Moda para crianças é um nicho de mercado crescente e lucrativo, sensível à mudanças. Procurando unir conforto, estética e preço, as empresas do setor utilizam de artifícios de apropriações criativas de tecnologia que funcionam como apelo comercial e dialogam diretamente com o pequeno consumidor. Neste cenário, a pesquisa busca identificar como os avanços tecnológicos estão sendo incorporados pelo design de superfície no projeto de estampas da vestimenta infantil. Para tal entendimento, selecionou-se uma amostra de marcas de roupas voltadas para crianças no mercado brasileiro e pesquisou-se a recorrência de estampas que apresentam apropriações criativas de tecnologia buscando-se determinar e conceituar os fundamentos para tais projetos. Nos casos analisados, são descritos os tipos de estampas e como ocorrem com base na fundamentação teórica. Foram então realizadas entrevistas para aprofundar o conhecimento sobre como se posicionam sobre o assunto os profissionais, junto com as empresas para as quais trabalham. Como resultado, a pesquisa apresenta um mapeamento das apropriações criativas de tecnologia em estampas de roupas infantis e analisa como estão sendo incorporadas as tecnologias no design de superfície em estampas selecionadas na amostra sobre a questão. / Fashion for kids is a niche market growing and profitable, sensitive to change. Seeking to unite comfort, aesthetics and price, the sector companies use creative appropriations of technology that operate as commercial appeal and dialogue directly with the small consumer. In this scenario, the research seeks to identify how technological advances are being incorporated in the surface design patterns of infant clothing. For such understanding, we selected a sample of brands of clothing aimed at children in the Brazilian market and researched to recurrence of prints that feature creative appropriations of technology trying to define and conceptualize the reasons for such projects. In the cases analyzed, describes the types of prints and how they occur based on theoretical reasoning. Interviews were then conducted to deepen the knowledge about how designers position themselves, along with the companies they work for, about the question. As a result, the research presents a mapping of creative appropriations of technology into children's clothing patterns and examines how technologies are being incorporated into the surface design in the sample selected.

O contexto econômico e político da indústria Têxtil e de Confecção nacional mostra que há uma constante preocupação em relação aos sucessivos déficits da balança comercial nos últimos anos. Diante deste cenário, a presente pesquisa busca responder como a sistematização e a integração do processo de projeto e de produção pode contribuir para a melhoria do processo de desenvolvimento de produto de moda? E tem por objetivo propor um modelo de referência de desenvolvimento de produtos baseado na integração e na sistematização que possa ser aplicado na indústria de confecção da área da moda, indicando as atividades e tarefas que a empresa deve seguir. Desta maneira, é investigado o estado da arte dos modelos de projeto de moda, a fim de identificar as diretivas que foram utilizadas na elaboração do modelo proposto. Utilizando-se da estrutura do modelo de projeto integrado PRODIP para nortear a proposta, desenvolveu-se o modelo MODIP (Desenvolvimento Integrado de Produtos em Moda) e através de um modelo de estruturação do PDP é analisada a situação atual do desenvolvimento de produtos de uma microempresa de confecção de vestuário, identificando os pontos críticos e sugerindo soluções viáveis de implementação do MODIP e conclui-se que a sistematização proposta pode contribuir para a organização do PDP de uma empresa. / The economical and political context of the Brazilian Textile industry shows that there is a constant concern in relation to the successive deficits of the trade balance in the last years. Before this scenario, this research seecks to answer the question of how the systematization and the integration of the project process and of the production can contribute to the improvement of the process of development of fashion product? And it has as objective to propose a model of reference for development of products based on the integration and in the systematization that can be applied in the industry of confection of the area of fashion, indicating the activities and tasks that the company should proceed. Thus, the state of art of fashion Project models was investigated, in order to identify the policies that were used in the elaboration of the proposed model. Making use of the structure of the model of integrated project PRODIP to orientate the proposal, the model MODIP (Integrated Development of Products in Fashion) was developed and through a model of structuring of PDP the current situation of the development of products of an apparell industry. Its analysed, identifying the critical points and suggesting viable solutions of implementation of MODIP and it is conclued that the systematization of the model can contribute for the organization of a company’s PDP.

