• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.35-45
• /
• 2013

The purposes of this study were to segment the women's plus-size market by the types of store patronage, profile the segments, and examine the differences in satisfaction with clothing attributes and variety of plus-size apparels according to different segments. The questionnaires included the 7-point likert scales on store patronage, satisfaction, clothing involvement and body cathexis. Five body measurements were recorded by sales people, and the respondents also provided information on their weight, height and garment size in addition to demographic characteristics. Questionnaires were collected from 7 franchise stores in Seoul, Anyang, Daegu, and Cheonan during the months of February, 2011 to April, 2011. 210 questionnaires were distributed and 160 were returned. Excluding incomplete questionnaires, a total of 149 questionnaires were used in the final analysis. The cluster analysis based on store patronage identified four segments- major patrons of specialty stores, multi-channel users, regular store users, and internet shopping mall users. Significant differences were found among the four segments of women's plus-size consumers in terms of clothing involvement, age, occupation, education and clothing expenditures. Internet shopping mall user group were in overall less satisfied with several clothing attributes and variety compared to other groups.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
• /
• v.37 no.3
• /
• pp.306-319
• /
• 2013

This study explores various issues of appearance management behavior for plus-size women in Korea with a focus on clothing. In-depth interviews and focused group interviews were conducted with 24 plus-size women. The interviews were recorded and the transcripts were analyzed based on grounded theory. Discomfort was the main phenomenon involving the experience of plus-size women related to appearance management. Psychological as well as physiological/physical discomfort, unmet needs (regarding clothing) and inconvenient shopping experiences were frequently mentioned. Causal conditions for discomfort were obesity, social stigma, and an underdeveloped clothing market for plus-size consumers. Interviewees developed strategies to cope with discomfort (suppressing clothing need, loss of interest in clothing, diversion from clothing needs, sole focus on physical comfort, dress-up and increase in shopping channels, and change in shopping patterns) that depended on contextual conditions (such as duration of obesity and attitudes of people) close to the interviewees. The discomfort of interviewees decreased or continued depending on if they became ambivalent about their obese condition, lost weight, or utilized plus-size specialty stores.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
• /
• v.27 no.4
• /
• pp.99-110
• /
• 2022

This study attempted to develop a bodice prototype that is the basis for the production of upper body clothing for 20s plus-size women who have distinct characteristics from women with general body types. Through this, it was intended to provide basic data necessary for the development of plus-size women's clothing, which is revitalizing the market due to the increase in the obese population. Through the first evaluation of appearance and abdominal pressure, patterns such as moving the side neck, adding the amount of armhole dart, and adding the amount of sagging were modified. Through the second evaluation, corrections such as vertical side lines, reduction of the neck of the back center line, and adding the amount of armhole darts were performed. Through the third evaluation, the final pattern drafting method was developed by vertically modifying the side line and adding the amount of back armhole darts. In the case of 20s plus-size female body types, a drafting method distinguished from the general body type was required in the method of setting the side and hem due to the protrusion of the abdomen. This study can be said to be meaningful in that it proposed a bodice prototype drafting method suitable for the body type of 20s plus-size women. In the follow-up study, it is thought that the wearability should be evaluated through actual garment wearing.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
• /
• v.40 no.4
• /
• pp.615-630
• /
• 2016

This study investigates the mediate effects of obesity stress on the relationship between the narcissism and clothing behavior related appearance. The subjects for the study were 322 women aged 20's-30's in an online survey. Data analyses were conducted with SPSS 18.0 program. The study results are as follows. First, clothing behavior and obesity stress of plus size consumers are more affected by perceived obesity than BMI, and covert narcissistic tendency is stronger than overt narcissistic tendency. Second, the factor analysis results on narcissistic tendency indicated 'self-enhancement narcissism', 'self-initiative narcissism', and 'other-dependent narcissism'. Third, 'self-enhancement narcissism' more influenced 'fashion orientation' versus the greater influence of 'self-initiative narcissism' and 'other-dependent narcissism' on 'depending on clothing'. Fourth, the narcissistic tendency perceived by plus size consumers affect 'depending on clothing' and 'fashion orientation' with obesity stress as the mediator. 'Self-enhancement narcissism' and 'self-initiative narcissism' are partially mediated by obesity stress, and 'other-dependent narcissism' are completely mediated and affect appearance management behavior.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
• /
• v.22 no.3
• /
• pp.378-385
• /
• 2020

The purpose of this study was to present basic data for development of shoe last suitable for women of plus size (BMI 25 kg/㎡ or higher) by type and to analyze the characteristics of each type of foot type. The results of the study are as follows. A comparison of the feet of a plus-size woman and a normal-weight woman showed that the feet of a plussize woman were thicker and wider in the toes, cheeks and feet than those of a normal-weight woman, while the ankle area was thicker. As a result of the cluster analysis by type of foot type of plus-size woman, type 1 was classified into four types, type 1 was 49 (19.5%), type 2 was 43 (17.1%), type 3 was 53 (21.1%), and type 4 was distributed among 106 (42.2%). Type 1 appeared to be a long, low heel, thick foot and wide H-type, and Type 2 appeared to be a D-type with a low heel and a thinner and narrow foot compared to other types, but with wide outer width of the foot. Type 3 showed short feet, low heels, narrow feet, but slanted sides, and Type 4 showed type A with long feet, high heels, thick and wide feet or a combination of toes.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
• /
• v.39 no.1
• /
• pp.15-29
• /
• 2015

