• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.1-22
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• 2013

This case focuses on Shanghai Tang, the first truly Chinese luxury brand that appeals to both Westerners and, more recently, to Chinese consumers worldwide. A visionary and wealthy businessman Sir David Tang created this company from scratch in 1994 in Hong Kong. Its story, spanned over almost two decades, has been fascinating. It went from what best a Chinese brand could be in the eyes of Westerners who love the Chinese culture, to a nearly-bankrupted company in 1998, before being acquired by Richemont, the second largest luxury group in the world. Since then, its turnaround has been spectacular with a growing appeal among Chinese luxury consumers who represent the core segment of the luxury industry today. The main objective of this case study is to formally examine how Shanghai Tang overcame its downfall and re-emerged as one the very few well- known Chinese luxury brands. More specifically, this case highlights the ways with which Shanghai Tang made a transitional change from a brand for Westerners who love the Chinese culture, to a brand for both, Westerners who love the Chinese culture and Chinese who love luxury. A close examination reveals that Shanghai Tang has followed the brand identity concept that consists of two major components: functional and emotional. The functional component for developing a luxury brand concerns all product characteristics that will make a product 'luxurious' in the eyes of the consumer, such as premium quality of cachemire from Mongolia, Chinese silk, lacquer, finest leather, porcelain, and jade in the case of Shanghai Tang. The emotional component consists of non-functional symbolic meanings of a brand. The symbolic meaning marks the major difference between a premium and a luxury brand. In the case of Shanghai Tang, its symbolic meaning refers to the Chinese culture and the brand aims to represent the best of Chinese traditions and establish itself as "the ambassador of modern Chinese style". It touches the Chinese heritage and emotions. Shanghai Tang has reinvented the modern Chinese chic by drawing back to the stylish decadence of Shanghai in the 1930s, which was then called the "Paris of the East", and this is where the brand finds inspiration to create its own myth. Once the functional and emotional components assured, Shanghai Tang has gone through a four-stage development to become the first global Chinese luxury brand: introduction, deepening, expansion, and revitalization. Introduction: David Tang discovered a market gap and had a vision to launch the first Chinese luxury brand to the world. The key success drivers for the introduction and management of a Chinese luxury brand are a solid brand identity and, above all, a creative mind, an inspired person. This was David Tang then, and this is now Raphael Le Masne de Chermont, the current Executive Chairman. Shanghai Tang combines Chinese and Western elements, which it finds to be the most sustainable platform for drawing consumers. Deepening: A major objective of the next phase is to become recognized as a luxury brand and a fashion or design authority. For this purpose, Shanghai Tang has cooperated with other well-regarded luxury and lifestyle brands such as Puma and Swarovski. It also expanded its product lines from high-end custom-made garments to music CDs and restaurant. Expansion: After the opening of his first store in Hong Kong in 1994, David Tang went on to open his second store in New York City three years later. However this New York retail operation was a financial disaster. Barely nineteen months after the opening, the store was shut down and quietly relocated to a cheaper location of Madison Avenue. Despite this failure, Shanghai Tang products found numerous followers especially among Western tourists and became "souvenir-like" must-haves. However, despite its strong brand DNA, the brand did not generate enough repeated sales and over the years the company cumulated heavy debts and became unprofitable. Revitalizing: After its purchase by Richemont in 1998, Le Masne de Chermont was appointed to lead the company, reposition the brand and undertake some major strategic changes such as revising the "Shanghai Tang" designs to appeal not only to Westerners but also to Chinese consumers, and to open new stores around the world. Since then, Shanghai Tang has become synonymous to a modern Chinese luxury lifestyle brand.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.984-1003
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• 2020

