Fashion and Textiles最新文献

Legally copied products (LCPs) (e.g., dupes; Walmart's Wirkin) have been a persistent structural limitation in the United States' legal regime governing fashion design, generating consumer confusion in the marketplace. However, while the United States court infers the likelihood of consumer confusion, using a multi-factor framework, it remains unclear how consumers empirically perceive confusion due to design similarities, and their similarity assessment procedures follow the legal framework. To fill this gap, this study conducted two studies within the legal framework: a qualitative study (Study 1) and an empirical investigation of consumer confusion (Study 2). Study 1 identified the key design factors that consumers use to distinguish LCPs: color schemes and monogram designs. Based on Study 1's findings and legal cases pertinent to fashion trademarks in the U.S., Study 2 found that minimal modifications to low-end LCPs increased participants' confusion. The study's findings provide empirical evidence on LCPs in the fashion industry.

Despite growing interest in artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education, research on its pedagogical integration in fashion design education remains limited, with most studies focusing on the technical aspects of AI tools rather than their instructional roles or educational implications. This study explores how AI tools can be effectively integrated into fashion design education by examining student challenges, AI-supported learning competencies, and instructional considerations from the perspectives of instructors. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 university-level instructors from South Korea and the United States who have experience teaching fashion design-related courses. Thematic analysis is employed to examine the educational roles of AI in supporting students across the various design process stages. Findings identify four primary areas where students commonly face difficulties: initial design planning, ideation and creative exploration, technical garment construction, and communication and feedback adaptation. This study presents a pedagogical framework that illustrates how AI tools, including large language models, image generators, simulations, and feedback systems, can enhance visualization, creative thinking, and student engagement. This framework aligns student challenges, AI tool functionalities, and instructional strategies across four stages of the design process—problem definition, ideation and refinement, prototype development, and evaluation—offering practical guidance for the intentional integration of AI in fashion design education that promotes learner autonomy and human–AI collaboration.

Pop-up stores have emerged as a key innovative model in the fashion retail industry because of their ephemerality and distinctiveness. Despite significant interest in the allure of pop-up stores, systematic investigations into how the specific elements of ephemerality influence consumer behavior remain scarce. This study integrates the dimensions of time limitedness, product quantity scarcity, and experiential exclusivity to examine how these aspects of ephemerality influence consumer reactions through perceived uniqueness, including in terms of electronic word-of-mouth, purchase intention, and brand loyalty. This study, which targeted Millennial and Generation Z consumers, involved the collection of 345 valid responses, and structural equation modeling and multigroup analysis were employed for validation. The findings identify experiential exclusivity as the most crucial driver of perceived uniqueness, followed by time limitedness and product quantity scarcity. Perceived uniqueness significantly predicts positive outcomes in terms of eWOM and PI, although its impact on BL is less pronounced. Multigroup analysis further reveals that social media usage moderates the relationship between ephemerality and consumer reactions, thus leading to significant differences in path relationships across varying levels of usage. This research validates the mediating role of PU in this context, extends the applicability of scarcity theory, and offers practical implications for efforts to develop precise marketing strategies for pop-up stores.

In response to the critical demand for exploring and optimizing impact-resistant performance of hybrid-layer fabric panels in protective engineering applications, this study systematically investigates the low-velocity impact response mechanisms of hybrid-layer fabric panels through comprehensive parametric analysis. The developed finite element model innovatively integrates three key material characteristics (yarn density, failure strain, and longitudinal modulus) to establish optimal design of hybrid-layer panels. The findings reveal three groundbreaking design principles for hybrid-layer fabric panels: (1) Gradient optimization strategy demonstrating that decreasing yarn density from impact surface of fabric panel achieves highest energy absorption; (2) Hybrid-failure-strain fabric panel in which the middle layer possessed the greatest failure strain achieving the best improvement in impact-resistant performance; (3) Fabric arrangement according to decreasing yarn modulus from impact surface of fabric panel resulted in the highest energy absorption capacity. These fundamental discoveries advance the theoretical framework for protective material design in impact engineering, providing guidelines for developing next-generation protective systems in body armor applications.

Virtual reality (VR) technologies are transforming fashion retailing by allowing consumers to engage with products and stores in immersive ways. Yet little is known about how consumers process information in these environments, particularly for hedonic products such as fashion. This research examines whether consumers rely on mental imagery or discursive processing when evaluating fashion products and stores in VR contexts. Study 1 investigates three-dimensional (3D) product presentations and shows that the effects of VR media type (immersive vs. non-immersive) on product diagnosticity depend on product type (hedonic vs. utilitarian). Specifically, immersive VR enhances diagnosticity for hedonic products through imagery-based processing, but it disrupts discursive processing for utilitarian products. Study 2 explores VR fashion store environments to further examine how mental imagery processing in immersive VR retail settings depends on consumer shopping motivation (browsing vs. searching). Results demonstrate that the sense of telepresence generated by immersive VR experience activates both product- and store-related imagery processing, which in turn increases fashion store visit satisfaction. Interestingly, the mediating role of product-related imagery appears only for consumers with browsing motivation, whereas store-related imagery mediates the effect regardless of motivation. These findings advance understanding of consumer information processing in VR by revealing when and how mental imagery dominates over discursive reasoning. Beyond theoretical contributions, the research offers actionable insights for fashion retailers and brands seeking to design immersive VR shopping experiences that align with consumers’ goals and product types.

