Controlling fashion waste throughout the entire product lifecycle is critical in a circular economy. This study explored the possibility of establishing a public recycling system for fashion waste. Since consumer interests and participation are essential, theoretical research, social-text analysis, and quantitative research were conducted to identify consumers’ perceptions of the public recycling of fashion waste and circular fashion. Data were collected via an online survey among women in their 20–30’s living in Korea, and 304 samples were used for data analysis. The results were as follows. First, consumers’ perceptions of recycling fashion waste were composed of recycling difficulty, the need for public recycling, and the need for EPR. Circular fashion perception comprised favor, environment protection, attractiveness, economics, quality and hygiene risks, and lack of diversity. Second, the reuse-recycle attitude and need for EPR affected the favor of all types of circular fashion products. Third, environmental concerns impacted attractiveness, and the favor significantly affected the purchase intention of all types of circular fashion products. In particular, quality and hygiene risk negatively affected the purchase intention of used-fashion products, while attractiveness positively impacted the purchase intention of upcycled-fashion products. The results implied that discussing the public recycling system of fashion waste and EPR policy is imperative. The results also showed the need to classify different types of circular fashion products, such as used, upcycled, and regenerated fashion items, to examine consumers’ perceptions. In addition, the recycling of the fashion waste scale developed in this study could be used for further research.

This study aimed to identify sub-dimensions of the authenticity and fictionality of a brand story and analyze the effects of authenticity and fictionality on customer-based brand equity. Data were obtained from a group of 213 males and females in their 20s and 30s living in Korea using an online survey institute. Results showed that the authenticity and fictionality of a brand story are composed of reality, excitement, exaggeration, fictional symbolism, influence, sincerity, relativeness, mysteriousness, and unreality. Of these, sincerity, excitement, reality, influence, and mysteriousness had significant effects on brand imagery; sincerity particularly exerted a relatively more substantial influence on brand imagery. Also, influence, mysteriousness, excitement, and relativeness impacted performance positively, and exaggeration impacted performance negatively. This indicated that a well-constructed brand story with authenticity and fictionality had a positive impact on the brand image. Excitement, mysteriousness, reality, relativeness, sincerity, and influence of a brand story had significant effects on brand judgement. In contrast, only excitement and influence positively impacted brand feelings, and unreality had a negative impact on feelings. The exciting and influential brand story impacted brand attitude. Also, brand image and attitude positively impacted sharing and purchase intention, while brand performance did not affect recommendation intention. These findings contribute to identifying a brand story’s attributes, authenticity, and fictionality and provide insights for marketers on creating brand stories to increase brand image and attitude and to build customer-based brand equity.

This article examined the historical evolution of changes in the democratization of fashion, identified its characteristics, and defined ‘fashionocracy - fashion democracy’- by analyzing various phenomena in the global fashion industry. This research will expand the field of fashion research and spark academic debates about fashion democracy. The democratization of fashion can be summarized in five periods; birth, introduction, early growth, growth, and maturity. The characteristics of the democratization of fashion include individual autonomy, accessibility that many people can access and enjoy, and diversity. According to the principles of democracy- “of the people, for the people, by the people” - which are based on freedom and equality, we have achieved fashion of the people and for the people so far. Furthermore, social media has shifted the balance of power to influencers and bloggers; as such, the masses who have consumed and enjoyed fashion democratization are becoming producers and promoters by actively participating in the process of making fashion, creating a new era of fashion democracy (fashionocracy): - by the people. Ultimately, fashionocracy consists of the ‘6P’s’ ; people (active and productive consumers), planet (society and environmental sustainability), products (genderless, ageless, inclusive), price (reasonable), place (multi-channel distribution, virtual spaces), and promotion (horizontal).

Social Network Services (SNS) have become a vital means of shopping, significantly influencing consumers’ purchases of fashion products. The aim of this study was to identify bandwagon consumption among fashion consumers and to analyze the effects of bandwagon consumption on negative emotions, purchase discontinuation, and switching intention. A survey questionnaire was developed, and data were obtained from 285 female consumers in Korea aged in their 20s and 30s who had experienced guilt, regret, or disappointment after purchasing fashion products using SNS during the previous six months. The survey results indicated four different types of bandwagon consumption: intentional, impulsive, unintentional, and planned. The presence of negative emotions such as guilt, disappointment, and regret were affected by different types of bandwagon consumption. Intentional bandwagon consumption only affected guilt, while unintentional bandwagon consumption affected both guilt and disappointment. Impulsive bandwagon consumption affected guilt and regret; however, planned bandwagon consumption only affected regret. Furthermore, negative emotions affected purchase discontinuation and switching intention. Planned bandwagon consumption had an effect on both purchase discontinuation and switching intention, while both impulsive and unintentional bandwagon consumption influenced switching intention only. Intentional bandwagon consumption had no effect on either purchase discontinuation or switching intention. The results of this study indicate that SNS consumers’ bandwagon consumption causes different negative emotions, purchase discontinuation, and switching intention.

This study identified fashion consumers disposal behavior and analyzed the effects of consumers pursuing values in disposal, environmental awareness, and sustainable fashion consumption attitudes in regards to fashion disposal behavior. A survey questionnaire was developed and data were obtained from 460 consumers in their 20's to 50's in Korea who had experienced fashion disposal behaviors during last 12 months. As a result, there were four different fashion disposal behaviors such as economical, practical, and social disposal as well as hoarding behaviors. Consumers pursuing values in disposal affected fashion disposal behavior. Practical and economical values had positively impacted economical disposal and hoarding behaviors. While hedonic value had a negative impact on economical disposal behavior, it had a positive impact on social disposal behavior. Also, environmental-social values had positively impacted practical and social disposal behaviors. Fashion-related environmental knowledge had positively impacted economical and practical disposal behaviors and PCE affected social disposal behavior, while environmental concerns had a negative impact on economical disposal behavior. Consumers attitude toward usedfashion items, fashion recycling, and fashion innovativeness affected all of fashion disposal behaviors. Although hoarding behavior has been an under researched area, the finding implied that hoarding behavior was affected by consumer's pursuing value in disposal and sustainable consumption attitude. Also, environmental-social values and attitudes toward used-fashion items would induce practical disposal behavior such as reuse by alteration or reform. Consumers economical and hedonic values can promote donations or exchange/resale of unwanted fashion items, which can lead to sustainable consumption.