• International Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.39-54
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• 2009

This research investigates the differences in sportswear purchasing behavior between global consumers in Korea and China. Korean and Chinese consumers showed significant differences in purchasing behavior. Brand personality, perceived price, and brand loyalty showed a significant, positive relationship with purchase intentions across both cultural groups. The results identified two lifestyle categories for Korean and Chinese consumers: Adventurer and Follower. The consumers of each lifestyle group have significantly different views regarding brand equity and purchase intentions. Several marketing implications are discussed in this paper.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.921-937
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• 2013

Sportswear brands in particular have been intensely competing to get an opportunity to prove the value of their new technology and products through sports sponsorship. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship among sports involvement, the attitude toward sports sponsorship carried by sportswear brands, brand equity, and purchase intention of the products of the sponsor's brand. The study was implemented though a descriptive survey method using a questionnaire. The sample consisted of 455 men (n=289) and women (n=166) in their twenties, residing in Seoul and Gyeonggi area. Data were analyzed by confirmatory factor analysis, correlation analysis, and path analysis of structural equation modeling. The results revealed that sports involvement has an influence on the consumers' attitudes toward sports sponsorship performed by sportswear brands. Also, the sports sponsorship attitude of consumers had an influence on the brand equity and purchase intention toward the sponsor's brand products. It was notable that the attitude toward the manner of sponsoring of the sponsor than the contents itself of the sports event sponsored had an influence more on brand loyalty. Among the component factors of brand equity, brand loyalty showed the biggest impact on purchase intention. Considering the results, in order for sports sponsorship to be more effective, sports involvement of the target market should be considered more carefully.

• Journal of the Korea Fashion and Costume Design Association
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.99-113
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• 2015

The purpose of the study was to explore differences in perceived importance among factors of motives for participating in outdoor sports, product selection criteria of outdoor sportswear and store selection criteria, and in buying frequencies among store types and store locations. Another purpose was to find differences in importance of product selection criteria of outdoor sportswear and store selection criteria and in buying frequencies according to store types and store locations among groups according to motives for participation in outdoor sports. The questionnaire was developed by the researcher and was collected by 221 women aged between 40 and 59. The questionnaire was composed of four parts including participation motives, store selection criteria, and product selection criteria measured by Likert type scale, and demographic characteristics measured by nominal scale. Data were analyzed by frequency test, factor analysis, repeated measure ANOVA, Bonferroni adjusted t-test, cluster analysis by Ward method, ANOVA and Tukey's test as a post-hoc test. The results of the study showed that middle-aged women rated health improvement motive as the most important factor for participating in outdoor sports. Among product selection criteria, comfort was the most important, and among store selection, personal selling was the most important. Among store types, buying frequency in off-price store was the highest and among store locations, buying frequency in stores in a residential area was the highest. Moreover, three groups were classified according to motives for participation in outdoor sports: the health improvement motive group, the conspicuous/sociable motive group, the lower motive group The health improvement motive group rated comfort as the most important factor for product selection criteria, and showed the highest buying frequency in downtown stores. Conspicuous/sociable motive groups valued design and utilization for an everyday wear and shopped more frequently in specialty store and/or in downtown stores.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.36 no.9
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• pp.928-939
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• 2012

This study evaluates wear comforts of water-vapor-permeable (WVP) garments through a measurement of various parameters such as skin and rectal temperatures, microclimate between skin and clothing, sweat rate, and subjective sensations (thermal, wet and comfort sensations) to correlate the physiological responses of the human body with its comfort feeling. Wear comfort during a specific exercise on a treadmill in a climatic chamber (temperature T = $20{\pm}0.5^{\circ}C$ and relative humidity H = $50{\pm}10%$) were studied using eight men wearing seven sportswear outfits (a long sleeve shirts and a long pants) made with seven different WVP fabrics. A comfort sensation was found to be highly correlated with skin T (p<.001), microclimate (T and H) between skin and clothing (p<.001) and sweat rate (p<.05). A regression model correlating comfort sensations and physiological responses obtained from wearer trials could be established: Y = 14.167 - 0.362 ${\times}$ X1 + 0.424 ${\times}$ X2 - 0.238 ${\times}$ X3 - 0.561 ${\times}$ X4 + 0.253 ${\times}$ X5 + 0.214 ${\times}$ X6 - 0.393 ${\times}$ X7 + 0.023 ${\times}$ X8 - 0.043 ${\times}$ X9. (Y = comfort sensation, X1 = forehead skin T, X2 = forearm skin T, X3 = hand skin T, X4 = thigh skin T, X5 = T of chest microclimate, X6 = T of thigh microclimate, X7 = chest sweat rate, X8 = H of back microclimate, X9 = H of thigh microclimate. The regression model obtained in this work can be used by manufacturers to objectively estimate the comfort sensation of sportswear before it is introduced to the consumer market. This study provides salient information to sportswear manufacturers and sportswear consumers.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.190-204
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• 2010