O objetivo principal desta tese é desenvolver um framework de formação e integração de indivíduos e equipes na gestão de design para empresas da indústria do vestuário, sustentado pelos conceitos de competências (competências individuais, coletivas e organizacionais). Para alcançar o objetivo geral, foram elaborados os objetivos específicos, que correspondem aos cinco artigos constituintes desta tese. O primeiro artigo tem como proposta identificar as competências e delinear como estas relacionam-se e articulam-se no âmbito da Gestão de Design, por meio de uma revisão sistemática de literatura, identificando inter-relações e conexões possíveis sobre o tema em questão bem como aspectos relacionados às competências e à gestão de design. O segundo visa propor um modelo conceitual que evidencie relações e conexões entre aspectos atrelados às competências individuais, coletivas e organizacionais na gestão de design. Já o terceiro artigo objetiva investigar o entendimento dos especialistas sobre competências em gestão de design, assim como as articulações e fatores intervenientes no contexto da indústria do vestuário da região sul do Brasil. Este artigo também apresenta como objetivo conhecer a estruturação das equipes de design e o relacionamento destas com a organização, identificando quem são os agentes participantes destas equipes. O quarto artigo visa a sistematizar o processo de desenvolvimento de produtos e seus envolvidos, identificando fases e atividades do profissional de design que são determinantes para a ocorrência da gestão de design no contexto analisado. Para finalizar, o quinto artigo tem como objetivo relacionar o modelo conceitual ao processo de desenvolvimento de produtos e suas fases bem como as atividades do profissional de design, resultando em um framework representativo da indústria do vestuário. Este artigo também objetiva avaliar a aplicabilidade do framework proposto para viabilidade e melhor estruturação da gestão de design em empresas da indústria do vestuário, pela ótica de especialistas do setor envolvidos com a gestão de design. A metodologia utilizada neste trabalho tem caráter exploratório. Em um primeiro momento, foi realizada uma revisão sistemática de literatura, de natureza aplicada e, em um segundo momento, uma pesquisa qualitativa, a partir de um estudo multicaso, com realização de entrevistas em profundidade. Como resultado, foi desenvolvido um framework de formação e integração de indivíduos e equipes na gestão de design para empresas da indústria do vestuário, sustentado pelos conceitos de competências. / The main purpose of this thesis is to develop a framework for training and integration of individuals and teams in design management for companies in the apparel industry, supported by the concepts of competencies (individual, collective and organizational). In order to achieve it, specific purposes were developed, which correspond to the five constituent items of this thesis. The first article is to show how competencies relate and articulate within the Design Management, through a systematic literature review, identifying inter-relationships and connections possible on the subject in question as well as aspects related to competencies and design management. The second proposes a conceptual model that provides evidence about relationships and connections between aspects linked to individual, collective and organizational competencies in design management. The third article aims at investigate the understanding of experts on competencies in design management, as well as the joints and intervening factors in the context of apparel industry in southern Brazil. In addition, this paper presents the objective of ascertaining the structuring of design teams and the relationship of these with the organization, identifying who the participant agents of these teams are. The fourth article aims at systematize the product development process and its stakeholders, identifying determinant moments for the occurrence of design management in the analyzed context. Finally, the fifth paper aims at relate the conceptual model to the product development process and its determinant moments, resulting in a representative framework of the apparel industry. This article also aims at evaluate the applicability of the proposed framework for feasibility and better structuring of design management in companies in the apparel industry, from the perspective of industry experts involved with the design management. The methodology used in this study is exploratory. At first, a systematic literature review of applied nature was developed and, in a second phase, a qualitative research from a multi case study with in-depth interviews was conducted. As a result, we developed a framework for training and integration of individuals and teams in design management for companies in the apparel industry, supported by the concepts of competence.

