Kim Hahn

Fashion Design Industry Impressions of Current Sustainable Practices

Abstract Sustainable practices in clothing have not, thus far, created a significant impact and instead continue to be largely marginalized within the fashion industry. The fashion industry continues to work in an inefficient manner that creates massive waste, exploits workers, and makes it increasingly difficult to make a substantial profit. There is wide disagreement among design environmentalists where energies must be focused to solve these problems. Many believe that consumers are primary instigators in change. Consumers do not understand any of the logistical or practical considerations of clothing design. Designers are, however, responsible for as much as 80 percent of any product that is introduced and have the ability to influence how fabric is sourced and how clothing is produced, cared for, and then discarded. This article explores professional fashion designers’ understanding and awareness of the current best practices in sustainable design. Thirty-five design professionals were surveyed about sustainability in fashion to assess what was missing in their education. The results are interpreted and analyzed as a basis for a new focus on curricula within the American college system and to create lasting and substantive change in the fashion industry.

Perception of Firefighters' Turnout Ensemble and Level of Satisfaction by Body Movement

This study investigates firefighters’ perception of the protective turnout ensemble, more specifically, the level of satisfaction for a set of commonly performed body movements. Five hundred sixteen male and female firefighters completed our online survey. The current study identifies (1) the level of satisfaction with the fit of the turnout ensemble, (2) perceived reasons for discomfort and movement restriction in areas with low satisfaction, and (3) gender-specific fit issues. Female firefighters showed significantly lower satisfaction with the fit and functionality of the turnout ensemble in multiple areas than males. Common fit issues such as a stiff or oversized neckline and inappropriate location of knee pads, tightness in the lower pant leg, and inaccessibility of pockets that affect male and female firefighters are addressed. This study offers important implications to industry and academia involved in the study of protective clothing to increase the mobility, safety, and comfort of todays firefighters.

Resurgence of Textile-Making in Contemporary Korean Culture: Intergenerational Differences

The purpose of this study was to investigate patterns and reasons for textile-making in women from non-Western culture, Korea, as well as to examine how these patterns and reasons reflected generational differences. Singeliss (1994) self-construal model was used to study values; Colliers (2011) survey was used to investigate patterns and reasons for making textile handcrafts. A total of 365 Korean participants completed the survey: 28% of the participants were young adults (18–25 years old), 42% were middle adults (26–45 years old), and 30% were older adults (46–97 years old). The results confirmed significant differences in the self-construals for different generations of Korean women. Older adults had the highest interdependence scores, followed by the middle adults; the young adults had the lowest scores. Significantly different patterns and reasons among the three Korean groups were also consistent with these results. By demonstrating significantly different patterns and reasons for textile-making between three generations in Korean culture, this study offers a unique contribution to the understanding of the resurgence of textile-making today.

Effect of Individual Differences on Online Review Perception and Usage Behavior: The Need for Cognitive Closure and Demographics

This article examines how individual differences on the need for cognitive closure and demographics influence consumer perception and the usage of consumer reviews in online shopping. Data were randomly collected from 2,381 U.S. online consumer review users through an online survey. The findings from multiple regression analyses revealed the different effects of the need for cognitive closure dimensions (i.e., preference for order and structure, preference for predictability, discomfort with ambiguity, closed-mindedness, and decisiveness) and demographic characteristics on consumer attitudes, perceived online review influence, benefits, persuasiveness, and review usage behavior. Finally, practical implications and prospects for future research are discussed.

Understanding mobile phone case evaluative criteria of US Millennials

ABSTRACT Millennials are the crucial market segment in mobile marketing and retail industry due to their heavy usage and higher dependency on mobile devices. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of personal traits of college students with different majors on mobile phone case evaluative criteria. Five hundred-and-nine college students were recruited as participants in various disciplines/majors using a non-representative, convenience sampling technique. Findings showed that fashion majors exhibited higher levels of personal traits variables that were themed around fashion, such as self-monitoring tendency, fashion involvement, and proclivity to experiment with appearance, compared to non-fashion majors. Fashion majors were found to be significantly more dependent on their mobile devices, compared to non-fashion students. These findings provide valuable information to help the mobile phone industry understand young consumers’ evaluation criteria and develop their product and marketing strategy accordingly.

An Analysis of Individual and Institutional Contributions to the Fashion Marketing Forum From 2004 to 2014

The purpose of this study was twofold: to define the fashion marketing forum - a collection of publication outlets where fashion marketing scholars can effectively exchange ideas, learn from each other’s work, and maximize contribution to the field - and to analyze the contributions of individuals and institutions to the fashion marketing forum. For the first purpose, a select group of fashion marketing scholars was contacted in order to identify a list of 14 journals, which could define the fashion marketing forum. For the second purpose, the defined forum was reviewed from 2004 to 2014, utilizing established methodology. Specifically, a total of 992 fashion marketing articles were identified, reviewed, and coded for authorship and institutional affiliation, and then analyzed based on four different measures designed to control the various factors. The results of this study provide a current snapshot of publishing activity in the field of fashion marketing.