Modern men are much more interested in their appearance than ever before, as well as showing an increased need for uniqueness in order to construct their own sphere and pursue differentiation from others. Besides, changes in life style and the aesthetic sense are causing men to pursue various kinds of clothing benefits so that they want a suit with characteristics beyond the stereotyped design and style. They have started to be actively engaged in clothing purchases, forming a driving force for the growth of the male suit market. Hence, this study has significance in that it offers data conducive to consumers’ custom suit purchase by reviewing data on the present condition of the custom suit market and bespoke suits. In addition, it aims to give a summary on the theoretical bases of preceding studies, including the need for uniqueness, pursuit of clothing benefit and concern for the appearance of male consumers, as well as examining the factors that influence on their bespoke suit purchase intentions. Accordingly, this work intends to construct a basic environment for consumers to approach the custom suit market easily and pave the way for male suit markets through offering marketing data and information that is helpful for custom suit-related markets.

Generation X and baby boomers represent a significant group that are willing to spend. According to the American Express Open Forum (2013), baby boomers in America between the age 49 and 65 are more in favor of spending than any other consumer group. The Hyundai Research Institute (2015) stated that the market size for baby boomers will increase over 18% annually in Korea. Equally important is generation X, because this group is also reaching a high-earning stage of their lives (Luxury Daily, 2011). Further, they are predicted to take the place of baby boomers as a cash cow for marketers (American Express Open Forum, 2014).This lucrative demographic of baby boomers and generation X is a potential gold mine. Despite the fact that these groups are showing such interest in spending, brands and retailers are not giving them the same amount of attention. While more middle-aged women want to dress more youthfully, retailers and brands are not evolving their products at the same pace (USA Today, 2008). They are finding it difficult to find a solution to meet the needs of this aging but youthful group (USA Today, 2008). Brands such as Chico’s and Ann Taylor are not providing the styles that the women want, so boomers turn to younger brands such as Abercrombie & Fitch, H&M, and Forever 21 (Forbes, 2008). But the younger brands are not satiating their needs, either (Forbes, 2008). While the boomers and generation X are harnessing fashion economic control, the players in the market are lagging behind. To understand what the market must do to meet the apparel needs of baby boomers and generation X, it is pivotal to delve into how they feel about their age and how it affects the factors that influence their purchasing. According to Schiffman and Sherman (1991), aging is more of a state of mind than a physical state. Understanding older consumers through cognitive age (self-perceived age) has been done by many researchers (Sudbury & Simcock, 2009; Szmigin & Carrigan, 2012). Cognitive age indicates how older people view themselves in the context of aging. Barak and Schiffman (1981) stated that elderly respondents identified themselves as a younger age group when they were asked about their age-related feelings and actions. Equally important is understanding how cognitive age affects the physical self, which in this study, is body cathexis. Body cathexis, according to Labat and DeLong (1990), is “the evaluative dimension of body image and is defined as a positive and negative feeling towards one’s body.” While women may feel younger than they actually are, the body is inevitably aging. As Jang and Yoo (2011) reported after studying Korean women in their 40s and 50s, the correlation between cognitive ages and ideal body images were significant, and the younger they feel, the younger body images they desired. In addition, the physical self highly influences a person’s choice of clothing and how they perceive clothing in general (Kwon & Parham, 1994). When clothing is used in a positive manner, it can boost one’s self-confidence (Alexander, Connell, & Presly, 2005). It is also thought to be an extension of the physical self (Horn & Gurel, 1981). By understanding what middle-aged women seek when buying clothes, we can assume how satisfied they are about their body. Thus, the clothing benefits items and purchasing behavior of middle-aged women would most likely reflect the function of their clothing and how they perceive themselves.

The purpose of this study is to compare the purchase intention on naturally dyed clothing between Korea and the US. As independent variables that affect the purchase intention, benefits that consumers seek when purchasing naturally dyed clothing, especially for fabric materials, and attitudes towards naturally dyed clothing were selected. A quantitative research method with a survey was employed. 160 data from Korea and 180 data from the US were used for the analysis. The convenience sampling method (i.e., college female students) was used. Descriptive statistics, factor analysis, t-test and regression analysis were employed to test the differences in purchase intention, fabric benefit sought, and the attitudes. The fabric benefit sought selected for this study includes eco-friendliness, uniqueness, aesthetic, comfort and quality. The attitude toward naturally dyed clothing was categorized as an emotional and a cognitive attitude. The results show the significant differences in the fabric benefit sought depending on nationality, major and experiences in natural dyeing. Significant differences were found in of the attitude toward naturally dyed clothing among the nationalities and the experience types in natural dyeing. In addition, there were significant differences in purchase intention toward naturally dyed clothing between Korean and the US participants, and countries show different fabric benefits and attitudes which influenced participants' purchase intention. The results of this study suggest an appropriate fabric planning for environment-friendly fashion products for both countries.

This study aimed to provide the basic data of the establishment of marketing strategies by dividing consumer groups in accordance with the pursuit of clothing benefit, and then understanding the importance of clothing selection criteria in those groups, whether there are any differences in it between groups, and whether there are any differences in preference of clothing color depending on the mood state of those groups. The scale of this study was comprised of the pursuit of clothing benefit factors, clothing selection criteria factors, and the factors related to preference of clothing color by each mood state. In the results of the analysis, the factor most considered when male and female consumers in 20s~30s purchase clothing was fitting, and followed by convenience, stable shape, condition, design, and others' reaction in order. However, those 'design', 'convenience', 'others' reaction' and 'condition' factors were significantly different between groups. Therefore, the significance of this study is that fashion brands could develop new positioning maps for marketing and promotional strategies based on the pursuit of clothing benefit shown in this study.