A sustentabilidade do planeta é responsabilidade coletiva e ações para melhorar o ambiente global são necessárias e implicam na adoção de práticas de produção e consumo sustentáveis. O desenvolvimento da Indústria Têxtil e Confecção incorpora tecnologias nos campos das ciências físicas, químicas e biológicas necessárias às atividades do setor, desde a obtenção da matéria-prima, produção de fios e tecidos e, seus respectivos acabamentos, consumindo grandes quantidades de recursos e energia. O Desenvolvimento Sustentável ao expandir o foco econômico para as dimensões ambiental e social dos processos de produção e serviços originou uma visão sistêmica dos inputs e outputs do processo produtivo e suas consequências ambientais, estruturando o conceito de ciclo de vida do produto (ACV). O objetivo desse estudo é avaliar o ciclo de vida de uma calça feminina confeccionada em malha de poliamida, utilizada como uniforme do ensino médio estadual no Paraná, do berço ao túmulo, com 3 possibilidades de descarte. Foi realizado um estudo de caso para verificar a viabilidade de aplicação da ferramenta ACV para avaliação do impacto ambiental do produto final por meio do software LCA SimaPro8.1.16Faculty. A coleta de dados foi realizada por meio de questionário, baseado nas diretrizes da NBR ISO 14040 que determinam as fases e procedimentos gerais da execução de um estudo de ACV, para identificar a estrutura produtiva da empresa de confecção permitindo o levantamento quantitativo de dados referentes ao processo produtivo, a identificação das entradas e saídas de materiais e energia elétrica e, a quantificação dos resíduos gerados. Algumas informações foram retiradas do banco de dados de inventários de processos disponíveis no software utilizado para este estudo. A avaliação do ciclo de vida da calça de poliamida foi baseada no Manual do Sistema Internacional de Referência de Dados sobre o ciclo de vida de produtos e processos (ILCD). A tabulação dos dados do produto foi realizada no software SimaPro8.1.16Faculty. A base de dados de inventário selecionada foi a Ecoinvent v.2 e, para realização da análise de impacto foi adotado o método de impacto gerado Eco-indicator 99. O software LCA SimaPro 8.1.16 Faculty mostrou-se ferramenta eficiente para a realização da avaliação do ciclo de vida da calça de poliamida com os três cenários de descarte, permitindo a análise dos impactos ao nível da categoria de danos para a saúde humana, qualidade do ecossistema e recursos e, possibilitando a análise da carga ambiental por categoria de impacto, de acordo com o que propõe a ISO 14042 sobre os elementos de seleção de definição de categorias para a fase de Avaliação / The sustainability of the planet is collective responsibility and actions to improve the global environment are necessary and imply the adoption of sustainable production and consumption practices. Development of Textile and Confection incorporates technologies in the fields of physical, chemical and biological sciences necessary to the sector\'s activities, from obtaining the raw material, production of yarn and fabric and their finishes, consuming large amounts of resources and energy . Sustainable Development to expand economic focus to environmental and social dimensions of production processes and services led to a systemic view of the inputs and outputs of the production process and its environmental consequences, structuring the concept of product life cycle (LCA). The aim of this study is to evaluate the life cycle of a woman\'s pants made of polyamide fabric, used as a uniform average state school in Parana, from cradle to grave, with 3 possibilities for disposal. A case study was performed to verify the application feasibility of LCA tool for assessing the environmental impact of the final product through ACL SimaPro 8.1.16 Faculty software. Data collection was conducted through a questionnaire, based on the guidelines of ISO 14040 which determine the general phases and procedures of the execution of an LCA study, to identify the productive structure of the clothing firm allowing the quantitative survey data for the production process, the identification of the inputs and outputs of materials and energy, and the quantification of waste generated. Some information was taken from the inventory database processes available in the software used for this study. The evaluation of the polyamide trousers life cycle was based on the International System Manual Data Reference on the lifecycle of products and processes (ILCD). Tabulation of the product data was performed in SimaPro8.1.16Faculty software. The selected inventory database was Ecoinvent v.2 and to perform impact analysis was adopted impact generated method Eco-indicator 99. The LCA SimaPro 8.1.16 Faculty software was efficient tool for the realization of assessment of the life cycle of the polyamide pants with three disposal scenarios, allowing the analysis of impacts on the category of damage to human health, ecosystem quality and resources, enabling the analysis of environmental load by impact category, according to which it proposed to ISO 14042 on the selection of elements to define categories for the phase evaluation

