When shopping for apparel, many consumers seek advice from friends and family or store personnel. In-store kiosk systems might serve as an alternative decision support system. In the present study we address the key question of how such kiosk systems are evaluated by consumers. We conducted three focus group discussions with regular apparel shoppers aged between 23 and 39 years. In sum, qualitative information from 15 participants was subject to a qualitative content analysis with the aim of gaining a more comprehensive understanding of how apparel shoppers experience the shopping process. Getting a more in-depth understanding of the needs and wishes associated with the apparel shopping process gives a basis for evaluating the potential acceptance of electronic decision support systems in apparel shopping. Although our study is exploratory in nature, we are able to draw an initial picture of how kiosk systems could be used in apparel shopping. (authors' abstract)

The problem of this study concerned the relationships that exist between the actual practices of designers in the apparel industry and the present academic training of future designers. Purposes of this inquiry were to determine the expectations of designers by questioning commercial apparel manufacturers to ascertain the types of functions the fashion designer is expected to perform, to determine the importance the manufacturer places on that activity, and to make an appraisal of the industry's willingness to take an active part in the education of these designers.

Given the severe global competition and the manufacturing challenges, retaining competitiveness in the textile and apparel (T&A) industries has become crucial for manufacturers. To achieve this, although historically manufacturers have been regarded as mainly production orientated, a number of them have occupied a primary intermediary position by applying the mechanisms of industrial upgrading and instituting new product development (NPD) in their businesses together with the synergy of alliances and networks. This has enabled the manufacturers to provide various products and services to international buyers. The Taiwanese T&A manufacturers can serve as a good example. They have managed to retain their competitiveness in the global industry for the last half century by continuously evolving their businesses and acquiring extensive capabilities. To achieve competitiveness in the T&A sectors, strategic planning that can lead to competitive advantages is required. NPD has emerged as a source of business competitiveness and its success determinants can lead to competitive advantages. Supply management, particularly partnering relationships, is crucial to manufacturers’ competitive advantage, since no single firm can possess all the necessary resources and capabilities. Against this background, this study has constructed a research framework, in line with the resource-based view (RBV) and transaction cost theory (TCT), in order to explore how competitive advantages can be achieved, which can lead to manufacturers’ competitiveness. An in-depth case study of a representative Taiwanese manufacturer has been employed and examined. The selected Taiwanese T&A manufacturer has acquired resources, various (dynamic) capabilities and knowledge through its NPD process, resulting in core competences and sources for competitive advantages. It has become a lead firm in its supply chain/network, deploying a variety of partnering relationships in order to conduct NPD activities strategically, and has vertically integrated T&A NPD. This has allowed it to provide an increasing variety of new products and services, in order to serve a wider range of customers, thus continuously acquiring business opportunities in dynamic markets. This study has found that the manufacturers in the T&A industries can adopt more proactive strategic modes in NPD activities, to enhance NPD outcomes and their relationships with buyers. It is important for manufacturers to acquire crucial and complementary resources/capabilities through strategic networks, developing alliances to strategically plan and implement NPD. Operational relationships need not only to be viewed in relation to their immediate cost reduction benefits, but also to be extended to longer-term collaborations, in order to achieve competitive advantage deriving from evolving products and cost benefits based on a holistic and strategic view of the business.

The recycling rate of post-consumer apparel waste is low. This is compounded by our limited understanding of the fibre recovered from apparel waste and a lack of development in novel applications. Motivated by the growing rate of accumulation in unwanted clothing, this study focused on a number of integrated research themes aimed at understanding the nature of reclaimed cotton fibre, its use in paper-based materials and its utilisation in apparel related applications. Initially, the investigation characterised reclaimed cotton fibres from two different recovery machines (pinned air-layer and cutting mill). The results showed that neither process was capable of producing adequate fibre quality for fine yarn manufacture. The fibres exhibited extensive surface damage, length shortening and an increase in length distribution. After the initial characterisation, studies were undertaken to investigate the use of paper technology to increase the possibility of using reclaimed fibre in apparel. Strength is an important property in apparel related applications, therefore, the strength of reclaimed cotton-based paper was enhanced. The effects of a 4% sodium hydroxide pre-treatment on the beating performance and resultant sheet properties of reclaimed fibre pulp were investigated. At low beating levels, the results showed a significant 35% and 39% increase in tensile strength and energy absorption, respectively. With the treatment it is, therefore, possible to obtain a strong paper with high bulk, which can be further utilised to improve surface softness. Optimum dry and wet strength enhancement of the resultant paper was obtained with the combined addition of 1% carboxymethyl cellulose and 2% polyamideamine-epichlorhydrin. The development of wet strength was vital in order to facilitate uniform twist insertion in subsequent paper yarn manufacture. This study was one of the first to test the viability of using reclaimed cotton fibre in the production of paper yarns suitable for apparel manufacture. The wet-strengthened reclaimed-fibre paper was slit into 3 mm width ribbons, dampened, then twisted into yarns. The resultant yarns (46–193 tex) were uniform but lacked sufficient strength for use in weaving and knitting processes. Analysis of a commercial paper yarn, OJO+ , suggested that strength could be improved if fibre orientation was increased in the machine direction. A further application, in the form of a jacket, was trialled. The focus here was to test sewability using a variety of seam and stitch formations to sew together denim-derived cotton paper. A simple design using lap seams with straight stitching was established as the most effective construction. The final jacket satisfied industry requirements on seam strength and efficiency, however, further investigation into improving comfort and wear-ability will be essential.

