As the spread of the health and wellness trend continues worldwide, many consumers are spending much time on sports activities and expressing their individuality through sportswear. This study analyzes the trade networks of major exporters and importers of athleisure wear to provide an exporting policy for Korean apparel companies. As a result, The USA was found to import the most athleisure wear. On the other hand, China had the largest number of athleisure wear exports, and India’s exports, which are becoming increasingly important as apparel producers were notable. Next, using the concept of the centrality of social network analysis, it was found that the USA was the largest importer and the center of athleisure wear’s export network, but its influence has decreased gradually since 2010. China has the highest out-degree and betweenness centrality and center in the export of athleisure wear. The centrality of Asian countries such as India and Vietnam has increased. In Korea, the import of athleisure wear has increased greatly, but the export of athleisure wear has continuously decreased. Korea has less price competitiveness than other developing countries in Asia, but many Korean athleisure wear clothing brands are now attracting popularity not only in Korea but also in other countries with their excellent technology and design. In the future, the exporting policy of Korea’s athleisure wear should focus on high value-added and differentiated products.

As the next generation of smartphone and tablet computers, wearable devices are currently being developed and available in market in various forms. Smart clothing is a wearable device that holds the greatest potential for future development but low in market penetration. This study was designed to identify factors that influence adoption and diffusion of smart clothing. In-depth interviews with potential consumers who were knowledgeable about and interested in smart clothing were conducted. A semantic network analysis method was used. The results showed that consumers perceived smart clothing as a garment rather than as a type of wearable device and had a positive perception of smart apparel as more convenient and advanced than functional apparel. At the same time, however, consumers had a negative perception of smart clothing as unnecessary, ugly, and injurious to health. Consumers also worried that wearing smart apparel over long periods of time would negatively impact their health. Factors affecting resistance to smart apparel included low utility, perceived risk, and lack of aesthetic completeness. Usefulness and convenience were factors that affected the acceptance of smart clothing. The innovativeness of the product was more influential than consumer innovativeness in the process of adoption and diffusion of smart clothing.

People tend to maintain and express their individuality in unique ways. Consumer’s need for uniqueness is defined as an individual's pursuit that differentiates themselves from others, thereby developing and enhancing their personal identities. This study examined the effect of consumers’ need for uniqueness on fashion orientation and consumption values. Data were collected through a questionnaire survey distributed to people visiting the fashion show center during Seoul Fashion Week. The survey questions were designed using the 5-point Likert scale and Cronbach’s α value of questions was reliable as .628-.862. The study’s results indicate that people with high need for uniqueness are very interested in fashion and think that is important to be well-dressed. In addition, the results suggest that people with high needs for unusual choices who enjoy challenging the prevailing taste of people want to be fashion leaders and are attracted to products that express their personality well. And people with high needs for creative choices and incompliant choices value their own satisfaction and happiness with the products. On the other hand, consumer’s needs for incompliant choices have a negative effect on social value. As a result, people with high needs for incompliant choices would break social norms rather than consider social status and reputation when they purchase fashion products. The concluding section of the paper discusses the implications of this research for fashion companies.