The objective of this study was to develop a fashion therapy program for improving body image and self-esteem among male workers. Accordingly, the demand for fashion therapy programs was examined by conducting a literature review, survey, and in-depth interviews with men working in the Daegu and Gyeongbuk areas. The results are summarized as follows. The fashion therapy program followed a framework of “introduction-development-final” and was 60 minutes in length, for four sessions (one per week). The contents of the program consisted of a study of the participants’ appearance and any concerns they had about their body in Session 1. In Session 2, differences in image perception were examined according to color coding of menswear and personal color. Session 3 comprised understanding what styling is required to supplement men’s body shape and what style is suitable for each participant. The content of Session 4 determined how to build social performance or positive image using nonverbal elements. Overall, this study has great significance in that it has developed a study on fashion therapy program originally applied for psychological treatment with women that has been adapted as a program to help improve positive emotions and social competitiveness of male workers in an office environment.

This study proposes the use of fashion as a tool of psychotherapy for individuals feeling social and psychological pressure due to society’s emphasis on appearances. The concept of fashion therapy was re-established, and theories (cognitive behavioral therapy, person-centered therapy, solution-focused brief therapy) founded on art therapy were introduced. Based on past research, this study developed a process for fashion therapy.

In this study, it is explored the effect of fashion therapy on depression, positive emotion, negative emotion, appearance interest, body satisfaction, self-esteem, and self-efficacy of female patients. Eight cancer patients and 12 general patients participated in the 4-week fashion therapy program. When comparing results before and after the fashion therapy, depression and negative emotions were significantly decreased while positive emotions and self-efficacy were significantly increased. There was no significant influence on appearance interest, body satisfaction, self-esteem, and self-efficacy. In group comparison, significant changes were observed in depression, positive emotion and negative emotion regardless of groups. However, cancer patients indicated a significant improvement in self-efficacy compared to general patients who did not whereas patients with a high level of depression showed a significant enhancement on body satisfaction compared to patients with a low level of depression. Also, patients with a low level of pain indicated a significant improvement on self-esteem and self-efficacy compared to patients with a high level of pain. Perceived effect and satisfaction of the fashion therapy were relatively high. Study results may positively contribute to building a knowledge and experimental base of fashion therapy that is widely applicable to diverse parties for the future.