• International Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.67-75
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• 2008

This study examines the importance of group identity (kin, friends, co-workers) when gift recipient changes among American and Korean consumers. Female college students and academicians completed a self-administered questionnaire. Four hundred fifty-eight respondents evaluated the perceived importance of group identity when buying an apparel gift for kin, friends, and co-workers. The results suggest that the importance of group identity may influence the type of gift a recipient receives. The results show that when buying a gift for kin, friends, and co-workers that both young and older American consumers place greater importance on self rather than the opinion of other group. The older and younger Korean respondents rated the opinion of each group (kin, friends, and co-workers) to be more important than self. Recommendations for future research on the affect of culture on consumer purchases are suggested.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.36 no.12
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• pp.1297-1309
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• 2012

This study examined the effects of "me-model" body-size discrepancy on consumer's shopping mood, store satisfaction, and intention to revisit two types of online apparel stores (one featuring thin models and one featuring average-sized models). A convenience sample of women (n = 528) participated. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. Participants who were thinner or similar to the models indicated positive shopping moods, a high level of online store satisfaction, and intended to revisit the stores when compared to participants who were larger than the models. Participants preferred the 'average-sized' model. This preference was attributed to the familiarity of the model and ability to effectively evaluate merchandise. The results revealed how models can influence apparel consumers in an online context.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.916-928
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• 2009

The objective of this study is to investigate the differences in online visual merchandising practices of online apparel retailers between Korea and China. The 40 websites based on the sales were selected with 5 retail stores per website. Totally, 200 online retail stores were analyzed by content analysis and chi-square test. As a result, 8 online visual merchandising factors were extracted: convenience, product presence, product information, service, interest, participation, aesthetics, and fitness. There were significant differences in all 8 factors of online visual merchandising practices of apparel retail stores between Korea and China. The contribution of this study is to supply for understanding of what are the online visual merchandising composition items and factors and how they were used differently between Korea and China in a real situation of online visual merchandising.

• Proceedings of the Korea Society of Costume Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.55-55
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• 2003

The purpose of this study was to find out apparel fit satisfaction according to item (jacket, pants, skirt) by body perception and body satisfaction. This research was done by a survey method. Statistical analysis such as frequency, a percentage, arithmetic average, standard deviation and Pearson's correlation, Crosstabs(Chi-square) were used for data analysis.

• International Journal of Costume and Fashion
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.79-91
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• 2015

Creativity is an ever-increasing research area related to fashion design, namely the documentation and dissemination of creative scholarship. The purpose of this project is to apply creative bridge or creative leap theory to the development of an existing designer's garment collection using the creative design process of an architect. A single case study design was used to investigate the phenomenon of design process creative leap using a direct observation. Results indicate the difficult challenge of producing new and individualized silhouettes for the marketability of clothing, it is apparent that new methods of fostering creativity in designers through non-traditional approaches would benefit the education of apparel designers. Through targeted design practice, educators and practitioners can apply the principles of scientific inquiry into design processes to solve a problem, address a challenge, or create based on personal inspirations.

• Proceedings of the Korea Society of Costume Conference
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• 2001.10a
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• pp.94-94
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• 2001

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.285-297
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• 2019

Retail firms have begun to pursue the marketing strategies, which stimulate consumers' sensibility and lead people to purchase their products. The visible effects of visual merchandising (VM) arouse consumers' interest and play an effective role in having busy people efficiently choose products. Apparel retail stores such as SPA use the offline store to be the experiential environment of their branding. Consumers' sensitivity and response toward various visual merchandising strategies needs to be accessed. The purpose of this study is to identify VM consciousness and VM evaluation attribute factors. Relationship of such variables with other variables were accessed. As consequence variables, product satisfaction and unplanned purchase behavior were included in the study. An empirical survey data was collected from men and women of various ages. Results indicated that VM consciousness and VM evaluation attribute factors were not correlated with consumer demographic variables. VM evaluation attributes were factored into appropriateness, attractiveness and functionality dimensions. Clothing involvement and brand orientation significantly influenced product satisfaction and unplanned purchase. The direct and indirect effect (via VM consciousness) were significant. For unplanned purchase, brand orientation only had indirect effect. The influence of VM evaluation attribute factors were significant. Appropriateness had stronger effect on product satisfaction whereas attractiveness had stronger effect on unplanned behavior. Functionality dimension had only indirect effect on product satisfaction but did not show significant direct and indirect effects on unplanned purchase. This study identified the pivotal role of VM consciousness in various shopping and purchasing circumstances in offline retail store of apparel brands.

• Proceedings of the Costume Culture Conference
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.155-157
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• 2005

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.384-404
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• 2019

This study investigates the multidimensional structure of apparel design evaluation criteria and the details of each criterion by exploring how female college students majoring in apparel design in their 20s evaluate apparel design based on an exploratory approach. Data were analyzed through a categorization method of qualitative data after collecting from a literature review and three focus group interviews. The results identified the six evaluation criteria of apparel design (functional usefulness, convenience, aesthetics, psychological self suitability, social activity usefulness, and fashion trend). Functional usefulness and convenience assessed the extent to which primary features of apparel are reflected in apparel design, and aesthetics evaluated the aesthetic beauty of apparel design. Psychological self suitability estimated the extent to which apparel design expressed psychological self properly, and social activity usefulness appraised the extent to which apparel design contributed to the social activities of wearers. Last, fashion trend assessed the extent to which apparel design reflected fashion trend. The study results provide meaningful implications towards an apparel industry that wants to develop apparel design that appeals to consumers, educational institutions that aim to cultivate well-trained professionals in the apparel industry, and consumers who want to purchase clothes of satisfactory design.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.30 no.6 s.154
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• pp.829-839
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• 2006

Sustainable development is generally defined as an approach that 'meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs' (World Commission on Environment and Development: WCED, 1987, p. 43). The sustainable development is a holistic concept that encompasses three aspects: environmental protection, economic development, and social contribution. From the sustainable development perspective, environmental management must consider contributions to other economic and social aspects. In this sense, it differs from narrowed environmental management which focuses on only environmental impacts, and a well-being concept in Korea that mainly appeals to health. Recently, leading apparel firms, such as Nike, Otto, and Marks & Spencer, are increasingly adopting the environmental management to achieve the future competitive advantage. The environmental management can be achieved through integrated supply chain management. Despite of flowing importance of environmental supply chain management in practice, academic attention to this area has been seriously lacking. This study regards the environmental management by the sustainable development perspective as a solution for Korean apparel firms to solve their current sluggish growth. The purpose of this study was to provide Korean apparel firms with guidelines toward the environmental management based on extensive literature reviews and case studies. The paper started with two important research frameworks, the sustainable development and the environmental supply chain. Within the frameworks, the leading cases of the environmental management of Korean and foreign apparel firms were analyzed. Both macroscopic and microscopic applications of the environmental supply chain management for Korean apparel firms were suggested based on the analyses.