Understanding awareness and wearing behavior of functional textiles for silver generation is expected to contribute to clothing products development to improve and maintain their health and marketing strategy fit for user characteristics. For empirical research, a survey was developed and the aged 50 and above were 332 respondents. The results of the study are as follows. First, the level of awareness for both comfort-oriented and health/safetyoriented functional fabrics in high health-conscious group was much higher than that in low health-conscious group. In number of wearing times, health body and high-conscious group wear comfort-oriented fabrics more frequently, while weak body group wear health/safety-oriented fabrics more often. The health-consciousness significantly influenced the possession of active sportswear with various functions. Second, the awareness of functional fabrics in exercise activities groups was much higher than that in exercise-conscious groups. High exercise activities group know more about the wet sensation-related fabrics and clothing materials for outdoor activities. Low exercise-conscious group put on health/comfort-oriented fabrics for casuals more frequent than functional fabrics for sportswear. High exercise activities group preferred to wear sportswear suitable for outdoor activities. The aged people have a lot of health/comfort-oriented functional casual wear appropriate for indoor activities regardless of exercise-consciousness. However, the more they enjoy exercise activities the more they are interested in functional sportswear. Even though they were unconcerned with exercise, older people are interested in functional casual clothes. As a conclusion, the high interest in health and exuberant activities in silver generation arose the necessity of new multi-functional clothing products.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.99-115
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• 2008

International exchange gets active in nations with the increase of Internet use and heading toward digital age. Thus the communication conveying image of nations effectively plays an important role in an international society. Sports events are regarded as important international exchange events and good opportunities for public relations of one's own country and taken as tools of planting good images in other nations. This study surveyed the concept and history of uniform through the documents and previous studies in order to find the aesthetic characteristics of sportswear uniform applying the image of national ensign and investigates the origin and start time in Korea of selected 6 sports items. As a result of finding the expression way of ensign image and drawing the aesthetic characteristics by analyzing the use and variation of ensign colors, the use of colors other than ensign and reflection of ensign form in collected 60 sports uniforms, this study could draw the symbolical beauty, beauty of variation and beauty of brevity. First, symbolical beauty is the aesthetic characteristics expressing uniforms by using the pattern ensign symbolizes and ensign colors themselves or enlarging a part of ensign. Second, beauty of variation is the aesthetic characteristics creating geometrical new patterns in uniform through the distortion and exaggeration of ensign shape, or transforming the colors themselves of ensign. Third, beauty of brevity is the aesthetic characteristics using other colors only as decorative factor while applying the main colors of ensign to the most part of uniform, or unifying the uniforms with only one color of ensign. As a result of survey, the proportion of the symbolical beauty was highest in summer season and beauty of brevity and beauty of variation followed and the proportion of beauty of variation was highest and the symbolical beauty and beauty of brevity followed after that in winter season. This study found the way of expressing image of one's own country in sports uniform through this article, expecting the exact recognition on sports uniform and the diversity of sports uniform design in which the images of the nation are expressed more variously.

