Mary Ann Moore

Fashion innovativeness and self‐concept: a replication

Describes the results of a survey of 281 adult women in the state of Florida. We used the 15 adjective pairs of the Malhotra self‐concept scale to measure their self‐image. A valid and reliable self‐report scale measured their fashion innovativeness, thus identifying those consumers most likely to buy new fashions after they first appear in the market. T‐tests compared the mean scores on the self‐image adjective pairs between 30 innovators and 251 later adopters. Pearson correlation analysis was also performed. The results of both analyses showed that the fashion innovators described themselves uniquely as more comfortable, pleasant, contemporary, formal, colorful, and vain than the later adopters. The results were quite consistent with an earlier published study of college students, lending confidence to this approach to profiling fashion innovators and suggesting that using self‐image could be a fruitful way to appeal to these important consumers.

The Self-Concept of Fashion Leaders:

This study reports new findings about fashion leaders that describe their unique characteristics in an unexamined area: their self-concept. A valid and reliable self-report scale was used to measure fashion leadership for 376 college students. Analyses showed that this scale did a good job of identifying the fashion leaders. Additional analyses showed that fashion leaders expressed a unique self concept; they considered themselves more excitable, indulgent, contemporary, formal, colorful, and vain than followers. The implications of these findings for fashion theory and merchandising are discussed.

Young fashion leaders’ and followers’ attitudes toward American and imported apparel

This study investigates if females fashion leaders and fashion followers differ in their attitudes toward buying imported and domestic apparel products. A sample of 283 female consumers between 18 and 25 years of age completed a mailed questionnaire. Repeated measures analysis of variance and t‐tests were performed to determine if differences exist between fashion followers and leaders regarding their attitudes toward buying domestic and imported apparel. Results showed that fashion followers have the same overall attitude toward buying American or imported apparel. However, fashion leaders have a more positive attitude toward buying imported apparel than buying domestic apparel. In addition, fashion followers and fashion leaders have similar attitudes toward buying American apparel, but fashion leaders have a significantly more positive attitude than followers toward buying imported apparel.

Fashion Leaders' and Followers' Attitudes Toward Buying Domestic and Imported Apparel

Using the Fishbein Attitude Model as the conceptual framework, this study investigated whether female fashion leaders and fashion followers differed in the importance they gave to 12 selected clothing attributes and in their attitudes toward buying imported and domestic apparel. A random sample of 641 female consumers completed a mailed questionnaire. Results showed that fashion leaders accorded significantly more importance than fashion followers to six apparel attributes: color, attractiveness, fashionableness, brand name, appropriateness for occasion, and choice of styles. Both fashion leaders and followers accorded similar importance to six other apparel attributes: good fit, durability, ease of care, price, comfort, and quality. Also, fashion leaders as well as fashion followers had more positive attitudes toward domestic apparel than imported apparel. However, compared to followers, fashion leaders had more positive attitudes toward imported apparel.

Garment washed jeans: impact of launderings on physical properties

Purpose – This paper reports on the effects of laundering on physical properties (pilling and edge abrasion) of washed denim fabrics.Design/methodology/approach – Garment washed denim blue jeans were subjected to repeated launderings; the effects of the cycles on pilling and edge abrasion were determined. Data were collected by means of a laboratory experimental factorial design. Analysis of variance was used to determine significant differences in the three garment washed treatments; pre‐washed, stone washed and enzyme treated blue jeans. Duncans test of multiple range determined the source of significance.Findings – The pre‐washed jeans were more prone to pilling than the enzyme and stone washed jeans. On the other hand, the pre‐washed jeans experienced the least amount of edge abrasion while the stone washed experienced the most.Practical implications – The results can be used by the denim garment manufacturers to design and engineer their products to suit the customer demands.Originality/value – Jean...

