• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.35 no.9
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• pp.1015-1027
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• 2011

This study analyzes consumer-based apparel design elements and evaluation criteria using qualitative research methodology. Apparel design is one of the most important factors to determine consumer consumption and attitude; however, limited studies have examined them. This study provides essential cues for an apparel industry suffering from dramatically fluid market situations. Based on a qualitative analysis of the focus group interviews, researchers establish three categories (basic elements, elements generated by apparel, and elements experienced by consumer) of apparel design elements that are consistent with nine elements (shape, materials, color, pattern, detail, subsidiary materials, overall image & style, fit, and overall balance). The results provide 137 types of conceptualized apparel design evaluation criteria. They developed 56 initial themes, 23 evolved themes, 23 sub categories, and 12 kinds of theme categories with abstract conceptualization. This study explicates the critical role that consumer-based apparel design is the competitive advantage within the apparel industry.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.66 no.4
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• pp.18-31
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• 2016

This study examined the consumption of licensed sports fashion products by sports fans in order to provide useful information to apparel companies that are interested in sports sponsorship marketing. Grounded theory approach was adopted to explore consumers' attitude toward the sponsoring companies, and motives of buying licensed fashion products. In-depth interviews were conducted with female fans of professional baseball clubs. The main phenomena of interest was consumer purchase of licensed fashion product, with the emphasis on cultural consumption as a causal condition. Providing support for victory, vicarious consumption, social identification, and needs to differentiate were identified as strategies related to licensed product purchase. Economic situations and limitations to purchase are identified as the mediating conditions. The study identified the effects of the consumption on the fan as well as the sponsoring companies as consequences of the phenomena. Sports marketing strategies were suggested for apparel companies based on the analysis of the consumption rituals for licensed fashion goods.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.17-29
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• 2009

Due to rapid economic growth and accelerated urbanization, numerous cities in China have been turning into huge consumption markets almost simultaneously, and thus, the Chinese apparel markets being globalized are most vigorous in the world, attracting attention from the world apparel industries. If the Korean apparel businesses should develop the products befitting the conditions of the Chinese apparel markets and reflecting her consumers' fashion trends and needs, their apparels would be satisfactory enough to Chinese consumers, being competitive in the Chinese markets. In this sense, today's Chinese apparel markets may well provide the Korean apparel businesses with both crisis and opportunity. As one of the methods to enhance Chinese consumers' satisfaction with the Korean apparels, the Korean apparel businesses should consider seriously about the apparel fitting or a factor determining apparel silhouettes and sense of wearing. Since Chinese consumers differ widely in terms of body types and measurements depending on regions due to the vast territory, differentiation of the apparel fitting is more important than any other single factor, and thus, correct information about apparel fitting may well be directly related with manufacturing of excellent apparels. The purpose of this study is to comparatively analyze the upper body measurements and types of the Chinese and Korean women in their 20's to provide the Korean apparel business engaged in Chinese markets with some basic data about apparel fitting conducive to their development of effective apparel commodities. For this purpose, Chinese women in their 20's living in China's two major cities leading China's women's apparel markets were sampled.

• The International Journal of Costume Culture
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.38-51
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• 2009

