• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.208-217
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• 2014

This study focuses on analyzing a subset of consumer activities (especially social medium) in their wedding preparation. The focus of this study is on wedding online communities and understanding the impact of communities on selective behavior for information-acceptance. Data was compiled based on female consumers in their 20s and 30s who actively participate in online community forums. It included female consumers preparing for their weddings and individuals interested in weddings. A total of 211 questionnaires were collected from January $10^{th}$ to $23^{rd}$ in 2012. The online communities were identified from Naver, Yahoo, and online search portals; subsequently, they were rank-sorted based on number of members, visitors, and forum posts. We identified four different characteristic based on the findings from the analysis of on-line wedding communities. The characteristic of these communities were divided into sharing experience, functionality of the webpage, informativeness, and interactivity; consequently, use of these online communities is based on trust and significant personal relationships between the members online. Out of the four different community characteristics, sharing experience was found to have a greater impact for the selective behavior of wedding dresses and information- acceptance than the functionality of the webpage, interactivity, and informativeness. We conclude that trust in information provided by members with marriage process experience is the foremost important factor in the behavior of individual consumers wit iexplore.exe -extoff hout marriage process experience. Therefore, the impact of these online communities catering to would-be brides is based on the trust of posters and how well it is articulated.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.63 no.2
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• pp.1-13
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to examine how the features of network in the Internet fashion community affect the diffusion of fashion information to members in the online community with other variables (informative features, consumer features). Communities that actively exchange fashion information among their members were selected for the social network analysis and hypothesis verification. As a result, we found that a few information activists influenced most of the information receivers in the network features of fashion communities. Also, we found that the informative features (usefulness, reliability), consumer features (NFC, innovation) as well as the network features (connectivity, power), have a significant influence on the diffusion of Internet fashion information which verified the importance of the network features in the study on the Internet.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.523-533
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• 2012

Website reputation is a key criteria for searches related to fashion product information and purchases. The greater the reputation of a website, then the greater the sense of community among its members; in addition, a stronger positive attitude towards the products influence subsequent purchases or WOM intention. This study reveals the influence website reputation and a sense of community for the WOM effect in regards to fashion products according to the type of the online shopping mall. The findings of this study are as follows. First, an increased website reputation produces a higher sense of community and perceived usefulness for WOM. The effect of the WOM was greater as the perceived usefulness of WOM increased. Second, the perceived usefulness of WOM had the greatest effect on the WOM effect. The reputation of a website had only an indirect effect on the WOM effect through the sense of community and the perceived usefulness of WOM. Third, the comprehensive mall had a greater reputation, but the WOM effect was greater with the fashion specialty mall. About the influence on the WOM effect, in the comprehensive mall the sense of community was more powerful than reputation of the website. In the fashion specialty mall the reputation of the website was more powerful than the sense of community.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.30 no.4 s.152
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• pp.644-654
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• 2006

The purpose of this study is 1) to analyze the clothing purchasing behavior according to gender 2) to analyze the characteristics provided by the fashion on-line community, 3) to analyze the effects of the fashion on-line community characteristics to community commitment and brand loyalty. As for data collection, on-line survey was conducted for the fashion online community members in 'daum' portal site and total 404 volumes were used for the study analysis. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, $x^2-test$, factor analysis, regression analysis by utilizing the SPSS 10.0 program. The results of this study were as follow: First, it was found that characteristics of fashion on-line community are three factors of 'interactivity', 'information provision' and 'interest provision'. Second, as the analysis result of the effects of the fashion on-line community characteristics to the community commitment and brand loyalty, the more 'interactivity' and 'interest provision', the higher 'behavioral commitment' and at this time brand loyalty was high. The higher 'interactivity', 'interest provision' and 'information provision', the higher attitudinal commitment and brand loyalty. In addition, the more 'information provision' and 'interest provision' were, the more it positively influenced brand loyalty. It is considered that this study will help fashion enterprises establish an on-line community strategy to induce brand loyalty by analyzing the community utilization pattern of fashion on-line community members.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.621-638
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• 2020

Luxury companies are striving to improve their communication with customers while paying attention to online promotion and marketing activities. As companies interact with customers in luxury brand communities via various channels, they yield consumers higher value throughout the effective consumption process. In addition, this connection enhances customers' understanding of the company, making it easier for companies to acquire empathy from customers. This study aims to analyze the value factors that affect luxury brand community members' purchase intention and brand attitude. This study utilizes online survey results of four hundred prestige brand community users in China. The results reveal the positive effects of customer engagement on customer psychological empowerment and flow, the positive impacts of customer psychological empowerment and flow on community identity and brand attachment, the positive effects of community identity on purchase intentions, and the positive effects of brand attachment on purchase intentions and brand attitude. Furthermore, the results show that community types and fashion involvement partially moderate customer engagement. This study provides theoretical suggestions for relationship marketing in the luxury brand community environment. Last, this study presents practical implications that companies could utilize to create an emotional connection with their community members, resulting in an increase of customer support.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.330-343
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• 2020