• Journal of the Korea Fashion and Costume Design Association
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.103-113
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to develop an e-textile using LEDs that can enhance visual and functional effects, and to identify their applicability to sportswear. By applying the design elements of fashion design concretely with LEDs, an e-textile design module is developed and that module is applied to the product, so LED application design can be proposed for use in a practical product. E-textiles have been divided into five categories, and their usefulness were verified by applying e-textiles to men's and women's sportswear. The product beign considered has a built-in tilt sensor, which illuminates the LEDs according to the user's movements, and allows the LEDs to be turned on or off in accordance to the user's preference. E-tatoo is a type of LED application that enhances the appearance by placing LEDs on a small area, emphasizing origin points, just like an actual tattoo. Designed with LEDs arranged in a straight line and various curved forms, e-strips can provide a function that matches the characteristics of each section of clothing or fashion item. E-wappen uses about 7-10 LEDs to give motifs a strong sense of visibility, thus adding to their vibrancy. E-panels and e-clothes were able to produce creative and high-value textures. It is also expected to be used for special purposes or bags as it is possible to produce high value-added textures that are creative and aesthetically beautiful. For instance, a progressive LED string on the straight line of female leggings can further emphasize rhythmic movements during exercise, and e-wappen also serves the purpose of nighttime protection. It is also believed that the application of dance or dance-related sportswear will make the movement of the performance more intense and lively.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.315-329
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to examine clothing purchase behavior of sports participants based on outdoor sports types and sports participation motivation. The research was conducted with the use of a self-administered questionnaire. A total of 703 respondents between the ages of 25 and 55 participated in the research through an internet survey. Motivation for participation in particular sports was comprised of four factors: impress others, mental rejuvenation, social interaction, and health maintenance/improvement. Perceived benefits of clothing choice were categorized into three factors: brand/fashion pursuit, positive image pursuit, and practicality pursuit. Outdoor sports activities was categorized into six types, climbing, jogging, cycling, fishing, golf, and others including ball games. Each sports group presented differences in demographics, sports motivation factors, and benefit factors. Four segments were identified based on sports participation motivation: active group, social group, health and revitalization group, and inactive group. The active group considered three clothing benefits and 14 evaluative criteria as being the most important among the four segments, indicating the major target market for outdoor sportswear brands. On the other hand, the members of inactive group showed passive attitudes toward clothing purchasing behaviors. This study discusses the results of this research within the context of the managerial implication for outdoor sports marketers.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.434-445
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• 2014

The meaning of this research is to make recognition for necessity of ergonomic fashion design research. And the purpose is to provide the guidelines for ergonomic fashion product development. For this, literature research and analysis of empirical illustration of product design indicating ergonomics characteristic are implemented. Among the body-conscious active sportswear, cycle wear, swim suit, and skin scuba wet suit were selected and analyzed. Then they were explained according to the ergonomics characteristics arranged previously. Lastly, the features of ergonomic fashion design were arranged by composition elements of the clothing such as pattern, sewing, material and detail. The characteristics of ergonomic design derived from literature and advanced researches are efficiency, usability, functionality and safety. Through research and analysis, the characteristics of ergonomic fashion design are as followings. In pattern, it is related to the 3D structure division pattern, the reduction pattern design, the closing & opening part design for easy detachment, the receipt and the changeable design. In sewing, it is related to the use of latest sewing techniques and the finish using silicon or rubber band. In material, it is related to the use of high performance fabrics and the proper arrangement of these. In detail, it is related to the convenient detail, the storage detail, the adjustable detail, and the body protection detail.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.127-138
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• 2019

As health and well-being become a global trend, the younger generation is focusing on the balance between work and leisure time and they are interested in sports activities as well as a cultural life. In addition, the range of sportswear is expanding, so that athleisure fashion is getting into daily lives. In particular, consumer groups in the sportswear market are beginning to change since generation Z consumers are more and more interested in sportswear and their needs are also growing of health and functional of sports wear. It's a global trend that athleisure fashion market is growing, which combines professional athletic wear with fashion. As the number of women who enjoy sports and leisure in their spare time, the consumer pattern in the sports wear market is also expanding to female customers. However, most sports functional wears were focused on male consumers, so that functional inner-wears are mostly made for both sexes, which mean the functional inner-wears are produced without considering the physical characteristics of men and women and with not enough size division ending up not suitable for professional athletes. In particular, female professional athletes need functional inner-wear that fits the characteristics of the sport because they are not only different in physical condition and they are also using different muscles for different movements. Therefore, functional inner-wear needs pattern development and size system setting considering the body shape and athletic movement of female professional athlete.