The goal of this study is to define the types of the lifestyles of senior consumers and identify the differences in the properties of apparel products and the apparel attitudes. To collect the data for this study, questionnaires for the research were distributed from November 20, 2006 to December 15, 2006 to those over 50 living in Seoul, Pusanand Kyunggi and 302 questionnaires were used for the data analysis. The results of the study are as follows. First, six factors were extracted which were "Pursuit of Self-development", "Pursuit of Active Life", "Pursuit of Material", "Pursuit of Diversity", "Pursuit of Family-oriented" and "Pursuit of Recreational Life" after factor analysis of lifestyles recognized by the senior consumers that participated in this study. Second, the lifestyles of the senior consumers were categorized into "Consumption-oriented Type", "Personal Satisfaction-oriented Type", "Family Weighted Type" and "Recreation-oriented Type." Third, three factors were extracted which were "Symbolical Property", "Functional Property" and "Customer Support Property" after conducting the factor analysis on the properties of apparel products. Fourth, significant differences were shown in apparel properties by the lifestyle types of senior consumers in the symbolical property and the customer support property. The "symbolical property" was shown highest in "recreation-oriented type" and lowest in the "family weighted type." The customer support property was shown highest in the "family weighted type" and lowest in the "recreation-oriented type", showing the opposite result. Fifth, significant differences were shown in apparel attitudes by the lifestyle types of senior consumers in "Fashion Innovativeness", "Apparel Involvement" and "Apparel Necessity." The "fashion innovativeness" was shown highest in the "recreation-oriented type" and lowest in the "family weighted type." The apparel involvement and the necessity for apparel for senior citizens was shown high in the "recreation-oriented type" and this showed that the senior consumers valuing recreation also value fashion, have high apparel involvement and feel the necessity for apparel for senior citizens.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.160-174
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• 2005

Despite the decrease in the number of children due to low birth rate, the domestic children's apparel market has been achieving steady growth as family income is rising thanks to more opportunities for working women, parents spend more on their children, and they prefer brand products that make their children look special. In addition, the market is suffering from hard competition as large enterprises have joined the race. The present study purposed to survey the children's apparel market in Korea, which is in a transitional period, and to contribute to the development of the market with Korean brands. For this purpose, we analyzed the characteristics of children's apparel brands in the 21st century based on the current state of the domestic children's apparel market and, based on the findings, forecasted the future trend of children's apparel brands, suggested improvements for expected problems, proposed standards for coping with changes such as diversification, high quality and differentiation in the children's apparel market, and provided consumers with information on how to purchase products. According to the result of analyzing the characteristics of children's apparel brands in the 21st century, brands are categorized largely into four types - life cultural brands, functional product brands, character brands and brands advancing to China. Life cultural brands equipped with all necessities for children are expanding, and with the deepening social problems of environmental pollution and the reduction of the child population, functional products made of environment-friendly materials are spreading widely, targeting infants and children. Furthermore, for extending age targets and diversifying products, children's apparel is using characters. The use of characters is expected to have a considerable effect on the growth of brands because children are more subjective as consumers than before and they are more easily persuaded with characters. Domestic children's apparel brands advancing to China have a high expectation of success in overcoming the limitation of the local market that has reached its peak and growing into global brands. Korean apparel makers are struggling to overcome the depressed domestic market, to recover consumers' consumption, to cope with market opening, to pursue high value of sensibility and to expand the seniors' market, etc. In this situation, future trends of children's apparel brands will be the expansion of family brands, brand totalization, quality price, niche market (pre-teen market), etc. In response to these trends, we made the following suggestions for improvement. 1. Children's apparel brands are evolving into family brands as well as into total brands through voluming. Today, however, apparel makers are advancing to the children's apparel market with the concept of adults' apparel and, as a result, children's apparel is merely adults' apparel of reduced size, having problems in design, color and materials. Thus, apparel makers must develop design considering the wide range of size and the characteristics of children's apparel, strengthen sourcing abilities to create revenues, and make thorough survey of customers to find common denominators between adults' apparel and children's apparel considering that characteristic that the target class is different from the buyer class. Furthermore, they must make active investments in human resources, develop outstanding products through advanced planning and design, and support marketing techniques and management systems to stores. 2. As the declining birth rate will continue to have a negative effect on the market, it may be difficult to expand the market size but there is still a margin for growth through high-sensibility and high-quality products. The competitiveness of brands is determined by their market shares. Accordingly, concepts should be specialized according to lifestyle, customers' diverse needs should be satisfied, and cross-coordination should be achieved within a brand. 3. Considering Korean parents who do not spare investment in their children despite shrinking consumption, functional products must be high value-added goods that can enhance efficiency. However, in the current situation of the infants' apparel industry where a textile manufacturer supply its products to multiple brands, it is difficult to develop unique products only based on materials. Thus, it is considered urgent to appeal to consumers not by relying on materials only but by finding methods of applying their own characters to children's dress.

