Search results

The purpose of this paper is to explore factors affecting secondhand clothing acquisition among a sample of US female consumers based on an economic perspective.

This research is descriptive in nature, utilizing a survey of 500 US female consumers to explore relationships between five modes of secondhand clothing acquisition and selected consumer characteristics. Logistic regression was used to analyze the data.

The significant variables were income, age, number of toddlers and children ages 6-17 present in households, and sewing and repair skills. Income was found to be negatively related to purchasing secondhand clothing, suggesting that consumers view used clothing as an inferior good. Consumers in Gen Y were more likely to be involved in various means of secondhand clothing acquisition, holding income constant, than Baby Boomers.

Overcoming the stigma of inferiority associated with secondhand clothing, encouraging repair skills, and the repair of clothing, reaching out to consumers to build on their interest in DIY projects, and utilizing new technology (e.g. apps for sharing clothes) are practical implications.

The paper examined multiple modes of clothing acquisition rather than a single mode, and contributes insight regarding the economic concept of secondhand clothing as an inferior good.

The purpose of this paper is to understand the apparel disposal process and explore, specifically, male disposal through consignment vs donation disposal modes. This study hopes to uncover not only the process but the influences that motivate these behaviors.

Observations at two sites included conversational interviews with employees as well as consumers disposing apparel through these sites. Collection took place over two months with 26 interviews taking place.

Themes of seasonal change and financial incentive suggest the use of consignment as a separate process for consumers from donation. Consignment suggested value, while donation was viewed as a habit.

Previous research as well as the findings of this study suggest that apparel donation is similar across genders. They also suggest that consignment is viewed by male consumers as a separate action from donation.

Little to no research has been conducted to understand male apparel disposal, studies on disposal has focused primarily on college-aged females (i.e. Morgan and Birtwistle, 2009). This study adds to a limited body of work to understand the differences and very possible similarities across genders in this behavior.

The accessories, footwear and hosiery industries have always been important complements to the apparel industry. While the demand for apparel has been studied fairly extensively, the demand for accessory items has been overlooked. To gain a better understanding of the demand for accessories, footwear, and hosiery, it is the purpose of this research to estimate expenditure equations for accessories, footwear and hosiery; and to profile the consumer characteristics of the purchasers and non‐purchasers of these items. An economic model of demand provides the theoretical framework. Expenditure equations are estimated using data from the 1990–91 Consumer Expenditure Survey. The results indicate that income, family size and education positively affect expenditures on accessories, footwear and hosiery while the results for age, occupation and region vary among the categories. The results have implications for producers and marketers of accessories, footwear and hosiery.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of intensive extra‐curricular learning opportunities on students' knowledge, skills, and attitudes regarding cotton and sustainability.

A three‐phase extra‐curricular learning opportunity was designed to include a Sustainable Cotton Summit; pre‐summit and post‐summit surveys of students' knowledge, skills, and attitudes toward cotton; and an individual essay competition.

The two‐group mean comparisons showed that the summit made the largest impact on students' knowledge in cotton and sustainability, followed by students' skills and attitudes. The student essays indicated that the summit provided insight that is not readily available in their education curricula.

The benefits derived from educating students about sustainability and cotton should be extended to other fibers, as well as to other segments of the supply chain.

Businesses involved with cotton supply chain must do a better job at educating and explaining sustainability aspects of cotton to consumers. Educators must also further their efforts in preparing students as professionals in the industry.

In response to the lack of educational opportunities about cotton and sustainability in the textile‐ and apparel‐related academic field in the USA, this study offered the two‐day Sustainable Cotton Summit in 2010 in which over 400 students have participated. Changes in students' knowledge, skills, and attitudes were assessed through pre‐ and post‐summit surveys, and post‐summit essays.

The purpose of this study is to provide an updated view of the effects of selected socioeconomic and demographic factors on household expenditures for home furnishings among US households. Using consumer demand theory as the underlying theoretical framework, Tobit analysis was used to estimate expenditure equations for household textiles, floor coverings, and furniture using the 1995 Consumer Expenditure Survey. Although the home furnishings industry grew significantly during the 1980s and 1990s, the results of this study indicate that the socioeconomic and demographic factors underlying home furnishing expenditures have remained fairly stable. However, long‐run trends in the age distribution and ethnic composition of the US population suggest that the young adult market and Hispanic consumers are market segments that could provide greater opportunities for companies in the home furnishings industry. In addition, building on the fashion orientation that has developed in home fashions during the past 20 years may provide further opportunities. Finally, future research could benefit from the inclusion of more dwelling‐specific variables, such as the number of rooms in the household, and whether or not remodeling occurred.