The global fashion industry produces significant carbon emission and micro-plastics in oceans. Studies on sustainable design methods as such environmental issues in fashion are becoming intensely problematic. This study conducted a case study on 100 upcycle fashion brands to propose strategical upcycle fashion designs to compete in a sustainable fashion market. A literature review indicated that 3 types of textile wastes are generated as upcycling materials: post-producer, pre-consumer and post-consumer. Wastes are categorized together with 3 types of techniques: redesigning, reconstruction and handcrafting. This research derived 7 types of upcycle fashion designs that have the following features: to make luxury upcycle fashion products, to make sustainable grunge looks, to re-evaluate deadstocks, to recover vintage clothes, to convert waste into craft-arts, to offer solutions for damaged products, and to make zero-waste small fabric waste. The study results show that key drivers in the upcycle fashion design are the redesignability of materials and technique-related costs. This study implies that adopting appropriate design features can be a useful strategy for designers. New technologies will solve current problems and encourage them to design products in a new circular value system.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.245-252
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• 2024

This study sought to identify the interactive relationship between the individual cognitive characteristics of perceived consumer effectiveness and the impact of the message framing type of a fashion brand's sustainable marketing on consumers' brand trust. As a result of the study, it was confirmed that the fashion brand's message framing type increased consumers' perceived consumer effectiveness, and that the recipient's perceived consumer effectiveness each influenced the formation of consumers' trust in the brand. It was confirmed that the fashion brand's message frame directly had a positive effect in forming consumers' brand trust.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.86-100
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• 2019

This study analyzed the characteristics of vegan fashion produced by H&M and ZARA with respect to materials, design, development, production, and marketing to create social value. The results of this study are significant because they can be used as a reference to develop a vegan fashion market. Regarding the research method, this study assessed the concept and status of veganism through a literature review and examined vegan fashion case studies by analyzing official websites and media content. The study's scope covers the period from 2005, when H&M was the first SPA brand to create a vegan product line, until 2019. The characteristics of Global SPA's vegan fashion were as follows. Regarding materials, alternative materials were developed and an expanded use of organic materials was implemented. Regarding design, development was achieved through design collaboration and upcycling. In terms of production, an animal welfare policy was adopted and a sustainable supply chain was established. Marketing employed a campaign aimed at encouraging increased consumer participation. The findings regarding the social value of H&M and Zara's vegan fashion were as follows. First, a cyclical economy was realized through circular recycling in the entire process of resource selection, production, and waste disposal. Second, because product consumption indicated the importance of ethical consumption and sustainable consumer participation, corporate financial activities were created based on shared values to accomplish the social outcome. Third, collaborations with luxury brands or vegan fashion designers built a collaborative ecosystem in which vegan fashions were released and consumer participation campaigns were implemented.

• Acta Via Serica
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.89-108
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• 2022

Since the most ancient times, lapis lazuli had been used for luxury goods such as jewelry and seals, to embellish sculptures and weapons or the precious objects of tombs, such as the golden mask of Tutankhamon or the famous "Standard" of the royal cemetery of Ur. Much more recent seems to be its frequent use as a pigment in wall paintings or polychrome stucco. In this article, the question of the sources for this extremely rare mineral is briefly discussed and the places proposed by ancient scholars as deposits of the mineral are presented and examined. The information provided in the medieval Arabic and Persian scientific literature has been considered and compared with the data of our modern geological knowledge. A list of sites in Central Asia, the Middle East, and India with lapis lazuli occurrence on wall paintings illustrate its wide use in different artistic cultures and periods between the 2nd and 10th centuries C.E. These cultures are in fact different in ethnic and linguistic origin and in the religious, economic, and social sphere, but closely interconnected by common pan-regional artistic traditions in style, materials, and techniques employed. A case study investigated by the authors in the Friday Mosque of Iṣfahān gives an example of the use of lapis lazuli pigment in Islamic wall paintings and stuccoes.

• Journal of Service Research and Studies
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.142-159
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• 2023

As the core technologies of the 4th Industrial Revolution are introduced into luxury hotels, they are taking off as cultural and experiential spaces that provide new products and services to hotel users and new experiences. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of hotel users' perception of the experience of using technological amenity services on their trust and satisfaction, focusing on luxury hotels as smart hotel to identify the essential factors of smart hotels that can lead to continuous competitive advantage and improvements in the future. In addition, the study aimed to find an effective hotel marketing strategy and plan to satisfaction the smart hotel by maximizing customer satisfaction. To verify the research hypothesis, a survey was conducted targeting hotel users with experience using technological amenities in smart hotels within the last two years. As a result of the study, it was confirmed that all hypotheses were adopted except for the relationship between personification, intention to use technical amenities, and perceived performance expectations and satisfaction with smart hotels. Based on these research results, this paper presents theoretical and practical implications. Smart hotels are rapidly changing by introducing various smart technologies. Therefore, it will be meaningful data for securing a sustainable competitive advantage and establishing differentiated hotel management and marketing strategies.