• Proceedings of the Korea Society of Costume Conference
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• 2004.08a
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• pp.115-143
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• 2004

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.330-338
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• 1989

The Korean apparel manufacturing industry started to meet domestic demands which had depended on importation in 1950s, growing into one of the export-oriented industries with several Five-Year Economic Development Plans. In spite of the development, inefficient organization of distribution of apparel manufacturing industry which connects production with consumption impedes further development of the industry. This study aims at suggesting desirable distribution system of ladies' apparel, the core of the fashion industry. This researcher interviewed those who are concerned in twenty-eight ladies' apparel manufacturing compaines, analyzing the current state of distribution in the industry and the problems. The results are as follows; 1. Forty-five percent of ladies' apparel is distributed through department stores. Therefore, the department stores need to assume their roles in sales and try to improve the condition and to train professional buyers. 2. The sales network is concentrated on the five biggest cities such as Seoul, Pusan, Taegu, Taechon, and Kwangju, prompting the need to be diversified. 3, Tke existing distribution forms distribution systems have many irrational factors which are aggravnting the rate of goods in stock. 4. The manufacturing companies do not implement studies on distribution. The companies should try to establish clear concepts on production and distribution on their own for better planning skills. 5. Computerized systems need to manage the procedures ranging from ordering, distribution, sales to inventory.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.825-836
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• 2019

This study focuses on how to improve the use of the sustainable clothing through consignment clothing Stores. This study finds factors for activating consignment clothing stores that can help expand and implement the clothing consumption culture of Korean consumers towards sustainable clothing behavior. The objectives of this study are as follows. First, we identify consumer's sustainable apparel behavior through an in-depth interview with a manager who is currently working in a consignment-selling apparel company in Seoul. Second, we analyze factors for activating a consignment clothing store that help enable the implementation of concrete action plans into Korean culture and towards a sustainable clothing behavior. The study results on consignment clothing stores serve as service factors. First, it increases the participation of consumers in the mindset of secondhand apparel. Second, it secures the quality of used apparel products. Third, it can be seen by expanding the market channel. There is a need to rethink the specialty of apparel products in order to secure the quality of used apparel products and appraisal of experienced apprentices of commodity appraisers.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.593-603
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• 2007

The purpose of this study is to study the Central Asian costumes($1{\sim}7C$) and develop new design items and suggest new brand launching. Korean apparel industry has been suffering from imbalance of supply and demand caused by the sagging economy and too many apparel companies. Due to the several years of recession, clothing consumption decreased and foreign brand's market share got bigger. As a result, managing a company became difficult and it is time for Korean apparel industry to enter the global market. We need a brand with new image and design that has big potential of purchasing power not only in Korea but also in China, and furthermore in global market. But even nearby Chinese market already became very competitive. One way of approaching Chinese fashion market is to find something special, for example, their historical background. Central Asian culture and costumes, a part of China, has both Eastern and Western culture. No other apparel industry had interest in the Central Asian costumes yet. Therefore, through their costume, a fresh design idea can be suggested.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.515-525
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• 2008

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate consumers' purchasing behavior of apparel products with solo shopping orientation. The data were collected in Busan and Ulsan from 279 adult women. The aforementioned were analyzed utilizing frequency, factor analysis, simple regression analysis, multiple regression analysis and chi-square($X^2$) test using SPSS Win 12.0. The results showed as follows. The motive factors to alone purchasing behavior of apparel products of consumers were convenience, hedonic aim, consumption centered oneself, load to going together, nonexpected shopping and time utilization. Specially the higher consumers recognized importantly convenience and hedonic aim, the higher they had a solo shopping orientation. The more consumers experienced feelings such as hedonic aim, it was the same. Also the high consumers satisfied on purchase of apparel products, it was just the same.