• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.433-450
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• 2024

Through the recent pandemic, this study examined the theory of awe, which explains that external crises affect people's value systems and consequential behaviors. During the pandemic, some consumers expressed a growing interest in equity, while others pursued the consumption of materialistic items, such as luxurious fashion goods. According to the theory of awe, both of these phenomena could be coping responses to the crisis. Based on this, we attempted to understand the psychological processes behind the pandemic's effect on these two different consumers value systems thereby influencing sustainable consumption intentions: one through the new ecological paradigm (NEP) that emphasizes consumers' increased consciousness, and the other through materialism that emphasizes consumers' self-centered side. The results obtained from a survey of 382 U.S. consumers revealed that the degree of pandemic experience increased consumers' NEP and materialism, which also increased their economic and ethical CSR expectations. These CSR expectations then enhanced consumers' sustainable consumption intentions. As sustainable consumption and CSR are important agendas for the fashion industry, this study will provide useful insights for researchers and practitioners in the fashion field.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.430-437
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• 2012

This study analyzed the sensibility of eco-friendly fabrics for college students and investigated their attitude on environmental problems, trust reliability onto eco-apparel products, and their purchase state. We tested 6 eco-friendly fabrics (recycled polyester, organic cotton, green tea, charcoal, bamboo, and nettle) through a survey using the Likert scale of 12 polar sensibility words. Most fabrics showed feelings that were smooth, natural, female, and country these were followed by fashion, cheap, functional, sustainable, warm, and vintage. In addition, nettle fabric showed 'rough' feeling, and recycled polyester fabric showed an 'artificial' feeling. Correspondence analysis showed the distance and direction between fabric types and sensibility words with a 2D diagram where the X axis was named with 'Soft <-> Hard' and Y axis was with 'Environmental <-> Manmade' to represent the relationship between fabric types and the sensibility words. According to the results of the multiple regression analysis, the cognition level of the consumer for environmental problems was found to be the most influential variable on the loyalty purchase of eco-friendly products; however, the trust reliability level of consumer onto eco-friendly apparel products was found to be the most influential variable on the conditional purchase of eco-friendly apparel products.

• Advanced Composite Materials
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.269-282
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• 2007

Fully biodegradable high strength composites or 'advanced green composites' were fabricated using yearly renewable soy protein based resins and high strength liquid crystalline cellulose fibers. For comparison, E-glass and aramid ($Kevlar^{(R)}$) fiber reinforced composites were also prepared using the same modified soy protein resins. The modification of soy protein included forming an interpenetrating network-like (IPN-like) resin with mechanical properties comparable to commonly used epoxy resins. The IPN-like soy protein based resin was further reinforced using nano-clay and microfibrillated cellulose. Fiber/resin interfacial shear strength was characterized using microbond method. Tensile and flexural properties of the composites were characterized as per ASTM standards. A comparison of the tensile and flexural properties of the high strength composites made using the three fibers is presented. The results suggest that these green composites have excellent mechanical properties and can be considered for use in primary structural applications. Although significant additional research is needed in this area, it is clear that advanced green composites will some day replace today's advanced composites made using petroleum based fibers and resins. At the end of their life, the fully sustainable 'advanced green composites' can be easily disposed of or composted without harming the environment, in fact, helping it.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.116-126
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• 2019

South Korea is known for its major manufacturing capabilities in semi-conductor, automobile, and IT industries. However, little is known about the competitive capabilities of South Korea's textile industry. The present study presents information about how Korean textile firms build their competitive capabilities on multiple fronts. Through a case study of two businesses operating in the South Korean textile and apparel industry, this paper illustrates a series of competitiveness enhancing initiatives, starting with the implementation of radio frequency identification (RFID). The main contribution of this article is the focus on how the interdisciplinary nature of the textile and apparel industry can benefit from and optimize the use of Information Technology through sustained efforts on multiple fronts. This study suggests that Korean textile firms approach their competitive capabilities in terms of strategic direction, innovative priorities, and operational focus. In the competitive global business environment, this could be the solution for the textile and apparel industry, by helping for the survival in the upcoming information age. Specifically, by adopting RFID-based SCM, firms can gain a competitive capability that promises sustainable growth in the future.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.403-412
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• 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has a great impact in various ways. It changes the normal routine of lives and businesses. Many businesses encounter tremendous financial pressure, some of them lay off workers or choose to close down. According to the statistics, e-commerce experiences a four-fold growth in sales during the pandemic period. There is an urgency for firms to digitalize their businesses to respond to the change in the landscape of purchasing patterns of consumers. The purpose of this study is to understand the success of a few popular apparel brands in digital businesses. This is a qualitative research, and secondary data is collected for the analysis. The findings reveal that all of them engage in omni-channel methods in digitizing their businesses while utilizing other forms of technologies in their product and operational management. All selected firms agree with the importance of digital business, and omni-channel retailing is their choice. In these unprecedented times, the sustainable success of the apparel firms in digital businesses requires a flexible and innovative approach and a commitment to achieving operational excellence. Continuous renewal and digital transformation are needed so that these companies have the capabilities to adapt to changes and reap the benefits of a satisfactory organizational performance.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.458-468
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• 2021

