Individuals use material possessions such as clothes as a means to express their individual predispositions, values and position in their social environment (Kaiser et al., 2001). Evidence indicates that various individual differences such as hormone levels, body image perception and a cosmopolitan orientation influence clothing choices (Eisenbruch et al., 2015, Frith and Gleeson, 2004, Gonzalez-Jimenez, 2016). Moreover, body satisfaction, body mass index and trait self-objectification determine if individuals choose clothes for specific purposes such as fashion, comfort or camouflage (Tiggemann and Andrew, 2012). However, while these studies have made an important step towards understanding the influence of individual characteristics on clothing choices, there is a lack of studies that investigate the role of individuals’ materialist tendencies and propensity to engage in social comparison. We extend prior research on clothing choices by examining the associations between individuals’ materialist tendencies and social comparison propensity with sought clothing functions (i.e., fashion, comfort, etc.). Findings show that materialist individuals seek clothing for specific functions such as fashion, individuality and assurance, while avoiding clothes designed for comfort. Individuals’ propensity to engage in social comparison is linked with choosing clothes for fashion, individuality and assurance, but not for camouflage and comfort. Our study confirms that materialism and social comparison drive individuals to seek very specific clothing functions. Specifically, findings suggest that individuals use specific clothing types as a medium to establish their position in a social environment and to express their materialistic tendencies. Gender influences the tested relationships.

• Hector Gonzalez-Jimenez(University of York, UK)
• Sujin Song(Korea University, Republic of Korea)