This study analyzes the expressive characteristics of fashion design through sensory experiences, focusing on the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s exhibition Sleeping beauties: Reawakening fashion. It aims to explore the creative and innovative potential of fashion design that utilizes sensory experiences while proposing new directions for future fashion exhibitions and the design field. The research scope includes 220 garments and accessories featured in the exhibition. Based on theoretical considerations and case studies, this research classifies and examines fashion design characteristics from the perspectives of olfactory, tactile, visual, auditory, and multi-sensory experiences. The findings indicate that olfactory experiences enhance emotional engagement by integrating fragrance with storytelling, while tactile ones increase immersion through fabric texture and structural elements. Visual experiences strengthen aesthetic appeal and narrative through various digital technologies and lighting effects, while auditory ones convey the emotional messages of fashion design using sound and music. Additionally, multi-sensory experiences combine multiple sensory elements to provide viewers with an immersive, multidimensional experience. This study confirms that sensory experiences expand the creative possibilities of fashion design and suggests new exhibition strategies that integrate sustainability and digital technology. Beyond simple stimuli, sensory experiences foster emotional connections and contribute to enhancing fashion design’s artistic and cultural value. Therefore, this research highlights the importance of integrating sensory experiences with creative approaches and technological convergence to amplify the social and artistic impact of fashion design.

Shopping at bricks-and-mortar stores is considered highly experiential. An ability to experience and physically interact with a product is a key benefit of shopping at offline stores. In an online shopping context where sensory experience is absent, researchers have looked at how mental imagery as an alternative to in-store sensory experience impact consumer decision-making (Yoo & Kim, 2014). However the role of mental imagery has been largely overlooked in the context of offline store shopping. While it is true that shopping at offline stores facilitates sensory experience, evidence from cognitive neuropsychology literature supports that visual perception impacts visual mental imagery (Bartolomeo, 2002). Therefore, it is reasonable to posit that sensory experience in stores is related to mental imagery. Yet the relationship between actual sensory experience and mental imagery in the context of store shopping has not been studied. To fill a gap in the current literature, this study aims to examine the process by which sensory experience and mental imagery facilitate purchase decision-making in the context of offline stores. Based on the model of recursive relationships among consumers’ emotional, cognitive, perceptual and behavioral responses (Scherer, 2003) and a review of previous literature, this study posits that actual sensory experience and mental imagery related. It is further posited that both actual sensory experience and mental imagery influence consumers’ affective (anticipatory emotion) and cognitive responses (e.g., decision satisfaction, perceived ownership and decision satisfaction). This study employed an online survey in Korea. Apparel shoppers who shopped and purchased apparel at brick-and-mortar stores during the last six months were recruited. To facilitate a retrieval of in-store experiences, a series of questions about their specific shopping trip and purchases were asked at the beginning of survey. The current study consists of measurements adopted from the existing literature with adequate reliabilities. All the items were measured using a 7-point Likert-type scale. A total of 455 respondents completed the online survey questionnaire. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were examined to assess reliabilities of the measures, and reliability coefficients were acceptable for all constructs (.78 ~ .92). Results of the SEM revealed that all the model-fit indexes exceeded their respective common acceptance levels, suggesting that the proposed model fitted the data well (2 = 627.38, df = 175; NFI = .92; IFI = .94; CFI = .94; RMSEA = .075). All the direct relationships among variables were significant except for the effect of sensory experience on perceived ownership, the effect of mental imagery on decision confidence, and the effect of perceived ownership on behavioral intention. This study provides new insights into consumer in-store shopping experiences and theoretical and practical implications. Sensory experience and mental imagery are complementary in facilitating consumer in-store shopping experiences. In addition to the importance of sensory experience, this study provides empirical evidence to support the vital role of mental imagery in the context of in-store shopping. Visualizing a situation through vivid mental imagery combined with actual sensory experience will lead consumers to positive shopping outcomes. Further research is warranted to better understand how to optimize actual sensory experience and mental imagery to offer excellent in-store experiences.