Charles Freeman

Pre-purchase and post-purchase apparel satisfaction of female skiers and snowboarders

ABSTRACT The Functional, Expressive, and Aesthetic (FEA) Consumer Needs model framed an investigation of pre-purchase and post-purchase satisfaction of ski and snowboarding apparel attributes at three levels of commitment. As women’s activities in sports, including skiing and snowboarding, continue to grow, it is necessary to investigate their apparel in order to meet consumers’ needs. A final sample consisted of 117 women, from three ski and snowboarding resorts in the northwestern US. Pre-purchase and post-purchase satisfaction of ski and snowboarding apparel was assessed using FEA attributes. Respondents were more satisfied with functional attributes, than expressive or aesthetic attributes. Results indicate no significant difference in pre-purchase satisfaction by the level of commitment, whereas there was a significant difference in post-purchase satisfaction by the level of commitment. There was also a significant difference between pre-purchase and post-purchase satisfaction, with skiers and snowboarders less satisfied with the apparel purchased.

Problem-based learning: design development of female chef’s jackets

ABSTRACT Today, there are approximately 130,000 chefs in the United States, with female chefs accounting for approximately 20%. This problem-based design project focused on developing chef’s jackets for a mature female professional chef, with 15 years of experience. As a chef, she experienced difficulty finding jackets that were functional, aesthetically pleasing, that meet her professional needs. Project-based learning [Blumenfeld, P. C., Soloway, E., Marx, R. W., Krajcik, J. S., Guzdial, M., & Palincsar, A. (1991). Motivating project-based learning: Sustaining the doing, supporting the learning. Educational Psychologist, 26, 369–398] provided the conceptual theoretical framework for the study, while the Functional, Expressive, Aesthetic (FEA) Consumer Needs model provided the operational design process for the study [Lamb, J., & Kallal, M. (1992). A conceptual framework for apparel design. Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, 10(2), 42–47]. To understand the chef’s needs, students followed the design process including market research, interviews, developing a semi-fitted made-to-measure jacket block and patterns, and prototype. After the final fit session and presentations, the chef presented awards. Students found problem-based learning more relevant to practical real world, indicating that this project ‘strengthened theirunderstanding of what it means to meet a client’s needs’.

Conceptual model and strategies for creative thinking in apparel design

Most educators would agree that the development of creativity is a crucial part of an apparel design curriculum and an essential component in the success of students. Models provide a conceptual basis for creative thinking; therefore, further investigation of models from other disciplines provides new insight. In addition to models, students entering todays highly competitive apparel industry need divergent thinking strategies that can effectively assist in enhancing their creative output. This article presents a Conceptual Model of Creative Thinking in Apparel Design and creative thinking strategies to serve as a practical means for recognising, encouraging, and developing creative thinking abilities in apparel design students by increasing the applicability of theory in educational practices.

Comparison of novice and expert evaluations of apparel design illustrations using the consensual assessment technique

Creativity assessment in apparel design is limited in scope and application. The purpose of this investigation is (1) the procedural use of the consensual assessment technique (CAT) when evaluating fashion design illustrations, (2) the internal consistency reliability of creativity and technical quality scales with expert and novice raters, and (3) the differences between expert and novice ratings on creativity and technical quality. The CAT provided a valid and reliable creativity assessment instrument for apparel design evaluation. Results indicate significant relationships between the ratings for both creativity measures (r (30) = .83, p < .001) and technical quality measures (r (30) = .78, p < .001). Yet, domain experience of raters was not significant in comparison. Therefore, apparel design evaluation can be completed by a combination of experts and novice raters effectively; however, the number of raters used is a critical methodological need. Educators integrating evaluation procedures of creative thinking into current courses and curricula can use assessment strategies for creativity evaluation.