growing interest in up-cycling within the fashion industry, driven by concerns over environmental degradation caused by mass production and fast fashion. Emphasizing the ethical dimension, the research focuses on recombination processes. Departing from traditional up-cycling concepts, the study introduces new expression methods by altering the position, function, and role of clothes. The target audience is women in their 20s and 30s, with the designs incorporating various materials and re-purposing frequently discarded items like jackets, suits, jeans, and bags. The goal is to offer diverse expressions of uphigh-dimensional clothing designs using waste material dismantling and recycled clothing while addressing environmental responsibility in fashion design.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.984-1003
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• 2020

The global fashion industry produces significant carbon emission and micro-plastics in oceans. Studies on sustainable design methods as such environmental issues in fashion are becoming intensely problematic. This study conducted a case study on 100 upcycle fashion brands to propose strategical upcycle fashion designs to compete in a sustainable fashion market. A literature review indicated that 3 types of textile wastes are generated as upcycling materials: post-producer, pre-consumer and post-consumer. Wastes are categorized together with 3 types of techniques: redesigning, reconstruction and handcrafting. This research derived 7 types of upcycle fashion designs that have the following features: to make luxury upcycle fashion products, to make sustainable grunge looks, to re-evaluate deadstocks, to recover vintage clothes, to convert waste into craft-arts, to offer solutions for damaged products, and to make zero-waste small fabric waste. The study results show that key drivers in the upcycle fashion design are the redesignability of materials and technique-related costs. This study implies that adopting appropriate design features can be a useful strategy for designers. New technologies will solve current problems and encourage them to design products in a new circular value system.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.111-117
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• 2014

This study investigated the perception of upcycling for sensitive university students in regards to fashion trends. It was conducted through questionnaires delivered to male and female college students who majored in clothing related subjects from June 2012 to June 2013 in Gwangju. The contents for this research are general details, seriousness of environmental resources, awareness of upcycle, and purchasing intention for upcycling products. Most of the respondents said that recycling of resources is absolutely necessary due to the impact of environmental pollution and the consumption of resources. On the contrary, the experience of the respondents which purchased recycling products was low. The awareness of also was low, upcycling, internal upcycling brands and internal consumption groups, however, the decisions for subsequent purchases were positive. The reasons for the unsatisfactory of upcycling of products were due to quality and price. The reaction for many upcycle goods had the best question response rate in daily supplies part; subsequently, this study suggested 3 items, apparel products, fashion accessories, and daily supplies. In addition, a group which contains people who expend more for clothing had a lower awareness of upcycle and purchasing intention than other groups that contained some people who expend less. The results of the study can be used in data that recognize the necessary of upcycle education for university students, and develop educational programs. It can also encourage the purchase of upcycle products that reduce the consumption of resources.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.95-111
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• 2019

This study is the 2nd report following "A Study on the Characteristics of Material in the Korean Up-cycling Fashion Brands (Part I)" that handled the development of upcycling props using the characteristics of upcycling material. The 2nd report analyzed product types and materials focusing on 21 foreign upcycling fashion brands. It analyzed the characteristics of upcycling fashion materials using the case analysis of coffee bean bag and waste denim based on external characteristics and internal characteristics. We then classified the external characteristics into environment/economic feasibility and availability/mixture and the internal characteristics into historicality/story and originality/scarcity. Five bags were designed and produced for the actual commercialization of fashion products based on such characteristics of materials, with the use of coffee bean bags and waste denim as upcycling materials. This study is differentiated from existing research by its suggestions for the utilization of fashion product upcycling coffee bean bags and waste denim. Also, upcycling fashion products could be competitive products in eco-friendliness and originality that can be a driving force for the sustainable development of fashion industry through the differentiation of existing fashion products.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.803-811
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• 2020

This study investigates the management of clothes and the perception of up-cycling fashion based on university students majoring in fashion. Results based on 124 survey participants are as follows. First, students prioritized design when buying clothes and regarded texture as important for material. In managing clothes, male students emphasized durability; however, female participants checked fluff occurrence. Second, more than half of the respondents knew what up-cycling fashion was; overall, female students were more aware of up-cycling fashion than males. Few students purchased up-cycling clothes; however, many were willing to buy up-cycling clothes for eco-friendliness, which implies that they understood the relations between up-cycling fashion and environment. Third, pertaining to the perception of SPA fashion, students were highly satisfied with the accessibility of SPA brand stores. The group of students who knew up-cycling fashion were more satisfied with SPA brands and indicated o correlation between the cognition of up-cycling brands and preference for SPA brands. Last, in terms of the perception of environment and clothing, university students majoring fashion recognized the need for environmental protection; however, they did not emphasize environment when purchasing or managing clothes.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.1-19
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• 2024

This study explores application of upcycling design methods in structural transformation of second-hand denim clothing, aiming to achieve sustainable design objectives. By drawing inspiration from Liu Qing's research methods in the field of circular utilization of denim clothing, this study collected and analyzed cases of structural transformation of used denim clothing from 2020 to 2023. It summarized structural transformation design methods for used denim clothing. Through the development of design works, this study aims to find out the best upgrading and renovation design strategy by applying the method of structural renovation design. This study aims to support the development of a sustainable fashion industry and promote recycling and upcycling of discarded clothing fabrics, thereby reducing resource waste and environmental impact.