Mobile commerce through smart phones as an extension of the traditional electronic commerce is becoming widely implemented together with the IT development and increased usage of smart phones. The thesis is limited to the design factors to consider when adapting to m-commerce for the apparel industry, since this industry has a long experience in online and mail order business. Sales of clothing and footwear have its roots in the mail order business, which means that many users are already accustomed to purchase at a distance, which had facilitated the development.Adapting to the m-commerce trend has resulted in both profitable and user related benefits, but there are also some difficulties during the adaption to the several m-commerce solutions as well as to offer the user an accessible design and user experience. It is common that the smartphone is the only mobile device one has at the moment when a need occurs for product search or media consumption. Even though the screen size and the connection speed of a smart phone, people might at least make an attempt to use their smartphones for these purposes. For example, users keep having experiences of struggling with an unwieldy website on the smartphone to get something done. In conjunction with faster mobile networks and more powerful mobile devices, this behavior will become only more prevalent. The purpose is therefore to investigate the important design factors that exist when adapting to m-commerce and to find out what of these factors are important for the apparel industry to consider when adapting to m-commerce in order to develop an m-commerce design most suitable for the user experience. To obtain the purpose the main research question ”What are the design factors to consider for the apparel industry today when adapting to m-commerce?” is being answered in this thesis.To achieve the purpose of the study, qualitative process and data as well as quantitative process and data were used. From scientific articles, related work and independent surveys a theoretical review was carried out. The literature review has been conducted through search engines such as Summon from Högskolan i Borås and Google Scholar. The empirical study consist of an online self-completion questionnaire done by 40 respondents that has been distributed through social media, and two person-to-person interviews with the two Swedish companies in the apparel industry, Eton AB and a Swedish web shop. In the information collection we have always been concerned to get relevant, unbiased and reliable information. We have evaluated all the materials by the alternative criteria, trustworthiness as mentioned in Bryman & Bell (2011). This is done in order to uphold credibility, transferability, dependability and conformability in the material and conclusions founded in the study.The results from this study involve several factors focusing on the design that may be important when adapting to an m-commerce solution in the apparel industry. These factors are drawn from analysis and discussion of the collected theory and the empirical data, from different perspectives including; user habits, user expectations, perceived security contra actual security, the transaction chain, and payment methods. Factors that are found are: The importance to adapt to m-commerce, even if the smart phone traffic and orders are low at the moment; To achieve a good and trustworthy user interface; To have different options for the user, including payment and access options; The ease of use and navigation on the web shop; The visibility of products and to have clear information on the web shop; Learnability: to make it simple for the users to use the web shop; Efficiency: to secure so that the users don’t has to spend too much time and energy to complete their task; Effectiveness: concerning the speed and to which degree the user successfully complete their task; Satisfaction is critical since if the m-commerce system does not appeals to the user they may feel less inclined to use it; Payment systems concerning the adaption to payment solutions for m-commerce web shops; Liability consider who is responsible of what parts as well as making it easy for the users to understand who to turn to if they have questions or complaints; Privacy and security, considering how to defend the m-commerce solution towards increased security threats users may face as well as making the users trusting the web shop enough to use the solution.

