• International Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.77-83
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• 2006

The ability to customize garments for fit in the apparel industry is directly tied to the availability of comprehensive and accurate sets of anthropometrical data for each consumer. The data for apparel sizing systems is available from three major standard/ research organizations: ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials), ISO (International Standard Organization), and NCHS (National Center for Health Statistics). However, these standards ignore various head shapes and are outdated for the development future head products. This creates a data gap an ever changing multi-cultural society such as the United Sates. Although major government and industry safety organizations recognize the importance of safety for head products, few studies were found to support their reasoning. The purpose of this study is to provide accurate head dimension data for developing safety head products by analyzing various head shapes in the United Sates which includes various ethnic backgrounds. This study was carried out on 105 males in the United States. Factor analysis, cluster analysis, Moreover, Duncan analysis were all used for analyzing various head shapes.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.378-385
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• 2017

Background: The present rapid shift of industrialization from developed to developing countries requires developing countries to understand issues related to work organization, management, and working conditions. There are many factors slackening production, of which working conditions is part. A complete inquiry into the workers' working conditions can enable managements to reduce risks in the workplaces and improve productivity. Understanding and awareness of the benefits of workplace research and a probe into the working conditions in the Ugandan apparel assembly plants are urgently required. Methods: A total of 103 (70 women and 33 men) workers from five different plants were interviewed. Together with the top management of various plants, questionnaires about the workers' opinions of their physical working conditions were prepared. Data was collected using two methods: (1) questionnaire; and (2) observation of the workers during their work. Results: The results indicated that poor plant working conditions were mainly contributed by the workers' social factors and the management policies. Conclusion: The government, together with the management, should work to improve the working conditions in the apparel assembly plants, as it greatly affects both.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.1-8
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• 2024

Unwanted effects of electrostatic phenomena occur in various industries. Electrostatic problems originating from the human body in flammable atmospheres in the industry are especially concerning. A substantial volume of experimental data on the electrostatic charging voltages created on the human body owing to the rubbing of apparel were generated and reviewed during this study. The data were reviewed to determine whether the resultant charging levels of the human body are hazardous in flammable atmospheres. This study was conducted under several conditions, such as different fiber types used in apparel, shoe types, and relative humidities (RHs). The following conclusions were drawn in this study. ① The electrostatic charging levels of the human body owing to the rubbing of apparel increase with the increase in the surface resistances of apparel; however, the electrostatic charging levels may be different depending on the condition of the cloth surface. ② The discharging energy of 1.98-18.5 [mJ] from the human body exceeds the minimum ignition energy of most flammable materials, when removing an overcoat made of polyester, cotton and wool under severe conditions such as wearing height-raising shoes for men. ③ When removing antistatic apparel, the maximum discharging energy of 0.128 mJ from the human body is dangerous if the minimum ignition energy of the flammable material is between 10^-5-10^-4 [J] Grade; however, a minimum ignition energy of 10^-3 J Grade of the flammable material is considered safe. ④ While wearing antistatic shoes, the electrostatic charging voltage generated in the human body when removing an overcoat is 30 V; therefore, wearing such shoes is a suitable countermeasure when handling flammable materials. However, the antistatic abilities of shoes reduce when thick socks are worn. ⑤ As RH increases, the electrostatic charging levels of the human body decrease. ⑥ The electrostatic charging levels of the human body from removing a cotton overcoat can ignite the majority of flammable materials when RH is less than 30% under severe conditions such as wearing height-raising shoes for men.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.330-342
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to investigate the equity formation of private apparel brand according the service quality of TV home-shopping. A questionnaire was designed for the survey and the subjects were 383 female adults in Seoul and the Kyongnam province, Korea. The statistical analyses were carried out in the forms of frequency, factor analysis and path analysis of SPSS WIN 14.0. The findings throughout the research are as follows; First, the underwear sets and single item apparel sets with private brand had been well sold at better price. Second, the service quality of TV home shopping was perceived as the four factors of safety, contents, informative faculty and reliability. The reliability and contents factors had higher effects on the equity formation of private apparel brand. Third, the brand image, perceived quality, brand recognition as the cognitive dimension had influenced on the hedonic and utilitarian attitudes. The hedonic attitude and perceived quality had a great deal influence on the purchasing intend as the last behavior dimension.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.377-388
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• 2014

There have been a lot of studies about overseas factory location in order to meet various needs of industries according to the international economic developments. However, most of the studies were written about generic theory for general industries or mainly concerned to high capital industries. This study is focusing on the sewing and apparel industries which represent labor intensive and small-medium type of enterprises. For this study, AHP(Analytic Hierarchy Process) methods were applied to make proper analysis after wide range of survey to clarify determinants which provide a guidance for overseas factory location. As a result of the analytical researches done in the thesis the most important which should be taken consideration while determining of overseas factory location for sewing and apparel products industry are as follows - economic factors(0.569), geographic factors(0.171), social and cultural factors(0.157), regulations and institutional factors(0.103). In the last, S company is examined for example to show how this determinants have practically been applied.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.924-937
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• 2015

