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Consumer Preferences in the Fashion Industry: Inter-Fiber Competition
During the course of our research, our goal was to determine three things: (1.) which factor was the most important to respondents when making apparel purchase decisions, (2.) if fabric content is an important factor when respondents purchase clothes, and (3.) which fabric content (natural/synthetic) do they prefer. To determine this, we collected customer reviews on natural and synthetic fabrics as well as creating and distributing a survey. We collected the results and investigated the data. At the conclusion of our research, three things were determined. First, we concluded that fit is the most important factor for consumers when making purchase decisions. According to our survey, 37.14% of respondents said the fit was the most important factor for them when buying clothes. Second, we concluded that the majority of consumers do in fact look at the fabric content of a garment before purchasing it. 77.14% of respondents claimed they look at the fabric content before making purchasing decisions compared to the 22.86% who claimed they did not. Lastly, we were able to conclude that most consumers prefer natural fabrics such as cotton, wool and hemp versus synthetic fabrics such as polyester and spandex. Our data showed that 85.71% of respondents prefer natural fabrics while 14.29% prefer synthetic fabrics. Overall, people care about the fabric content before purchasing garments in which they prefer natural fibers compared to synthetic fibers mainly because of the comfort.Consumer Laundering Practices
This research focuses on consumer awareness of the impacts of their laundering practices. We studied the apparel product lifecycle and the environmental impacts throughout and learned that the most significant environmental damage takes place during the consumer use phase. Specifically, recent studies have found that consumer laundering practices have a major impact on global warming and ozone depletion (e.g., Cotton Inc. 2012). After relevant exploratory literature review, content analysis of online articles related to the environmental impacts of the consumer use phase of the apparel product life cycle, a subsequent online survey was administered. The collected data was then analyzed, giving rise to several important implications. From our results, it can be concluded that consumers are still using harmful detergents and high energy use practices. In all, we believe that even though consumers are expressing interest in sustainability, they are not aware of the harmful impacts of their laundering practices.Sustainability in Fast Fashion
The research for this study focuses on sustainable practices in fast fashion. The goal is to learn more about sustainability and fast fashion and to discover what the consumer values from both. The long term goal is to use this knowledge to make fast fashion more sustainable. More specifically to apply these practices to Zara, one of the largest fast fashion companies, which can help give them a competitive advantage. Our research started with a literature review on sustainability, fast fashion, and the effects of both. It revealed that fast fashion has many negative effects on the environment and that there is no one solution that can be used for all apparel retailers. We continued our research through people’s comments on the topics in order to discover the consumer’s knowledge and their opinions on these topics. From this we learned that many consumers are concerned with sustainability, but think that it is currently unaffordable and they think that fast fashion has many negative effects, but is trendy and affordable. Lastly, the consumers are currently favoring H&M over Zara due to the start of their sustainable practices. From our previous research we created a survey that furthered explored consumers knowledge and thoughts on these topics. This revealed that many consumers shop fast fashion because its trendy and affordable. The results also showed that many people practice some form of sustainability, but they think sustainable apparel is too expense.From Cradle to Grave: The Apparel Lifecycle
From Cradle to Grave is a study of the life cycle of apparel, but more specifically of the fast fashion industry and its detrimental effects. The primary goal of this research is to analyze the thought processes behind consumers garment purchasing and disposal habits. This will serve as a means of determining whether better knowledge will alter how the life cycle operates and ultimately become more sustainable for the environment and industry. In the beginning stages of our research we analyzed scholarly articles and journals in order to study current findings on apparel consumption and its effects on the environment and factory workers. This later helped us determine that the white space existed in consumer knowledge and awareness. A content analysis was then conducted, with the content coming from comments on YouTube videos and posts made on social platforms. Through this, we were able to determine that consumers view much of the fast fashion industry as negative. Lastly, a survey was distributed through our own personal social platforms where it received over 50 responses. The responses showed that half of respondents were aware of the negative impact fast fashion has, while the rest were not aware. Consumers made apparel purchases for various reasons, but hardly any made purchases based on sustainability or being ethically made.Water Conservation in the Textile Industry
The textile manufacturing process is one of the leading causes of water pollution in the world today, and most consumers are unaware of the adverse effects of textile dye processes on water consumption and pollution. Educating consumers on the current state of water usage within the industry, and the newfound developments within the cotton dyeing process, will fast-track the integration of new cotton dyeing processes into everyday textile production.Through research, the analysis of 70 consumer comments, and surveys, results from this study shows that consumers are willing to learn more about sustainability in the fashion industry and make purchase decision based off of their new knowledge.