This study analyzes the mechanism that explains how various service quality factors are related to consumer satisfaction when plus-size and regular-size women are engaged in fashion shopping. We constructed and tested service quality- perceived value-satisfaction model with size as a control variable. We defined plus-size women as those with a BMI over 25 and regular-size women below 25. Data were collected during April and May, 2012 and responses from 189 plus-size women and 246 regular-size women were used in the final analysis. The results are as follows. First, among service quality factors, attention was significantly related to perceived service value for both plus-size women and regular-size women. However, store facilities were significantly related to perceived service value for only plus-size women and kindness was significantly related to perceived service value only in the case of regular-size women. Second, perceived service value was significantly related to product satisfaction and service satisfaction for plus-size women and regular- size women. However a moderating effect was found between the groups where the influences of perceived service value on product satisfaction and service satisfaction in the case of plus-size women were greater than regular-size women. Third, in the case of regular-size women, service satisfaction was positively affected by product satisfaction. However, the relationship between them was not found in the case of plus-size women.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
• /
• v.42 no.5
• /
• pp.839-854
• /
• 2018

This study (1) explores female consumers' attitudes toward fat people and perceptions about plus-size models, (2) addresses female consumers' responses to models with different body sizes, and (3) examines the effect of plus-size model presence on female consumers' body image. We collected an online questionnaire from a total of 600 female participants in their 20's and 30's. Stimuli included six full-colored photo images of models with thin and plus body sizes (three in each group). Images were captured from the online shopping site of the fashion brand currently providing both average and plus-size clothes. Respondents were randomly assigned one of the groups by model size. Results support the sociocultural perspective that a thin/ideal body of models has a negative influence on female viewers' sociocultural attitudes toward appearance, mood state and body satisfaction. Findings also suggest that exposure to plus-size models can reduce negative media effects on females body image perceptions, regardless of individual body size.

• Journal of the Korea Fashion and Costume Design Association
• /
• v.25 no.3
• /
• pp.17-29
• /
• 2023

This study collected and analyzed reference information on the size labeling method and size of clothing products in 13 online shopping malls for plus size women in their 20s and 30s, and compared the size specification information focusing on jeans. First, in the results of examining the method of clothing size designation, clothing sizes indicated by 1, 2, 3 or physique designation (M, L, XL) differed between shopping malls, and even in the same shopping mall, even if the same size notation was used. Most the clothing sizes were different depending on the type of clothing. For bottoms, it was found that one company used seven size designation methods at the same time, two shopping malls used four size designation methods, and five shopping malls used three size designation methods. In the meantime, in the results of comparing the size specifications of jeans XL (size 88, 32 inches) by product part, for waist and hip circumferences, each of the eight companies showed that the size was smaller than the body size suggested by KS adult women's wear.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
• /
• v.58 no.1
• /
• pp.133-150
• /
• 2008

The purpose of this study was to recognize of the sizing system and analyze the fitting on formal pants of the on-line shopping mall for plus-sized women. To pursue this purpose, the investigation of the sizing system was focused on 22 online companies. The formal pants of 7 companies was selected among them. And actual sizes were compared with the guidance sizes of goods. For the assessment about the fitting on formal pants of 7 online companies, these came to make on to 16 obese women with 'A' body shaped and 'O' body shaped. A data analysis used the SPSS 14.0 statistics program. To verify the difference, this study used the variance analysis and Duncan's test for the postmortem verification. The result was as follows. 1. All of 22 companies were using the symbol such as 88, 99, 100 and 110 in the present condition of sizing system. The information about products size was presenting the products size not to be the body size. the guidance sizes of products were different from actual sizes of 7 companies to be assorted. Therefore, the guidance sizes of goods could not accomplish the facility. 2. According to the fitting-tests by the sensory assessment, the obese women with 'A' body shaped, did the dissatisfaction at the items of the hip circumference, abdominal region, crotch deep and pants length. The obese women with 'O' body shaped, did the dissatisfaction at the the items of crotch deep and pants length.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
• /
• v.40 no.5
• /
• pp.830-843
• /
• 2016

The world wide increase of obesity and demands for various plus-size fashion are expanding the global plus-size fashion market. This study is to understand the market status of the US (the biggest plus-size fashion market) as well as analyze women's fashion shown in power blogs on the plus-size fashion trend. For research methods, photos from the top 10 globally ranked plus-size power blogs on Alexa.com were collected and divided into 5 plus-size body types based on: design factors, style, color, item, and texture. Pants with tops or completed outfits including pants, tops, and outer were the most common for casual styles; in addition, a tendency to pursue comfortable and naturally fitted clothes was also indicated. As for colors, the most common were blue colors and white or pastel toned colors; in addition, soft, hard, and transparent were all evenly used for materials. One-piece items were the most popular formal style that were mostly a one-tone color made with hard materials indicated by the pursuit of the fanciness and formality of a dress for a formal occasion. Black was the most common color, and the color variation was less diverse compared to that of casual styles. The most common for semi-formal styles were outfits with movability and more fanciness such as wearing a casual outer on top of a formal one-piece. When examining the fashion in plus-size blogs, there are differences in the frequency of design factors due to the diversity of body-types; in addition, different items were shown to be preferred in accordance with styles. The results of this study will help fashion companies who want to enter the global plus-size women's fashion market (including the US market); in addition, research on plus-size fashion that is changing the fashion and aesthetic paradigm is expected to contribute to academia.