This study surveyed the recognition and credibility of infant's organic cotton apparel and examined the current quality of children's organic cotton clothes available in the market. This study contributes to improve fabric certification programs and safety standards by understanding customer opinions and actual quality. A customer survey revealed that customers believe that organic cotton products should not include chemicals such as pesticides, fluorescent whitening agents and chemical colors; in addition, customers have high expectations for safety as well as worries about the products' validity. Children's underwear was the most purchased item category among organic cotton products. Current organic cotton certification programs are voluntary with multiple organizations that provide various certification standards. A total of 34.2% of children's organic cotton clothes sold at online and offline stores were not certified, and 10.5% had invalid certification information. This may substantially lower the credibility of organic cotton products and requires immediate change. Examination of organic cotton products showed that products do not meet customer expectations for quality and safety: 3 out of 8 products used accessories (buttons and wappens) that include harmful chemicals such as lead, phthalate and formaldehyde, 6 products used fluorescent whitening agents, and 4 products used other fabrics such as rayon, polyurethane and polyester. GOTS mark is the most recognized organic certification, but it still allows the usage of fluorescent whitening agents, which indicates a gap between customer opinions and actual certification standards. Managing national-level mandatory certification programs like food and setting quality standards that meets customer expectations are required to enhance the credibility of organic cotton products.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.503-518
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to illustrate the design of safety suits based on energy-harvesting technology, particularly targeting street cleaners who must work at night with high mobility. The design focuses on applying lightweight energy-harvesting tools and illuminant into the wear. The design development reflects feedback from testers collected via survey constituting a key methodology. The development process has two main stages. Each stage uses a process of design prototyping, internal examination, test sampling, test wearing, and wearers' feedback via survey that consists of questions on visibility, wearing convenience, and washability. The first stage results show the design of safety suits with energy-harvested LED illuminant inserted and the survey results collected from street cleaners dressed in 4 sample and 80 actual suits in total. Improved based on the first-stage survey results, the second stage designs the suits with detachable energy-harvested EL tape. From these 5 sample and 30 actual second-stage suits, the additional survey indicates that this second-stage design facilitates more visibility and convenience in washing and wearing than the first-stage design. Accordingly, one can expect that this new design can apply not only to safety suits for night workers but also to handicapped or outdoor sportswear applications in the future.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.61 no.8
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• pp.57-72
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• 2011

The purpose of this research is to develop a safe and convenient wearable technology wear for bikers. For this, we studied the current usage of two-wheeled vehicles and have also researched the rate of accidents and its causes. We then used them along with previous studies in terms of visual perception as factors to decide the crucial elements of the riders' apparel. Case studies and the break down for the established prototypes for bikers were practiced as well. Based on this process, a survey was conducted to find out the needs of the bikers in the areas of both apparel and technology and then proceeded to produce the appropriate design and device modules. In the apparel sector, the result of the survey indicated that it was considerable that any digital devices were not shown to sustain a natural visible look. It also was essential that the materials were durable and made for safety and easy movement. In the digital function sector, it was significant that a motion input interface which will be embedded into the wear was needed to avoid any dangerous situations. This would ensure the safety of not only the rider but the surrounding riders as well. Lastly, protecting the rider's skin from any harmful elements was regarded necessary as well. Based on these requirements, a new prototype was created and will be tested if the requirements stated above are all met and will be evaluated according to the effectiveness of its functions.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.63-74
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• 2023

As "Made in Korea" has high branding power in the fashion industry, domestic clothing manufacturers also need to consider branding the country of origin. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to reconsider the need for a domestic certification system and suggest a direction by analyzing apparel origin certification systems operating overseas. The results of this study could be used for planning certification standards and operating methods suitable for regional characteristics and industrial environments when establishing a certification system for clothing produced in Korea. The case study subjects were Japan's J∞ Quality, USA's Made in New York, Italy's 100% Made in Italy, and France's Origin France Guarantee has been classified as certification criteria related to the country of origin include items related to the production process rate in the region and the production area for each production process/stream. Manufacturing technology and design are used for quality standards, safety, hygiene compliance, production facilities, and quality control and are applied to working environment standards. The certification system selects and operates standards according to each country's industrial environment, certification subject, and purpose. Therefore, when designing a domestic apparel certification system, a feasible promotion plan should be established that considers the current state of the domestic industry, which will serve as a driving force for the growth of the apparel manufacturing industry and an opportunity to increase the trust of global fashion consumers.

• Proceedings of the Safety Management and Science Conference
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• 2009.04a
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• pp.309-320
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• 2009

Today, Advertisement affects the daily consumption life of consumers because of the features and advantages of advertisement. In particular, and so does the TV advertisement. Therefore, customer education is required for the consumers so that they can lead a rational consumption through TV advertisement quality. In addition, with the introduction of the many new-born distribution channels, the recent market environment in apparel industry is changing, and the service and image of store types consumers can choose are increasing. The purpose of this research is to offer basic data which can help consumers to acquire necessary information and conduct rational consumption through TV advertisement. Also purchasing behavior of consumers communicate, feels of consumers about store image, TV advertisement quality of what is the attitude of the relative influence presents.