• Smart Media Journal
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.80-89
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• 2024

This study aims not only to address environmental issues caused by indiscriminate fashion consumption, specifically in the context of Fast Fashion but also to find an alternative and a sustainable solution that is 'Upcycling' using the 3D clothing simulation program Z-weave. Upcycling products have limitations in that it is difficult to produce samples since finished products must be produced directly with limited materials and resources like waste clothes. To overcome these limitations, a 3D clothing simulation program is introduced to effectively utilize the limited resources of waste clothing. The purpose of this study is to confirm the similarity between a virtual fabric created through Z-weave and a real fabric, through this, to evaluate the possibility of application in the actual fashion industry. As a research method, surveys and interviews were conducted with related majors on virtual clothing created as similar as possible to actual clothing by adjusting the physical properties within the Z-weave program. This study attempted to describe the impact of digital technology on the fashion industry and how 3D clothing simulation programs can be used in sustainable fashion production.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.681-690
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• 2015

Sustainability has been a important issue in fashion industry that reflects the modern phase of the time. More education institutions than ever before are beginning to offer specialized courses, certificates and degrees related to sustainability in fashion, and many fashion institutions are working to embed sustainability issues into the educational contents. In this study, I investigate how sustainability is being integrated into the curriculum of leading fashion institutions, corporate management activity across the world and overview the world leading educational programmes related to sustainable fashion, pulling out the unique expertise and areas of specialization for each institution. In conclusion, the sustainable fashion were still not widely promoted domestical fashion institutions compare with other foreign leading fashion institutions. This happens in fashion business as well. Korean fashion institutions have to make educational program and certificates and degrees related to sustainability because the educational program can transform domestic fashion industry to sustainable fashion leading country level.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.1-15
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• 2024

Christopher Nemeth is a designer who combines characteristics of a pioneering upcycle design and deconstructionist design with fabrics, waste clothing, and pieces of fabric recycled in the 1980s. By hommaging his work from the Louis Vuitton 2015 F/W collection, Kim Jones is once again becoming a source of design inspiration in an era where upcycling fashion is attracting attention. Accordingly, an upcycling design approach might appeal to the MZ generation. Christopher Nemes' design presented in this study as a representative fashion designer of dismantling upcycling is basically based on dismantling. It can also be interpreted as dismantling upcycling design because it uses used clothing, waste clothing, and discarded fabrics as materials. This study examined main techniques of upcycling fashion design and derived characteristics of Nemes design as "deconstructive techniques using free lines of construction," "recycling upcycling vintage materials and clothing accessories," and "using handcrafted techniques of artistic sensibility." By applying Nemes' dismantling upcycling technique, four designs were developed for men's top and bottom sets for targets in their 20s and 30s to suggest the commercialization possibility. This study is meaningful in that it proposes a methodical alternative to the new deconstructionist upcycling design that can show Nemes' aesthetic characteristics, creative perspective, and personality by modernly reinterpreting the deconstructionist upcycling technique extracted through analysis of fashion designer Christopher Nemes' design. In particular, by actually producing the work and confirming whether the design technique can be implemented, the value as a fashion product that can be sold is realized.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.257-270
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• 2015

This study investigates the effect of perceived value on attitude and purchase intention of upcycling fashion goods. The study also examines the effect of perceived value on attitudes according to fashion innovativeness. The qualitative data analysis results from NVivo 10.0 showed that consumers paid attention to the creative design value, environmental value, scarcity value of upcycling fashion goods. Next, 201 effective questionnaires were analyzed using SPSS 22.0 and AMOS 20.0. The results are as follows. First, there were 5 factor solutions for the perceived value of up-cycling fashion goods: environmental value, creative design value, functional value, emotional value, and self-expression value. Second, environmental value, functional value, and self-expression value positively affected attitude; however, creative design value and emotional value did not affect attitude. Third, attitude positively influenced purchase intention of upcycling fashion goods. Fourth, there was a significant difference in the magnitude of the effect of self-expression value on attitude according to fashion innovativeness. The results of this study provide useful information for marketers or managers interested in upcycling fashion goods.