In the context of Sustainable development, China, the world's second-largest apparel market, is also concerned about the environmental impact of fiber waste. Currently, there is a great interest in sustainable fashion in both supply and demand in China. Based on the theory of planned behavior(TPB), the determinants of sustainable fashion consumption(SFC) of Chinese consumers were evaluated in this study: man-nature orientation(MNO) and environmental knowledge(EK) as motivation and perceived online-store accessibility(POA) and perceived money availability(PMA) as barriers. Wenjuanxing, a Chinese professional survey collection agency, conducted an online survey of millennials in Shanghai, China. The final sample size for the survey was 215. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was employed to test the proposed hypotheses. The results indicated that attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control significantly affected the purchase intention towards sustainable fashion products. MNO and EK influenced the attitude, whereas EK, POA, and PMA influenced perceived behavioral control. This study contributes to the TPB literature through the examination of four antecedents: MNO, EK, POA, and PMA. The findings provide valuable insights for retailers and markets based on the identification of the motivations and barriers that enhance the purchasing intention of Chinese millennials toward SFC.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.60 no.8
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• pp.151-167
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• 2010

This research is to analyze ethics in fashion design for more valuable and sustainable human life against the increasing alienation of the human being, the global ecological crisis resulted from contemporary consumption society. I expect that it can be helpful to plan ethical fashion design practice more effectively. For this, the documentary study and practical case study have been executed. The results are as follows. The ethics in design can be defined as the responsibility to reform the social, environmental problem of consumptive design, to sustain together without human alienation, environment disruption and to do social good for total human being ultimately. The ethical design practice means to suggest solutions to problems of human rights and environment and to act willingly. Based on this, ethical fashion design appeared as responsible design solution which has two directions. One is the fashion design for coexistence and sharing, including the design for all which considers even underprivileged minority, the design to promote public issues as well as to donate some profits. The other is the eco fashion design for sustainable environment, including eco-friendly design which is reductive and slow in whole design process, the design to inform the seriousness of environmental crisis as well as to donate some profits. The last one of the most important ethical responsibility as fashion designer is to abide by vocational ethics, that is, the prohibition of design piracy.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.139-150
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• 2013

Fast fashion companies have generated enormous amounts of clothing and large quantities of unsold or short-lived clothing end up in the landfill. As if to counter fast fashion, sustainable fashion has arisen for environmentally friendly garments at different levels from the fiber stage to production stage. However it is still fraught with uncertainty of systems in the industry. Therefore, this study proposed a system to create re-valued clothing from recycled garments for retailers. The target companies are large-sized retailers like Levi's, Polo, Gap, or J-Crew which are consistently producing basic items such as Levi's 501 or Classic Polo shirts with middle-prices. At the material stage, this study recommended additional requirements of designing a garment with a long life cycle based on criteria of an ideal garment developed by Patagonia clothing company. Then, this study explored innovative ways that retailers might connect with consumers to allow direct interaction between them in terms of the process of collecting used clothes. Using recycled clothing as a source material, this study strove to offer a process of redesign where the concept of 'waste to fashion' is developed as reconstructions where old forms are transformed into new ones.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.7
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• pp.235-244
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• 2021

This study aims to determine the behavior of consumer interest in sustainable fashion products in Indonesia and the factors that influence it. Personal values, Green Trust, and attitude toward green products are studied to get a proper picture of the ethical behavior of consumers. The method used is the Structural Equation Model (SEM) technique using AMOS 23 software. A sample of 103 participants used the convenience sampling technique. The study results show that green trust and attitude toward green products successfully mediate personal value and green purchase intention on ethical fashion products in Indonesia. In this study, it was found that personal values cannot directly influence the purchase intention of sustainable fashion products. The influence of Personal Value must first be mediated by green trust or attitude toward green products to further influence green purchase intention of ethical fashion products in Indonesia. This is not in line with previous studies. Indicators of personal values such as self-transcendence, self-enhancement, conservation, and openness directly cannot predict the behavior of purchase intentions for sustainable fashion products in Indonesia. From the descriptive conclusion of the data obtained, there are various types of meanings of individual values, and fashion consumers in Indonesia are more affected by contextual factors.

• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.35-55
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• 2020

The support policy of Micro manufacturers clusters should reflect the regional characteristics of Micro manufacturers clusters, but only similar policies are proposed based on the normal collection of information from related companies. Since the regional characteristics of Micro manufacturers clusters are not understood, they are not reflected in the support policy. Therefore, this study analyzed the characteristics of Micro manufacturers clusters as the formation factors of localization, networking/embeddedness, and innovation synergy/collective learning which are the characteristics of clusters, and applied the development stage based on the analyzed formation factors. Since regional characteristics may be different in the same industry, Micro manufacturers clusters in Changsin and Jangwi, which are representative clusters of apparel sewing industry in Seoul, were compared and studied in terms of regional characteristics and developmental stages. As a result of analyzing the characteristics of Apparel Sewing Micro manufacturers clusters, clusters of peers were found to be higher in Changsin than in Jangwi in localization. However, in the synergy and group learning, the Changsin area was mainly centered on designers and the Jangwi area was centered on Micro manufacturers, the Changsin area was active while the Jangwi area was passive in participating in fairs and seminars, and in sample and production. As a result of examining the two formation factors, the development stage of Micro manufacturers clusters in the two regions is progressing beyond the industrial district in the case of Micro manufacturers clusters in Changsin apparel sewing, and the Micro manufacturers clusters in the Jangwi apparel sewing are analyzed to stay in the industrial district. Innovative and long-established garment sewing clusters suggest that the government's support policy needs to reflect the characteristics and development stages of the two regions for sustainable growth.