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.

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