Background Sustainability is one of the hot topics in the apparel industry currently. Companies are working to improve an environmental impact of clothing production and social conditions at manufacturers and communicating to the public about these practices. At the same time, consumers are showing a growing interest towards sustainability in the apparel industry. However, there is little knowledge about how consumers perceive sustainability and how much they pay attention to the apparel companies’ sustainability practices. Purpose The purpose of this thesis is to examine, with a holistic perspective, how consumers perceive sustainability in the apparel industry and how it affects their purchasing behaviour. Methodology A web-based self-completion questionnaire was conducted to examine consumers’ clothing purchasing behaviour and their perception of sustainability within the apparel industry. Convenience sampling method was used for the primary data collection. In total, 423 respondents from Sweden and Finland participated in this study. Findings The findings of this study show that the respondents are generally concerned about environmental issues in the apparel industry. However, their favourable attitudes seldom transfer into their purchasing intentions. Furthermore, the results show that the consumers of this study do not actively search sustainability information. Particularly they are not paying attention to the communication at the point of clothing purchase. Contribution This study gives insights into how consumers reflect upon sustainability when purchasing clothes and how actively they search for sustainability information. These insights are a valuable base for future improvements in order to achieve a meaningful manner in the apparel industry’s sustainability communication.

Purpose: To identify how young women of generation Y define what apparel quality means for them based on their personal wardrobe content by further considering their knowledge in the field and values in their upbringing. Methodology: The research was conducted through nine semi-structured face to face interviews with young women. The interviews took place in the respondents’ homes as their wardrobe content was required for the purpose of the study. Empirical data: The data was collected through a purposive sampling of Gothenburg-based young women using a recruitment instrument with specific respondent criteria. Conclusion: The findings of this study support various aspects of existing literature on consumers’ quality definition and assessment, however, also highlights the importance of experience with garments as a quality indicator when there is a knowledge gap about garment construction. In accordance with that, durability was the most important quality indicator of wardrobe items, while fabric blend and sensory feel were most useful when assessing quality before purchase. Respondents based their knowledge primarily on own experiences and information gained through media and their mothers as main socialization agents. The relevance of sustainability in quality assessments had previously not been investigated but was revealed in this study.

This study aimed to determine the potential of packaging to strengthen brand equity in female apparel retail stores. A field experiment was conducted in the Tshwane metropolitan - a key political, economic and urban area in South Africa - to investigate the potential of packaging to be acknowledged as an additional element of the marketing mix in terms of its influence on consumers’ perceptions of the service offering of retailers and their brand equity. The study was done in the context of an emerging economy, where international clothing brands have infiltrated the market and become widely accessible in recent years. The data was collected by using convenience sampling methods, and the self-completion of a structured questionnaire after respondents acted as mystery shoppers at a Single Brand Retailer (SBR) and a Department Store (DS) that carry the same footwear brand in a major shopping centre in this metropolitan. The SBR offers consumers a branded high quality canvas tote bag after purchase, whereas the DS offers a generic plastic bag irrespective of the type of purchase or the price paid. Willing females, all final year students at the University of Pretoria (n =103) were divided in two groups. Individuals visited the two retailers according to a schedule compiled by the researcher. One group visited the SBR first, followed by the DS. The other group did the task in the reverse order. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, specifically Principle Component analysis using PROMAX and PROCRUSTES rotation for the two scales that investigated the service offering and brand equity respectively, Means, Standard deviations, Cronbach’s Alpha as well as paired and non-paired 2-tailed t-tests. This study confirmed the potential of secondary packaging as an independent element of the marketing mix in the branded clothing retail industry. The packaging construct dissociated it from the construct ‘Product’ as the literature suggests, which confirms that marketing elements adapt over time and that these changes have to be acknowledged in retail. Respondents generally had a less favourable instore experience in the DS compared to the SBR. The packaging format of SBR was also evaluated more favourably, which enhanced perceptions of the overall service offering. This suggests that respondents’ less favourable evaluation of the less prestigious packaging offered in the DS, is partly to blame for the lower overall evaluations of the service offering of the DS. Packaging also contributed/enhanced brand equity as consumers’ perceptions of the packaging formats – irrespective of whether it was a SBR or a DS – positively contributed to consumers’ perceptions of the brand equity of the retailers that they visited. The contribution of packaging towards brand equity was mostly more prominent than the contribution of other marketing elements such Advertising and Promotion. An order effect was noted. Respondents who visited the DS first, were significantly more impressed with the SBR. Those who went to the SBR first, seemed more forgiving and evaluated the service offering and the brand equity lower compared to the SBR but nevertheless evaluated it more favourably than the group that patronized the DS first. Packaging does not seem to relieve post purchase regret. Respondents were more regretful after their SBR experience. Several explanations may be used to explain this and future studies are envisaged to expand the findings. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / gm2014 / Consumer Science / unrestricted