Dimensions of apparel manufacturing strategy and production management

The purpose of this study was to explore the dimensions of apparel manufacturing strategy (i.e. cost, quality, flexibility, delivery time) and their relationship to style and sewing systems. U.S. apparel producers are seeking strategies that will make their production competitive to production in low wage countries. Two style types were defined: new styles and standardized styles. Results indicated that the production of new styles of apparel is related to the manufacturing dimensions of quality and delivery. The standardized style is related to the dimension of cost. Significant associations were also found between the multiple‐sewing systems used by plants and dimensions of manufacturing strategy (cost, delivery, and flexibility).

Kinetics modeling of dynamic pyrolysis of bagasse fibers.

The thermal decomposition mechanism of raw and treated bagasse fibers was modeled with three parallel independent first-order reactions. The kinetic parameters and pseudo components which best fit the experimental dynamic pyrolysis rate of bagasse was determined by means of the Matlab program using the least-square method. The calculated rate of thermal decomposition for each bagasse sample was consistent with experimental pyrolysis rate very well. A method was adopted to calculate the contents of cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin for bagasse fiber based on the dynamic pyrolysis model. The calculated contents of the untreated bagasse fiber agreed very well with some reported values from the literature. The effect of treatment conditions on the bagasse fiber compositions was also studied. From the three-dimensional plot for each of the three components, it could be observed that bagasse fibers treated under the intermediate alkaline condition could achieve the higher content of cellulose.

Effect of laundering on fabric drape, bending and shear

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of laundering on the drape, shear, and bending properties of bottom weight fabrics.Design/methodology/approach – Six bottom‐weight 100 percent cotton fabrics were included. Colliers Drape Tester was utilized to obtain drape values. Bending and shear values were measured on the KES‐F Shear Tester and the Pure Bending Tester. Three laundering cycles (unlaundered, one and five home launderings) following AATCC methods were explored.Findings – Laundry cycle did not have a significant effect on fabric drape, shear or bending properties. However, drape values increased overall, while shear and bending modulus and hysteresis decreased, resulting in a more drapable, pliable fabric after five laundry cycles.Research limitations/implications – Future research examining a wider variety of fabrics and conducting a greater number of laundry cycles to approximate an average yearly number of laundry cycles is recommended. An expansion of this preliminary ...

Evaluating Efficiency of Alkaline Treatment for Waste Bagasse

Cellulose, lignin, raw bagasse fiber, and extracted bagasse fibers chemically processed with different concentrations of sodium hydroxide solution and treatment time were measured by thermogravimetry analysis (TGA). The thermal characteristics of these fibers were determined by thermogravimetry (TG) and derivative thermogravimetry (DTG) profiles and analyzed based on the onset degradation temperature, peak rate of thermal decomposition, and residual weight. According to the observations from the experimental data from TGA and DTG profiles and literature reports, it was found that higher content of cellulose and lower content of lignin would result in higher onset degradation temperature, higher peak rate of decomposition, and lower residual weight. Statistical analysis of the onset decomposition temperatures, peak rate of weight loss, and residual weights of different extracted bagasse fibers showed that most of their values were significantly different. The three‐dimensional surface plots of onset decomposition temperature and peak rate of weight loss indicated that higher content of cellulose occurred in the bagasse fiber treated under the condition close to the region around 2 N NaOH for 2 hours or 1.5 N NaOH for 1.5 hours.

Grain alignment: effects on fabric and garment drape

Undesirable garment drape often occurs because of the manufacturer’s desire to save fabric by rotating patterns to position them more closely in the marker, and thus cutting the garment off‐grain. This study was designed to subjectively and objectively measure the effect of grain alignment on fabric and garment drape. Data from an apparel industry survey were utilized to establish tilt values for quantitative analysis of drape and shear. Twelve tilt combinations were examined. No significant differences were found between drape values of control samples and those with tilt variations. Generally, shear stiffness and hysteresis values increased as tilt angles increased across all fabrics. Asymmetry of shear curves also increased. Twenty‐one apparel design students subjectively evaluated fabrics draped on a pedestal and skirts constructed in each tilt variation. Fabric drape amount evaluations were more highly correlated with drape values than were drape preference evaluations. Advanced design students were more sensitive to small differences in garment drape than were beginning students.