Zara is one of the most successful and fastest growing retail apparel company in the world. This retail chain is regarded as a pioneer of fast fashion companies whose main feature is quick response to new fashion trends, launching several collections a year and continuous assortment refreshing. Zara has entered the Czech Republic in 2001. On the local market the company presents itself as a premium brand whereas in Western Europe Zara is seen as a middle class brand. The company Zara Česká republika operates only six stores and its sales, compared with the largest clothing chains operating on the Czech market, are rather low. The diploma thesis has two main objectives. One goal is to describe and analyse the business model of the retail chain Zara as many experts believe that the company's business model is the reason of its tremendous success. The second major goal of this thesis is to determine how Czech women perceive the retail chain Zara in comparison with other apparel chains operating on the Czech market and to verify the hypothesis that the Czech female consumers are not satisfied with quality-price ratio of goods offered by chain Zara. The secondary objective of the thesis is to characterize the apparel business and to explain the concept of fast fashion.

Textiles and clothing represent the world’s second largest industry, which also makes this industry one of the most polluting industries in the world, and therefore this industry should reconsider its practices in respect of the environmental impact it has. The entire life cycle of an apparel item has an impact on the environment, from the product design stage to the disposal of an apparel product. Environmentally friendly apparel products refer to apparel products which have been created with consideration of the environmental impact of the production process. The consumer’s apparel decision-making process consists of five stages, namely: awareness, interest, evaluation of alternatives, decision and post-buying response. Buyer behaviour is inherently determined by a consumer’s knowledge or extra information that a consumer obtains. The acquisition of environmentally friendly apparel is therefore influenced by environmental knowledge. It is consequently crucial to provide consumers with relevant information regarding the environmental impact of their apparel consumption choices in order to facilitate consumers in making more environmental friendly apparel decisions. Very limited research exists on consumers’ environmentally friendly apparel purchasing practices, especially in the South African context. Insufficient literature also exists regarding the role of environmental knowledge and information source exposure in the acquisition of environmentally friendly apparel. The purpose of the research was to explore and describe how environmental knowledge and exposure to information about environmental issues are reflected in consumers’ choice of apparel products. A qualitative approach was used to explore young female consumers’ existing levels of environmental knowledge, and whether that environmental knowledge is reflected in the evaluation and selection of apparel as well as the role environmental information plays on their purchase decision. Non-probability purposive sampling was used to ensure the inclusion of young female students (19–22 years old, n = 29). Participants first had to write an essay on the subject of pertinent environmental issues and then participated in a focus group discussion on the evaluation and selection of a t-shirt. Results suggest that the participants have general environmental knowledge. They have the ability to identify environmental problems as well as the causes and consequences of these environmental problems. However, participants’ environmental awareness and their knowledge pertaining to the actual production and supply of environment-friendly apparel in the South African context were very limited. The results also highlight the product attributes important to the participants when evaluating and selecting apparel such as price, aesthetics and functionality of the garment, but environmental attributes such as organic cotton, locally produced, reduced waste techniques and not using harmful chemicals did not feature high under the attributes participants considered. They prioritized price, aesthetics and fit above other attributes (including environmental attributes). Environmental knowledge was not consciously considered in their general apparel decision-making, even though participants indicated that they do care about the environment. It also seems that information source exposure relating to the environmental impact of clothing had no effect on their purchase decision process. When probed, certain barriers emerged that prevented the participants from using environmental knowledge or the information source exposure in their decision-making. These barriers are: the relevance of non-environmentally related product attributes, the availability of environmentally friendly apparel, a lack of relevant knowledge, and perceived consumer effectiveness. While the study had certain limitations, the findings should be valuable to manufacturers, retailers and marketers of environmentally friendly apparel and further research is needed, especially in the South African context, relating to environmentally friendly apparel and consumer behaviour. Copyright / Dissertation (MConsumer Science)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Consumer Science / unrestricted

