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The paper seeks to investigate fit preferences of female consumers in the USA based on the relationship between their fit preferences, body cathexis, fit problems, and personal profiles.

Female subjects (n=1,026) between the ages of 19 and 54 were asked to respond to a questionnaire that was mailed to subjects. The questionnaire was used to evaluate consumer fit preferences for individual garment categories (jackets, pants, skirts, blouses, and jeans) relative to respondents' personal profiles, body shape, and body cathexis. Terminology, fit issues, and elements of fit expressed as important to female consumers as identified in an initial focus group which was part of a larger study associated with this research were considered in development of the questionnaire.

Eighty percent of the sample reported two or more areas of the body where fit problems occurred. One‐third of the respondents altered up to 25 percent of RTW. Semi‐fitted preferences for clothing were reported most often. A significant relationship was found between women who scored high on the body cathexis scale and those who desired more fitted clothing. Body shapes were fairly evenly distributed among all age categories, except for the 19‐35 year old respondents who were more likely to have an hourglass silhouette.

This methodology involved a self‐report of several variables. Items such as body measurements and body shape were subjective. Answers could be inaccurate because of respondents' lack of knowledge of their measurements or their desire to represent a more ideal figure for themselves. Using 3D body scanning to verify body measurements and body shape could provide more accurate results.

The issue of the fit in apparel is critical for both industry and academia. Academia has traditionally examined fit based on expert analysis and is just beginning to investigate the importance of fit from the consumer's viewpoint. In the product development area, industry needs to be able to go beyond just body measurements to incorporate fit preferences based on categorical profiles of consumer groups.

As a construct, fit is difficult to study. This paper identifies variables, constructs a stimulus and investigates women's preferences for fit in various garment categories.

Recent research suggests that consumers want individual needs met and that companies can work towards customizing products while still mass producing them. Co‐design, a consumer‐producer collaborative design endeavor, is one way to accomplish both. The purpose of this research was to explore consumers’ participation in and reaction to a CAD‐supported scenario of co‐design for mass customization. Aided by a design manager, 34 female college students co‐designed a three‐piece career outfit by choosing from a style bank of garment components. Subjects were comfortable with the process; most found it easy and were satisfied with the output. Ease of designing and satisfaction with images were positively correlated. Application of clothing involvement and innovativeness measures suggested possible characteristics of subjects who were more or less comfortable with co‐design and those who found it easier to make decisions. Results suggested the feasibility of co‐design from the consumer’s perspective and the need for further research.

The overall purpose of this research was to explore the potential for applying mass customization in the apparel manufacturing and retail sectors by investigating consumers’ interests in it as a concept. A series of seven focus groups were used to explore consumer preferences related to mass customization and to identify potential barriers to adoption of the concept. Potential scenarios illustrated with video were used to describe how mass customization might be implemented. A deductive approach to data reduction allowed researchers to distill and describe data according to predetermined categories and to identify additional categories that emerged in the analysis. Converging positive consumer comments moved researchers forward in understanding the concept while negative comments were viewed as barriers. The result was the construction of a consumer‐based model which provides an initial framework for researchers and the business community to use in exploring how the paradigm of mass customization could be applied as a business strategy in the apparel industry.

This paper explores the relationships between body type and fit preferences with body cathexis, clothing benefits sought by consumers, and demographic profiles of consumers.

The survey instrument consisted of a questionnaire with scales assessing fit preference, body type, body cathexis, clothing benefits sought and consumer demographics.

Significant associations were found between body cathexis (satisfaction with head/upper body, lower body, height, weight and torso) and body shape. The degree of satisfaction with different body parts depended on the body type of the individual. The level of satisfaction with head/upper body, height and torso did not vary by body type. No significant differences were found between fit preferences and body type for lower body garments.

The majority of respondents were between the ages 18 and 28, affluent Caucasian Americans, with an hourglass body type, who had a family income of $85,000 or more and shopped in department or boutique/specialty stores.

Understanding the fit preferences of female consumers could help apparel companies to produce and meet demands for comfortable and well fitting clothes for women. The results of this research may be used as a first step to develop an expert system to correlate body shape and fit preferences of consumers.