This study defines the concept of the fashion meme, which has recently emerged as a fashion trend, influential fashion keyword. After analyzing the concepts and characteristics of traditional memes from prior studies, examples of fashion memes were collected from online community and social network services, while a literature study and case study analysis were conducted in parallel drawing on related articles and journals. Modern fashion memes refer to fashion-related symbols and fashion images that are spread online by word-of-mouth, together with fashion styles and items that spread as a result of being worn. Fashion memes in cyberspace are mainly spread through social network or message services, and sometimes combine text, images, videos, hashtags, and emoticons. Fashion memes are a type of collective action of the people in response to social problems in the world, and often involve humorous antics, satire, shock, and eccentricity. Shared fashion memes reflect the expression of personality expression and fun, and at the same time are used as an expression of designer and brand creativity and are integral to marketing. Fashion memes are classified into four types, based on two central axes as follows: non-commercial/commercial and anti-fashion/fashion-friendly. Unlike traditional memes, Internet-based fashion memes emphasize elements of transformation through creativity as well as imitation, which has become a persisting contemporary trend beyond temporary phenomena.

• Fashion, Industry and Education
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.12-28
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• 2017

In the era of social media, marketers have struggled to understand and serve participants' diverse and multifaceted needs in a novel form of online brand community in the social-networking sites such as Facebook. Thus, this study identifies different groups of participants affiliated with Facebook brand pages based on their needs for brand connection. The need-based segments are validated by comparing results across foodservice and consumer goods. Results of cluster analysis reveal three distinct segments (i.e., residents, lurkers, and peepers) based on participants' functional, experiential, and incentive needs. Results of multivariate analysis of variance illustrate significant differences in relational tendencies for a brand of interest among these three groups. The three groups are profiled based on participants' engagement level. Findings of this study are expected to help marketers better understand the needs of diverse participants in their SNS-embedded brand community so they can develop tailored communication strategies for targeted groups.

• Journal of the Korea Fashion and Costume Design Association
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.73-88
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• 2008

The media culture influences upon young people while introducing new cultures by every hour. Considering the mainstream culture, in which media has the greatest effect on young people, this article examines the symbolic significances of youth fashion through media culture. The results of this study can be summarized as the following: First, young people's popular culture ("pop culture") is becoming the medium that leads to the creation of similar cultures of the young people globally through various routes. Culture is being created by integration of diverse media, and not by what is seen through a single medium. Typical young people's culture, which is formed due to the influence of media culture, includes community culture, pun culture, virtual culture and fandom culture. Second, in order to examine youth fashion that is seen in those media, the survey has been conducted on media stars, tecktonik dance groups, fashion models, avatars and online communities, which are fashion icons influencing young people. Third, youth fashion, which has been formed centering on media culture, has the flexible property that varies the symbolic significance according to which culture becomes the main axis. The symbolic significance in fashion, which is seen on media culture young people are contacting, has been examined in the aspects of value orientation, diversity orientation, speed orientation and digital orientation.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.656-674
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to reveal and compare the differences in the types and characteristics of purchase channel journeys of MZ generation consumers. In this study a survey was conducted on the purchase channel journey of 20 women in the MZ generation using the ethnographic method of in-depth interviews and observations. As a result, three purchase channel journeys were identified: mobile, multi-channel, and offline. These were variously subdivided according to the characteristics of the MZ generations. Gen Z's journey was categorized into types: fashion platform app, Youtube, multi-channel supplement, multi-channel non-planned store visit, offline loyalty store, and impulsive offline store. Gen M's journey was categorized as: an online community bond, portal site, online loyalty store, multi-channel brand involvement, multi-channel efficiency, a multi-channel conversion, offline efficiency and offline task. The difference in mobile journey between generations was found in the time and length of the purchase. Gen M recognized both online and offline search processes to be tiring, while Gen Z enjoyed the search process using the online path. In the offline journey Gen Z began with their own intention to purchase, while Gen M sometimes recognized that purchasing fashion products necessary for work was a cumbersome task.

• International Journal of Costume and Fashion
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.15-29
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• 2013

Today's technology enables consumers to trade millions of dollars, conduct online banking, access entertainment, and do countless other activities at the click of a button. Online social networks (OSN) have become a cultural phenomenon that allows for individualistic consumerism. Consumers are increasingly utilizing OSN to share ideas, build communities, and contact fellow consumers who are similar to themselves. The relevance of online communities to the music is immense especially because musicians are now using social media to build global audiences. Not only is information about music and performance disseminated online, but musical commodities are sold and traded online. Online music communities allow consumers to elect and create new identities online through the purchase of subcultural commodities. Given the growing economic importance of online music communities it is important to get a holistic view of subcultural communities online. This study utilized content analysis of online music community websites using the Netnography methodology as developed by Kozinet for data collection to analyze consumers' purchasing and consumption behavior of subcultural commodities online as related to the formation of subcultural identities. Findings showed that subcultural items are predominantly purchased online, especially digital music, and there is a need for more custom craft items. The authors presented a new conceptual taxonomy of online subcultural consumer classifications based on online behavior patterns.