• Journal of the Korea Fashion and Costume Design Association
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.219-238
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• 2014

This study attempted to investigate present condition and product planning of global eco-fashion brands that harmonize fashion and sustainability. As research subjects, this study selected 97 oversea fashion brands mentioned in books related to eco-fashion, Black(2011), Brown(2010), Fuad-luke(2009). As for research methods, materials and ethical practices of these selected 97 brands through literature data and their internet site homepages. This study analyzed oversea eco-brands collected 26 British brands, 22 American brands, 36 European brands such as Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Finland and so on, except Britain and 13 other regions including Japan, India, Canada, Mexico, and New zealand. In conclusion, the product planning characteristics of these oversea eco-fashion brands can be summarized as follows; community and fair trade, ecological and slow design, recycle, reuse, redesign, and new eco-models. Firstly, brands of 'community and fair trade' manufactured products through fair trade and local community's artisan by ethical practices with organic fabrics. Secondly, brands of 'ecological and slow design' pursued timeless design and multi-functional design as luxury eco-fashion styles. They used organic textiles, hemp, bamboo, soya, tencell, sea cell, and self-sustaining plants. Thirdly, brands of 'recycle, reuse, redesign' aimed for upcycling high-end fashion and used vintage clothes, textile scraps, PET, parachutes, tires, safety belts, advertising banner and so on. In addition, brands of 'new models as eco-fashion' suggested zero-waste cutting, recycling over-printing technology, new sustainable business model, and ethical practices in the supply chain of the fashion industry.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.34 no.6 s.119
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• pp.87-100
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• 2007

This study analyzed the key words in Korea's leading apartment brands and newspaper advertisements to examine especially their view-oriented advertising characteristics and green marketing properties. Four study topics were established and examined for this purpose. The following are the results; 1. The key words on apartment brands and catch phrases are $\ulcorner$emotion-oriented$\lrcorner$ words, such as taste, pride, and happiness, and $\ulcorner$environment-oriented$\lrcorner$ to appeal to customers with beautiful views of the nature. Also key words on newspaper advertisement headlines stress views for $\ulcorner$environment-oriented$\lrcorner$ characteristics as well as $\ulcorner$emotion-oriented$\lrcorner$ characteristics for elegance and luxury, and $\ulcorner$function-oriented$\lrcorner$ characteristics for the future. Views, nature and park are key words and everything about illustration that are especially emphasized even on the headlines of newspaper advertisements. 2. Unlike brands or headlines, sub-headlines and body copies stress $\ulcorner$modern-oriented$\lrcorner$ characteristics for life, culture, and accessibility, followed by $\ulcorner$emotion-oriented$\lrcorner$ characteristics. Key words on caption were also highly $\ulcorner$modern-oriented$\lrcorner$, followed by $\ulcorner$environment-oriented$\lrcorner$ and $\ulcorner$function-oriented$\lrcorner$ characteristics for practical aspects. 3. In result of $X^2-test$, $\ulcorner$environment-oriented$\lrcorner$ key words that convey good views, naturalism, parks, and nature are the major representation of green marketing strategies of apartment brands and newspaper advertisements. However, brands were strongly $\ulcorner$emotion-oriented$\lrcorner$, whereas captions were $\ulcorner$modern-oriented$\lrcorner$ and body copies were $\ulcorner$investment-oriented$\lrcorner$. Both apartment brands and advertisements were consistently $\ulcorner$environment-oriented$\lrcorner$, but were not consistent in other factors. 4. Different parts of newspaper advertisements are focusing on green marketing strategies in terms of environmental protection, but are actually leaning toward modern-oriented lifestyles and accessibility. Thus, it is more well-being marketing rather than green marketing. To pursue true green marketing despite the limits of newspaper advertisements, it is necessary to present products and pricing strategies that represent sustainable.

• Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.35-48
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• 2010

Today, the fashion market challenged by a maturing retail market needs a new paradigm in the "evolution of brand" to improve their comparative advantages. An important issue in fashion marketing is lifestyle brand extension with a specific aim to meet consumers' specific needs for their changing lifestyle. For fashion brand extensions into lifestyle product categories, Gen Y and Baby Boomer are emerging as "prospects"-Baby Boomers who are renovating their lifestyle, and generation Y experiencing changes in their life stage-with demands for buying new products. Therefore, it is imperative that apparel companies pay special attention to the consumer cohort for brand extension to create and manage their brand equity in a new product category. The purposes of this study are to (a) evaluate brand equity between parent and extension brands; (b) identify consumers' perceived marketing elements for brand extension; and (c) estimate a structural equation model for examining causative relationship between marketing elements and brand equity for brand extensions in lifestyle product category including home fashion items for the selected two groups (e.g., Gen Y, and Baby boomer). For theoretical frameworks, this study focused on the traditional marketing 4P's mix to identify what marketing element is more importantly related to brand extension equity for this study. It is assumed that comparable marketing capability can be critical to establish "brand extension equity", leads to successfully entering the new categories. Drawing from the relevant literature, this study developed research hypotheses incorporating brand equity factors and marketing elements by focusing on the selected consumers (e.g., Gen Y, Baby Boomer). In the context of brand extension in the lifestyle products, constructs of brand equity consist of brand awareness/association, brand perceptions (e.g., perceived quality, emotional value) and brand resonance adapted from CBBE factors (Keller, 2001). It is postulated that the marketing elements create brand extension equity in terms of brand awareness/association, brand perceptions by the brand extension into lifestyle products, which in turn influence brand resonance. For data collection, the sample was comprised of Korean female consumers in Gen Y and Baby Boomer consumer categories who have a high demand for lifestyle products due to changing their lifecycles. A total of 651 usable questionnaires were obtained from female consumers of Gen Y (n=326) and Baby Boomer (n=325) in South Korea. Structural and measurement models using a correlation matrix was estimated using LISREL 8.8. Findings indicated that perceived marketing elements for brand extension consisted of three factors: price/store image, product, and advertising. In the model of Gen Y consumers, price/store image had a positive effect on brand equity factors (e.g., brand awareness/association, perceived quality), while product had positive effect on emotional value in the brand extensions; and the brand awareness/association was likely to increase the perceived quality and emotional value, leading to brand resonance for brand extensions in the lifestyle products. In the model of Baby Boomer consumers, price/store image had a positive effect on perceived quality, which created brand resonance of brand extension; and product had a positive effect on perceived quality and emotional value, which leads to brand resonance for brand extension in the lifestyle products. However, advertising was negatively related to brand equity for both groups. This study provides an insight for fashion marketers in developing a successful brand extension strategy, leading to a sustainable competitive advantage. This study complements and extends prior works in the brand extension through critical factors of marketing efforts that affect brand extension success. Findings support a synergy effect on leveraging of fashion brand extensions (Aaker and Keller, 1990; Tauber, 1988; Shine et al., 2007; Pitta and Katsanis, 1995) in conjunction with marketing actions for entering into the new product category. Thus, it is recommended that marketers targeting both Gen Y and Baby Boomer can reduce marketing cost for entering the new product category (e.g., home furnishings) by standardized marketing efforts; fashion marketers can (a) offer extension lines with premium ranges of price; (b) place an emphasis on upscale features of store image positioning by a retail channel (e.g., specialty department store) in Korea, and (c) combine apparel with lifestyle product assortments including innovative style and designer’s limited editions. With respect to brand equity, a key to successful brand extension is consumers’ brand awareness or association that ensures brand identity with new product category. It is imperative for marketers to have knowledge of what contributes to more concrete associations in a market entry into new product categories. For fashion brands, a second key of brand extension can be a "luxury" lifestyle approach into new product categories, in that higher price or store image had impact on perceived quality that established brand resonance. More importantly, this study increases the theoretical understanding of brand extension and suggests directions for marketers as they establish marketing program at Gen Y and Baby Boomers.