As experiential retailing becomes increasingly vital in the post-pandemic era, brands are actively exploring novel ways to create immersive and memorable in-store experiences. This study introduces the concept of domain distance—the integration of ideas or elements from seemingly unrelated fields—into retail design as a strategic driver of consumer insight and engagement. Central to this framework is the “Aha!” moment, a sudden sense of insight and surprise, which we examine as a catalyst for multi-dimensional brand experiences, subsequently influencing store attitudes and word-of-mouth (WOM) intentions. Two empirical studies were conducted: Study 1 investigates whether domain-distance concept stores trigger “Aha!” moments, and Study 2 employs structural equation modeling to test how these moments shape sensory, affective, behavioral, and intellectual brand experiences, as well as their downstream effects on store attitudes and WOM intentions. The findings demonstrate that “Aha!” moments play a pivotal role in enriching brand experience, fostering positive evaluations and communicative behaviors. Moreover, need for uniqueness (NFU) moderated these effects—individuals with higher NFU developed store attitudes based on a broader range of brand experience dimensions. By applying a brand experience lens, this study identifies the “Aha!” moment as a novel antecedent of enriched brand experiences. Crucially, it shows that such moments can be strategically triggered through domain distance in retail design. These findings offer actionable insights for crafting retail environments that foster insight-driven engagement, particularly for consumers with varying levels of NFU.

The rapid advancement of wearable technology has highlighted the need for efficient manufacturing processes, yet significant challenges regarding flexibility, reusability, and scalability remain prevalent in smart garment production. Addressing these limitations, an integrated platform that synergistically combines modular hardware with dedicated design software was developed. This specialized software supports circuit layout design, 3D visualization, and preparation for wire embedding. Furthermore, a novel modular connection system based on spring-loaded (pogo pin) connectors with magnetic fixation was designed. This mechanism ensures stable electrical connectivity while allowing easy module replacement. The platform’s effectiveness was validated through quantitative experiments and the fabrication of a full prototype. Crucially, the experiments demonstrated that the software’s optimization feature significantly improves the ergonomic stability of module placement compared to manual methods (p < 01). These findings confirm the reliability of the connection mechanism and the system’s real-time monitoring capabilities, indicating that the proposed approach facilitates efficient prototyping and practical deployment of modular smart garments.

This study investigates consumer acceptance of artificial intelligence (AI)–enabled fashion curation platforms by integrating the Task–Technology Fit (TTF) and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) frameworks. Building on contemporary research that emphasizes the transformative role of AI in retail and fashion, the study examines how the alignment between AI functionalities and user needs strengthens perceived usefulness and ease of use, enhancing satisfaction and behavioral intention. Using a survey-based quantitative design with adapted TTF and TAM scales, we analyzed data from fashion curation platform users via structural equation modeling (SEM), including multi-group comparisons across Generation Z, Millennials, and Generation X. Results show cohort-sensitive pathways: Generation Z responds more to technological fit and usefulness, whereas Generation X prioritizes ease of use and experiential satisfaction; intention mechanisms converge once upstream beliefs are formed, aligning with broader AI acceptance patterns and moderators noted in consumer contexts. The findings extend technology acceptance scholarship by localizing generational heterogeneity primarily in the formation of perceived usefulness and satisfaction within AI curation contexts, while offering actionable guidance for task–technology alignment and journey design in digital fashion retail. The study motivates future multi-cohort investigations that incorporate evolving AI capabilities and examine trust and governance considerations in fashion platforms.

Inclusive marketing, which emphasizes diversity and representation, has gained recognition in the fashion industry but remains underexplored in luxury brand marketing. This study investigates how inclusive marketing impacts social judgements of brands (i.e., warmth and competence) by comparing how the effects of inclusive marketing on brand social judgements differ between luxury and non-luxury brands. Further, this study examined the effects of social judgements of brands on brand anthropomorphism and brand attitudes. A 2 × 2 between-subject experimental design tested a stimulus featuring a Down syndrome model in inclusive marketing campaigns for Gucci (luxury) and GAP (non-luxury). Structural equation modeling with multi-group analysis results showed that inclusive marketing enhanced brand social judgements of warmth and competence, particularly a stronger effect on warmth for luxury than non-luxury brands. Further, these social judgements positively influenced brand anthropomorphism (cognitive experience and emotional consciousness), leading to positive brand attitudes. This study offers the first empirical evidence of how inclusive marketing influences consumers’ human-like judgements and perceptions of brands and provides practical insights for fashion luxury and non-luxury marketers.

A soft wearable robotic garment was developed to support lumbar muscle function and postural alignment by using cell-structured fabric pneumatic artificial muscles (cfPAMs). The actuator was constructed from two types of lightweight thermoplastic polyurethane-coated nylon fabrics and was designed with a flexible structure to enhance the contraction and force output. The performance of three actuator configurations (3-cell, 6-cell, and 8-cell) was evaluated in terms of contraction ratio, force generation, and response time. The 8-cell actuator exhibited the highest performance across these metrics. The actuator was integrated into a garment and tested in a user study involving 22 female participants. Surface electromyography of the lumbar erector spinae indicated a reduction in muscle activity during trunk flexion with actuator inflation relative to noninflated and control conditions. A trend toward a reduced full-body tilt was observed, and the user satisfaction was high, particularly for safety and functionality. These findings underscore the potential of cfPAM-based garments for daily musculoskeletal support.