Emerging markets have generated a lot of interest during the last couple of years; one reason for this is the economic growth potential of emerging markets and the opening up of new, interesting and potentially very lucrative groups of consumers. South Africa has a rich and diverse culture and shows signs of major socio-economic inequalities that are symptomatic of emerging economies. In South-Africa, department stores are significant to the emerging market female consumer market as they provide an extensive assortment of products and services. Department stores also offer a number of product categories and each provide an opportunity for indepth analysis. Work apparel is one such product category where more research is required in order to understand how these consumers evaluate product assortments. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe how the emerging market female consumer market (EFC) evaluates work wear product assortments in major South African department stores. The study makes a contribution to the field of retail, marketing and consumer behaviour in terms of a better understanding of the emerging market. It is also valuable in providing insight in consumers’ decision making processes towards work wear and preferences towards product assortment. The theoretical approach to the study included a literature review on the emerging market female consumer in South Africa, the South African retail environment and department stores, product assortment and product attributes. The cue diagnostic framework was used as a theoretical perspective for the study. This consumer-based approach was considered particularly appropriate for this study, in terms of the prioritization by a female consumer in an emerging market of product attributes when she is shopping for work wear and evaluating retailers’ product assortments. Combined with the literature review the cue diagnostic framework offered a theoretical basis for the study and provided an overall perspective on the specific phenomenon to be studied. An exploratory survey research design was employed together with a conjoint analysis method to provide insights into attribute ranking and level of influence of specific attributes. The sample consisted of 120 (n=120) female consumers living and working in Gauteng between the ages of 20 and 60, currently working with some sort of training, diploma or degree. Non-probability sampling methods were used, including purposive and snowball sampling. Respondents completed an online selfadministered questionnaire. To ensure an appropriate sample, the online questionnaire was also distributed in paper-based format.. An exploratory survey research design was employed together with a conjoint analysis method to provide insights into attribute ranking and level of influence of specific attributes. The sample consisted of 120 (n=120) female consumers living and working in Gauteng between the ages of 20 and 60, currently working with some sort of training, diploma or degree. Non-probability sampling methods were used, including purposive and snowball sampling. Respondents completed an online selfadministered questionnaire. To ensure an appropriate sample, the online questionnaire was also distributed in paper-based format. The results of the study indicated that the emerging market female consumer market has set ideas and preferences which appeal to them when purchasing work wear from department stores in South Africa. Certain product attributes were found to be more important than others while some were used in conjunction with other attributes. This combining of attributes helped to strengthen the importance of these attributes in the decision making process. The study adds value, knowledge and insight to the existing literature on consumer preferences in emerging markets and the apparel attributes that inform these preferences. This research will be useful for researchers as well as marketers who are interested in marketing campaigns, product assortment planning and retail settings. / Dissertation (MConsumer Science)--Universityof Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Consumer Science / unrestricted

The purpose of this study was to make an assessment of the industry and needed qualifications of sewing machine operators in the apparel industry in the State of Utah. Feedback received may serve as guidelines in curriculum development for vocational clothing classes. Information was gathered by means of a questionnaire administered to plant or personnel managers. The questionnaire was hand carried or mailed to fifty-six plants across the state. Ninety-eight percent of the plants responded and were used in the statistics. The questionnaire ellicited information on the following items: 1. The following points about Utah's apparel industry : a. Availability of jobs b. Geographic locations of plants and jobs statewide c. Types of positions available d. Training and/or skills e. Machines and equipment used f. Types of garments manufactured 2. Information for training programs: a. Types of training present employees have received b. Identified skills to be included in high school programs c. Identified equipment needed in high school programs 3. The work activities of an entry level operator: a. Ability to use machines b. Skills in handling machines and fabric c. Construction methods used The study identified the machines used most often and the work activities needed for employment in the apparel industry. It is suggested that teachers and the industry cooperate with each other so that needs and practices of both can be of service one to another in the training of future employees .

Background: In today's fast-paced and highly competitive marketplace, Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) brands must create a strong competitive advantage in one way to achieve this is to understand and cater to the needs, preferences and behaviors of their target consumers.In case of apparel FMCG brands, young women are an important demographic group as they make up a large portion of the consumer market. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the consumer behavior of young women in the apparel FMCG market and to identify the key factors that influence their purchase decisions. Methods: This paper uses a form of deductive reasoning that combines quantitative and qualitative research methods. Primary data were collected in the form of focus group interviews. Qualitative interview data were categorized and analyzed through classification and coding. The study explored online purchasing behavior, including purchase behavior and perceptions of product marketing online, as well as offline purchasing behavior, which addressed the impact of product quality and price on their purchase intentions. Conclusion: The findings show that the format of online shopping and social media marketing content are the most influential factors in young female consumers' purchase decisions, followed by decisions based on the information they receive, which includes product word-of-mouth and brand image. The study further explores the feasibility of digital transformation and category expansion for apparel FMCG brands to reach a broader market. The results of this study could help FMCG brands create a competitive advantage in the marketplace by developing strategies that align with young women's consumer behavior and preferences.

Collegiate athletic departments are experiencing large financial growth in part to their relationships with sport apparel brands. The big three apparel companies of Nike, adidas, and Under Armour control all athletic department apparel contracts within the Power 5 conferences. This study examined what benefits apparel companies receive from their connection to collegiate basketball teams by analyzing the frequency and use of the brand name and brand hashtag on Twitter by fans of fifteen collegiate sport organizations. Through the lens of the social capital theory, the researcher found a limited connection between the sport apparel brands and the individual basketball teams. The finding suggested that sport apparel brands need to develop a new social media strategy in order to better connection with the collegiate basketball fans in an online environment.