Apparel purchase is an everyday decision process for consumers and the decision is motivated by various consumer needs. As an important aspect in the study of consumer behaviour, the link between South African young adult male consumers’ perception of apparel quality, use of informational cues, and apparel evaluation criteria needs to be established. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the role of intrinsic and extrinsic apparel features as informational cues on young adult males’ assessment of apparel quality during purchase decision-making. The quantitative research approach involved a structured questionnaire with Likert-type four-point scales to measure the importance of informational cues in the quality assessment of smart casual wear. This study involved a non-probability purposive sample of 330 young adult males between the ages of 24 and 36 living in Pretoria and Johannesburg, Gauteng. The study included purposive and snowball sampling techniques. Descriptive analyses were used to determine the importance of apparel features in the assessment of apparel. Correlation analyses were conducted to explore relationships among the quality dimensions. Lastly, exploratory analyses were done to measure the interaction of demographics and shopping behaviour with the importance of apparel quality dimensions. Results showed that South African young adult male consumers rank comfort most important in their quality assessment criteria, next to durability, in assessment of smart casual apparel. The country where garments are manufactured or assembled is the least important to the young adult South African males. The strongest relationship among the various apparel dimensions existed between extrinsic features and aesthetic performance. The weakest relationship, although positively significant, existed between the extrinsic features and functional performance. This suggests that to some extent, male apparel consumers form links between apparel features as each feature to some extent influences the importance placed on other apparel quality features. Furthermore, findings suggest that male consumers differ in their apparel assessment criteria based on how much money they have for apparel, and that income is an important socio-economic variable in apparel purchase decision-making. Most of these male consumers, although not experts in the field of apparel quality, considered it important to assess apparel for perceived quality during the pre-purchase phase of consumer decision-making. In all, informational cues, although varying in importance, play a role in the young adult male’s quality assessment of smart casual wear. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / lk2014 / Consumer Science / MA / Unrestricted

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Apparel, Textiles, and Interior Design / Marsha A. Dickson / The blending of small percentages of organic cotton has been a successful way for apparel manufacturers to introduce organic cotton into their supply chain. However, little is known on how consumers perceive small percentage blended organic cotton apparel products. The purpose of this study was twofold. One goal was to identify the groups of consumers who might be interested in buying blended organic cotton clothes and find out what kind of labeling they preferred. The second goal was to find out more about the consumer’s attitudes and interest in purchasing the organic cotton clothing. Theory in consumer behavior, and social psychology provided the conceptual framework for the study. Major variables included in the study were environmental attitudes, attitudes of the consumers and important other people towards organic cotton clothing, skepticism toward environmental product claims, consumer self-identity, and future purchase intention. Data were collected with a mail survey of consumers, stratified by state population, that was randomly drawn from a national mailing list of health and natural foods consumers (usable response rate=14.9%, n=422). Factor analysis uncovered latent variables from among the large number of items. Conjoint analysis revealed which product attributes were salient and cluster analysis identified segments of consumers with different attribute preferences. Finally, multiple regression analysis was used to examine the causal relationships among variables affection future purchase intention. Percentage of organic cotton content, price, and labeling for fairly traded fibers and donations to cancer research were all attributes used by the consumers to decide how likely the would be to purchase an organic cotton t-shirt. Two segments of consumers (53%) used the percentage of organic cotton more than any other attribute to decide their purchase likelihood. Results from the multiple regression were used to make a model of socially responsible consumer behavior. The research makes numerous contributions. Apparel manufacturers will benefit from knowing that seeing even small percentages of organic fiber helps consumers decide to purchase organic clothing. Theoretical contributions include the determination that the relationship between future purchase intention and both self-identity and the personal norm is mediated by the consumers’ evaluation of outcomes of the purchase.