• Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
• /
• v.20 no.1
• /
• pp.59-69
• /
• 2010

Green or an environmental consciousness has been a major issue for businesses and government offices, as well as consumers, worldwide. In response to this movement, the Korean government announced, in the early 2000s, the era of "Green Growth" as a way to encourage green-related business activities. The Korean fashion industry, in various levels of involvement, presents diverse eco-friendly products as a part of the green movement. These apparel products include organic products and recycled clothing. For these companies to be successful, they need information about who are the consumers who consider green issues (e.g., environmental sustainability) as part of their personal values when making a decision for product purchase, use, and disposal. These consumers can be considered as eco-sumers. Previous studies have examined consumers' purchase intention for or with eco-friendly products. In addition, studies have examined influential factors used to identify the eco-sumers or green consumers. However, limited attention was paid to eco-sumers' disposal or recycling behavior of clothes in comparison with their green product purchases. Clothing disposal behaviors are ways that consumer can get rid of unused clothing and in clue temporarily lending the item or permanently eliminating the item by "handing down" (e.g., giving it to a younger sibling), donating, exchanging, selling, or simply throwing it away. Accordingly, examining purchasing behaviors of eco-friendly fashion items in conjunction with clothing disposal behaviors should improve understanding of a consumer's clothing consumption behavior from the environmental perspective. The purpose of this exploratory study is to provide descriptive information about Korean eco-sumers who have ecologically-favorable lifestyles and behaviors when buying and disposing of clothes. The objectives of this study are to (a) categorize Koreans on the basis of clothing disposal behaviors; (b) investigate the differences in demographics, lifestyles, and clothing consumption values among segments; and (c) compare the purchase intention of eco-friendly fashion items and influential factors among segments. A self-administered questionnaire was developed based on previous studies. The questionnaire included 10 items of clothing disposal behavior, 22 items of LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) characteristics, and 19 items of consumption values, measured by five-point Likert-type scales. In addition, the purchase intention of two eco-friendly fashion items and 11 attributes of each item were measured by seven-point Likert type scales. Two polyester fleece pullovers, made from fabric created from recycled bottles with the PET identification code, were selected from one Korean brand and one US imported brand among outdoor sportswear brands. A brief description of each product with a color picture was provided in the survey. Demographic variables (i.e., gender, age, marital status, education level, income, occupation) were also included. The data were collected through a professional web survey agency during May 2009. A total of 600 final usable questionnaires were analyzed. The age of respondents ranged from 20 to 49 years old with a mean age of 34 years. Fifty percent of the respondents were males and about 58% were married, and 62% reported having earned university degrees. Principal components factor analysis with varimax rotation was used to identify the underlying dimensions of the clothing disposal behavior scale, and three factors were generated (i.e., reselling behavior, donating behavior, non-recycling behavior). To categorize the respondents on the basis of clothing disposal behaviors, k-mean cluster analysis was used, and three segments were obtained. These consumer segments were labeled as 'Resale Group', 'Donation Group', and 'Non-Recycling Group.' The classification results indicated approximately 98 percent of the original cases were correctly classified. With respect to demographic characteristics among the three segments, significant differences were found in gender, marital status, occupation, and age. LOHAS characteristics were reduced into the following five factors: self-satisfaction, family orientation, health concern, environmental concern, and voluntary service. Significant differences were found in the LOHAS factors among the three clusters. Resale Group and Donation Group showed a similar predisposition to LOHAS issues while the Non-Recycling Group presented the lowest mean scores on the LOHAS factors compared to the other segments. The Resale and Donation Groups described themselves as enjoying or being satisfied with their lives and spending spare-time with family. In addition, these two groups cared about health and organic foods, and tried to conserve energy and resources. Principal components factor analysis generated clothing consumption values into the following three factors: personal values, social value, and practical value. The ANOVA test with the factors showed differences primarily between the Resale Group and the other two groups. The Resale Group was more concerned about personal value and social value than the other segments. In contrast, the Non-Recycling Group presented the higher level of social value than did Donation Group. In a comparison of the intention to purchase eco-friendly products, the Resale Group showed the highest mean score on intent to purchase Product A. On the other hand, the Donation Group presented the highest intention to purchase for Product B among segments. In addition, the mean scores indicated that the Korean product (Product B) was more preferable for purchase than the U.S. product (Product A). Stepwise regression analysis was used to identify the influence of product attributes on the purchase intention of eco product. With respect to Product A, design, price and contribution to environmental preservation were significant to predict purchase intention for the Resale Group, while price and compatibility with my image factors were significant for the Donation Group. For the Non-Recycling Group, design, price compatibility with the factors of my image, participation to eco campaign, and contribution to environmental preservation were significant. Price appropriateness was significant for each of the three clusters. With respect to Product B, design, price and compatibility with my image factors were important, but different attributes were associated significantly with purchase intention for each of the three groups. The influence of LOHAS characteristics and clothing consumption values on intention to purchase Products A and B were also examined. The LOHAS factor of health concern and the personal value factor were significant in the relationships with the purchase intention; however, the explanatory powers were low in the three segments. Findings showed that each group as classified by clothing disposal behaviors showed differences in the attributes of a product, personal values, and the LOHAS characteristics that influenced their purchase intention of eco-friendly products. Findings would enable organizations to understand eco-friendly behavior and to design appropriate strategic decisions to appeal eco-sumers.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.207-220
• /
• 2011