The production, distribution and consumption of counterfeit goods have been increasing at an alarming rate. Current legislation addresses the supply side of the problem, but not the demand side of the problem. The purpose of this paper is to examine, empirically, factors affecting consumer demand for counterfeit goods were analyzed.

The economic theory of consumer demand provided the theoretical framework. Data were collected from students enrolled at a major mid‐western university, and logistic regression was used to estimate demand functions for counterfeit goods.

The results indicated that student sensitivity to the counterfeit problem did not significantly deter the purchase of counterfeit goods.

Educators in textiles and apparel should have a vested interest in providing education about counterfeiting, resulting in students with greater sensitivity to the issue.

The production, distribution and consumption of counterfeit goods have been increasing at an alarming rate. Current legislation addresses the supply side of the problem, but not the demand side of the problem. Consumer education may be a feasible approach for addressing the demand side of the problem.

Buying secondhand clothing is not only interesting for consumers wanting to save money but also for sustainable clothing enthusiasts. It is now among a number of consumption practices which slow down fast fashion production while saving 10 to 20 times the energy (Fletcher, 2008, p. 100). While most of the recent scholarly work focuses on secondhand consumers (Bianchi & Birtwistle, 2010; Franklin, 2011; Norum, 2015), this paper aims to examine business activities. This perspective from economic anthropology enhances understandings of secondhand clothing, as research to-date has tended to neglect the semiotic function of clothing while underlining exchanges. To gain insight into the dynamics of the sector in Germany today, two businesses from Hamburg have been ethnographically examined by the author since 2014. This study outlines their work practices and explains the development of this high-end segment of the market from the 1970s until the digital age. For businesses, the digitalization of the trade has had massive effects on their business practice because it seems to solve inherent problems connected to the selling of pre-owned clothing. I argue that the digitalization did not only promote acceptance of buying secondhand clothing in Germany but also the emergence of new businesses models.

The purpose of this study is to construct consumer value structures for clothing.

Using content analysis, a total of 301 advertisements from the New Yorker and Esquire magazines are analyzed during one representative year out of each of the last four decades.

Consumer values reflected in clothing ads are identified as functional, social, emotional and epistemic. Functional value dominated throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, but showed a decreasing trend. By the 2000s, emotional value had overtaken functional value in emphasis. Consumer consequences and product attributes, which fell under each of the consumer values, are also revealed. Of all the consumer consequences, high quality was connected the most frequently with functional value. At the same time, high quality served as an intermediary qualifier for symbols of social status, a consequence of social value. Fabric was the attribute linked most frequently to functional and social consequences.

Clothing companies can use the values, consequences and attributes presented here to differentiate between values, to determine the most effective attributes to emphasize, and to target certain audiences for their marketing and advertising strategies.

The essential contribution of this paper is that this study reveals a hierarchical dimension to clothing value and is the first study which attempts to construct a means‐end chain through the content analysis of advertisements.

This study seeks to investigate significant factors influencing consumers' willingness to pay a premium for three different socially responsible products – organic cotton, sustainable cotton, and US‐grown cotton shirts.

Through random‐digit‐dialing, the study data were collected from 500 respondents nationally via telephone surveys. The survey data were analyzed using stepwise regression and mean comparisons.

More than half of the respondents indicated that they were willing to pay a premium for organic, sustainable, and US‐grown cotton shirts ($5.00 or more for these cotton shirts at the $30.00 retail value). Consumer attitudes toward socially responsible apparel, attitudes toward environment, age, and gender were found to be significant factors for consumers' willingness to pay a premium. Four apparel product evaluative criteria, brand name, laundering requirements, color, and fit, were also found to be important for consumers' willingness to pay a premium.

Generalization from the study findings must be assumed with care due to the telephone survey mode.

Apparel businesses planning to offer organic, sustainable, or US‐grown cotton apparel products may want to emphasize certain tangible benefits, such as strong brand, reasonable price, easy care, color, and fit, concurrently with intangible benefits, such as feeling good by helping society and environment.

The findings showed relationships among attitudes, product evaluative criteria, demographic characteristics, and willingness to pay a premium for three different options of socially responsible cotton apparel, in order to help close the gap between attitudes and behavior in consumer research.