The development of an online guide for the assessment of apparel textile quality

In this study the objective is firstly to determine which quality cues adult female consumers use when purchasing apparel for formal and casual daywear. The second objective is to use this information to develop an online guide for apparel consumers. As no South African apparel retail website currently supplies more than sizing and care related information, this study could fill the need for more textile information that could serve as a guide when consumers purchase garments on the Internet. Although studies concerning the Internet as new shopping environment and the Internet consumer are on the increase, only a few studies have been specifically aimed at the problems that online apparel consumers encounter regarding the disadvantages of not being able to actually see, touch / handle or try on the garment before making the decision to buy (Beck, 2002; Fiore&Jin, 2003, Sasaki, Ikeda& Shimizu, 2004). A need also exists for empirical research on the South African Internet apparel consumer as, with one exception (Jacobs, 2003), the studies referred to were planned and executed in America, Asia and, to a lesser extent, in a European context. Another important issue in the South African context is that very little textile information is supplied in any retail environment. Consumers often have only a very limited textile knowledge, which is usually based on experience. By developing and implementing a consumer guide, consumers could be educated to demand more accurate and informative textile labelling to help them when making purchase decisions. This research is descriptive as an attempt is made to describe and understand behaviour, tendencies, and situations. It is exploratory as it aims to obtain insight into a relatively new area of study, namely the online consumer of textile products. The last phase of the study can be seen as applied evaluation research as the testing of the effectiveness of the quality assessment guide is the ultimate goal of the research. A social-cognitive perspective was used in the study. Consumer decision-making theory and script theory are both used to explain consumer behaviour in the new Internet environment. Career women took part in the study. A quantitative research style was used. For both the first and final phases of the study structured questionnaires were used and the snowball sampling technique was used as primary sampling method. The responses to the questionnaires were coded, captured and analysed. From the results it is apparent that South African career women lack general textile knowledge and seldom have the ability to relate physical fibre and fabric properties to performance properties. They therefore often act on their emotions during apparel assessment and purchasing. The results underline the importance of supplying textile information to facilitate decision-making. Results from the final phase of the study indicate that by supplying information the online consumer is able to make more confident decisions. The study makes a valuable contribution to understanding consumer behaviour, especially in a South African context. The results contribute to the body of knowledge regarding the Internet apparel consumer.Thesis (PhD (Consumer Science))--University of Pretoria, 2007.Consumer Scienceunrestricte

Black urban consumers' status consumption of clothing brands in the emerging South African market

Status concerns are noteworthy within a modern society as it is a key feature of individuals’ social reputation. Engaging in this form of thinking results in particular patterns of consumption within consumer groups. In South Africa, Black urban consumers have newfound spending power and social mobility. This study investigated motivators of Black urban consumers’ status consumption across different demographic variables (age, income and profession) in the South African (SA) emerging market. A survey research design was used to provide insights into the relationship of normative receptiveness (value expressive and utilitarian influences) and high self-monitoring as status consumption motivators of clothing brand consumption. The sample consisted of 246 Black urban consumers between the ages of 24 and 36, residing in Gauteng, South Africa and currently working in professional positions. The results of the study indicated that when purchasing clothing Black urban consumers are motivated by factors related to status consumption. This study found no significant differences between age and gender variables in terms of status consumption. In terms of profession, all three motivational factors were significant. They proved to be very aware of the image that they communicate and how they are seen by others indicating that they are motivated especially by value expressiveness, utilitarian influences and high self-monitoring aspects across various professions.http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1470-64312017-11-30hb2017Consumer Scienc

The role of important values and predominant identity in the dress practices of female Muslim students attending a South African university