The purpose of this study is to investigate sensibility words related with eco-friendly in the two media fashion magazines and internet newspapers and to analysis their appearance frequency and changes by the year through 1999~2010. Most frequently used words are 'nature, eco, cotton, natural fiber, health, fresh, clear, preservation, harmony, com fiber, and Lohas'. The words are divided in 4 groups: 'Nature/Environment, Material/Fiber, Human, and Adjectives/Micell'. A point of appearing time is analyzed: 'ecology, memory-shape material, organic, spa' were used before 2000, 'nature environment, eco-friendly, stretch material, wellbeing, substitute, recycling' were in 2000-2001, 'smart material, eco material, green' in 2002-2003, 'coolbiz, Lohas, natural dye' in 2004-2005, 'herb medicine, sustainable, warmbiz' in 2006-2007, 'greensumer, greenlife, solar energy, forest bath' in 2008-2009. Looking into their changes, in early 2000, the words of eco-friendly emotion and sensibility had appeared frequently relatively, but later on they decreased, and again recently increased showing highest appearing frequency. 'Nature/Environment' words have appeared recently very much, while 'Human' sensibility words have not changed much or decreased a little. 'Adjective/Micell' words has increased little bit recently. 'Material/Fiber' words showed decrease at fashion magazine, while they increased at the pages of internet news.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
• /
• v.59 no.9
• /
• pp.146-162
• /
• 2009

In the current product and fashion design, the 'eco-friendliness' is affecting practically and conceptually on all the sectors of industry and culture. Therefore, this study seeks to examine specific values in the concept of eco-friendly design. The subjects of this paper are studied on the scholarly journals, and are confined to those from 1990, when naturalism and ecology trend started to be in product and fashion, to the moment of search of February 2009. This study used 'Naturalism', 'Green', 'Environment-friendly', 'Eco', 'Sustainable', 'Well-being' and 'Lohas' as key words for the search. Analysis is performed by content analysis and the unit of analysis was based upon the adjectives, nouns and phrases which is related key words in the concept of eco-friendly design. The study realized that there are personal value, environmental value, economic value, and social value in the concept of eco-friendly design. In the result, it is not enough to consider the effect on environment only. Understanding the personal, environmental, economic, and social value from the viewpoint of customers, finding the optimal design factors, and reflecting them in development of product and fashion are necessary to pave the way for advanced eco-friendly design. The results of this paper would help to the future product and fashion development for eco-friendly brands.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
• /
• v.57 no.6 s.115
• /
• pp.101-111
• /
• 2007

The purpose of this study is to examine the features of the conversational patterns presented on the fashion in the early 2000's and analyze it from cultural view. The expression of the patterns is a result of a creative aesthetic activity, mental activity, and the reflection of the common cognition. And the fashion is a part of the life environment. So the patterns presented on the fashion provides a clue to figure out the common unconscious sense for explaining the culture. The patterns have been expressed with different methods belonging to each culture such as weaving and prints. And those of the each cultural group have been communicating each other. The silk came to the Europe in the 6th century. The textile industry which flourished since 15th century. And they shows the chinoiserie or indian prints, not only the european culture. We can observe that the exchange of the techniques and cultures between cultural groups like the east and the west, and the presentation of the patterns is a way to express their own desires. The patterns presented after 2,000 can be classified by the form and the contents. But, more specifically, the patterns classified by the contents, which is Conversational design, can be categorized as followed according to the origin; reflecting cultural identity, Popular culture, Lohas lifestyle, and art movements. Which can be summarized as that the people have more interest on the different cultural group, diversity, retrospectiveness, and exoticism, which the patterns originally belonged to than on the form itself.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Rural Architecture
• /
• v.7 no.3
• /
• pp.68-75
• /
• 2005

'Health' trend like the latest fashion that spread to present society that elevate a lot of interests in qualitative elevation of life by rapid economic growth did to derive vocabulary called 'well-being' over all field. More and more comprehensive new type word 'LOHAS' appear to this. I wish to present basic data that need in study of healthy eco dwelling through making comparative study of existing study, literature analysis, and application type and planning elements etc of healthy dwelling. This study is preceded in following steps and contents. First, make conceptional definition for similarity words regarding healthy eco dwelling through existing study and internet search data etc, and analysis comprehensive meaning of 'Health' and 'Healthy Dwelling'. Second, I have done arrangement examination synthetically about healthy eco dwelling, wellbeing house, and ubiquitous future dwelling by paradigm of spread healthy dwelling. Third, examine application type of healthy dwelling that appear present and arrange analyzing planning elements is applied in the types.