This study explores the role of important values and predominant identity in the dress practices of female Muslim students attending a university in South Africa. Data were collected through a selfadministered questionnaire using a purposive convenience sample of 200 female Muslim students. A cluster analysis was used to divide participants into groups based on their dress practices. The sample could be divided into two groups: those who follow less modest and those who follow more modest dress practices. An independent t-test was calculated to determine if there was a significant difference between the important values and predominant identity of the less modest and more modest groups. The results revealed differences in the significance of certain values and predominant identity. The more modest group placed more importance on religious values, while the less modest group attributed more importance to social values than the more modest group. For the more modest group their Muslim identity was more predominant than for the less modest group. Despite these differences, both groups tended to communicate a hybrid identity, as aspects of Islamic and Western thought and behavior were synthesized in each individual’s dress practice. The study offers benefits to scholars interested in the social-cultural aspects of clothing by showing how people manipulate their appearances and cultural forms to create a specific reality and to adapt to multicultural environments (e.g. campuses).http://ctr.sagepub.comhb2016Consumer ScienceStatistic

Female Muslim students' dress practices in a South African campus context

Suid-Afrikaanse vroulike Muslim-studente volg 'n verskeidenheid van kleding-praktyke. Terwyl party individue baie tradisionele Islamietiese drag dra, volg ander Westerse modes. Hierdie verskille in klere kan aan die akkulturasieproses toegeskryf word. Die kampusomgewing het 'n multi-kulturele konteks. Vroulike Muslim-studente word omring deur nuwe waardes, identiteite en nuwe kledingpraktyke. Die doel van die studie was om die akkulturasie strategieë wat deur vroulike Muslim-studente (wat aan die Universiteit van Pretoria studeer) toegepas word in hul kledinggebruike te verken en te beskryf. 'n Kulturele perspektief is as teoretiese raamwerk gebruik. Die navorsingsontwerp was 'n verkennende ondersoek. Data is met 'n gestruktureerde vraelys ingesamel. Die vraelys is gebaseer op bestaande skale en relevante literatuur om die akkulturasie praktyke van vroulike Muslim-studente aan die hand van hul kledingpraktyke te analiseer. Die akkulturasie praktyke is deur middel van 'n 5-punt Likert-tipe skaal gemeet en 'n „prent‟ skaal is met die samewerking van 'n senior Muslim-student in die Departement Verbruikerswetenskap ontwikkel. Hierdie skaal het nege beelde van klere ingesluit wat verskil het in terme van pas en mate waartoe die liggaam bedek word. Die teikenpopulasie was ingeskrewe vroulike Muslim-studente aan die Universiteit van Pretoria. In 2011 was daar 354 vroulike Muslim studente ingeskryf by die Universiteit van Pretoria. 'n Totaal van 200 voltooide vraelyste wat deur vroulike Muslim-studente tussen die ouderdomme van 17 en 25 jaar voltooi is, is geanaliseer (n=200). Die oorkoepelende doel van hierdie studie was om die verskillende akkulturasie strategieë wat deur vroulike Muslim-studente se kledingprak-tyke gereflekteer word, te ondersoek en te beskryf. Die resultate het daarop gedui dat die respondente nie in drie groepe verdeel kon word na aanleiding van die akkulturasie strategieë wat hulle volg soos aanvanklik verwag is nie. Die respondente kon wel in twee groepe verdeel word, namens dié wat minder kuise kledingpraktyke volg teenoor dié met meer kuise, tradisionele kledingpraktyke. Die studie het aangetoon dat vroulike Muslim-studente verskillende grade van ‟n bi-kulturele identiteit aanvaar. Hierdie studie maak ‟n bydrae tot kulturele navorsing en kledingge-dragnavorsing in Suid-Afrika. Die feit dat die respondente slegs in twee groepe verdeel kon word op grond van die akkulturasie praktyke wat hulle toepas, dui daarop dat die respon-dente in hierdie studie onwillig is om Muslim herkoms, en gevolglik hul tradisionele klere-drag, te negeer. Hulle verkies om in wissel-werking te tree met ander kultuurgroepe soos tipies van 'n Suid-Afrikaanse universiteits-kampus, en kombineer hul tradisionele drag met elemente van Westerse drag om hul bi-kulturele identiteit te kommunikeer. Sodoende verbeeld hulle beide hul Muslim en Suid-Afrikaanse identiteite.http://www.up.ac.za/saafecsam201