Consumers around the world are increasingly categorized by parallel needs and similar longings which lead to an ever-more homogeneous global market (Chan, Li, Diehl & Terlutter, 2007; van Ittersum & Wong, 2010). The acceleration of global consumer assemblies has concurred with the occurrence and upsurge of global citizens and consumer cultures (Gao, Mittal & Zhang, 2015). Yet, many researchers still claim that cultural differences have to be considered to grasp buying customs of global (fashion) consumers (Tahmid, 2012). The rationale of this paper is to balance out this research gap and to contribute to the current debate of global vs. local (Cleveland, Papadopoulos & Laroche, 2011; Askegaard, Arnould & Kjelgaard, 2005; Arnett, 2002) fashion consumer lifestyle segments with joint or divergent dominant apparel purchase motivations. Motivational factors influencing apparel purchase behavior can be separated into rational, emotional (perceptional) and patronage motives (Diamond, 2005). In the main, Sproles & Kendall´s consumer characteristics approach (1986) provided the conceptual foundation of the present study of fashion consumption motivations (fashion referred to as apparel & clothing), partially modified to suit the peculiarities that mold fashion consumption. The total of 23 motivations is made up of 15 multi-item scales and 8 single items that complement the fashion-specific range of motivational drivers. Especially referring to fashion purchase motivations, countries like Germany and Austria (despite their prosperous market economies) have so far been markedly neglected and even for France, although universally recognized as the leading country for fashion, in-depth research on motivational parameters shaping individual shopping activities is scarce. Likewise, investigations on American (a nation with intense spending capacity) fashion purchase motivations are extremely seldom. The objective of this paper is threefold and expressed through the following three research questions: (1) What are important lifestyle cluster characterized by central fashion motivations? (2) Can representatives for each cluster be found in all countries? (3) Are there country specific differences which point to either global or local fashion consumer segments? The predefined set of fashion consumption motivations was put to test via an online quantitative consumer survey. The questionnaire was delineated in three languages, using a translation-back translation procedure and was thoroughly pre-tested. Altogether, 693 non-student individuals (482 females, 211 males; from 18 to 87 years of age) participated in the survey, equally distributed across countries, ages and gender among the four nations (despite the fact that quota sampling was used). Subjects were asked to evaluate the total of 23 fashion consumption motivations on a 7-point Likert scale. A factor analysis was conducted for each of the established multi-item scales (with a CA value of mostly above .70). Measurement Invariance (Steenkamp & Baumgartner 1998) across the four countries was assessed. Subsequently, a cluster analysis was carried out using the Ward algorithm, incorporating all 23 fashion consumption motivations to acquire a more detailed description of the consumer segments. Five consumer clusters were extracted through Elbow criteria: (1) pragmatic, socially-conscious, brand loyals (n= 195), (2) sustainable fashion shoppers (n=127), (3) detached fashion disinterested (n=128), (4) passionate, luxury-status fashion-leaders (n= 107), and (5) experiential fashion adventure-seekers (n=136). Country-wise, significant differences are manifested between the consumer segments, X²(12, 693) = 69.12, p=.000. Findings portend that consumers in all research countries can be allocated to one of the five clusters. This condition leads to the clear presumption that global consumer fashion consumer segments do exist. Nonetheless, some national divergences become evident. Particularly if a fashion brand or company intends to address a target group affiliating to the consumer cluster 1: pragmatic, socially-conscious, brand loyals, cluster 2: sustainable fashion shoppers or cluster 3: experiential fashion adventure-seekers, national differences need to be taken into consideration. Markedly, a pragmatic positioning appears to be most auspicious to target American and also French consumers whereas a sustainability and ethnocentric orientation seems to be substantially promising to reach German and also Austrian consumers, demonstrating that a complete standardization of a fashion firm´s positioning through the transnational appeal of dominant consumption motivations seems not yet to be advisable. Further implications, limitations and directions for future research are available upon request and will be addressed more thoroughly at the conference.
Fresh attention is being paid to lifestyle brands offering differentiated contents and value such that the 21st century is now being called the age of global lifestyle. Recently national income has been increasing and a broad lifestyle culture has been established. Thus, brands with Scandinavian (Sweden, Denmark, or Norway), culture sensitivity, and design have deeply permeated the domestic market which has led to a domestic consumers' lifestyle trend (Chung& Park, 2004; Kwon, 2013; Magnus & Chrystin, 2003). In particular, such global lifestyle brands as Marimekko (Finland), CathKidston (UK), and Muji (Japan) have secured competitiveness in the global market as textile products which reflect its country's cultural identity (Lee& Park, 2014).
Meanwhile, a new word, Hanban (韓版)which refers to Korean brands or products that were created from the Korean wave (韓流), which refers to Korean dramas or songs. Korean culture has been commercialized and grafted into various industries. In particular, a strong wind of Hanban in fashion cultural products not only has spread the Korean lifestyle to the world, but has enhanced its influence on related industries as well as fashion. Although certain major Korean companies launched lifestyle brands such as Jaju, Modern House, Butter, and Pum to help realize a Korean lifestyle brand business, most products sold in Korean lifestyle brands focus on overseas imported goods,so it is difficult to find Korean images on these products(Bang, 2004; Lee & Chung, 2013).
The size of the lifestyle market is growing as a high value-added industry that can lead consumers' lifestyle trends, and there is a growing interest for Korean fashion cultural products. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to attempt to develop textile designs for Korean-made high value-added products with the improvement of Korean brand values.
For study methodology, the status of lifestyle brands at home and abroad was examined and textile designs were developed for lifestyle brand B. For the development of the textile designs, demand required by brand B was researched and a textile design concept was established based on fashion and interior decoration trends. Then, a textile was designed using a motive that can effectively represent the identity of brand B and the Korean image. Adobe Photoshop 6.0 and Adobe Illustrator CC programs were used for the standardized textile design motif, pattern development, and colorway.
The results were as follows. First, global lifestyle brands such as Marimekko, CathKidston, and Muji sell differentiated lifestyle products from other brands by applying motifs and colors which symbolize their country's and city's cultural image on textile products and displaying their own identity and peculiarity. On the other hand, Korean lifestyle brands such as Casamia, Hanssem, Kosney, and Art Box do not plan or produce their own design, but will import and sell foreign textile fabric or textile products with high recognition, or copy imported fabric. Thus, their textile design is unsatisfactory to express their own identity and satisfy consumers' needs.
Second, as to the development direction required by brand B, a Korean lifestyle brand, the focus was to first, 'design American and European products using colors and techniques which reflect Korean image trends', Second, to create a 'design with Scandinavia's peculiar simplified line and sensitive color', and finally, to make a 'flower pattern design with good sustainable market feasibility'. Based on the direction and 2015 S/S color and textile trends, three concepts were established: Global Tribe, Bunny in the Wonderland, and Beyond Nature. Global Tribe is a folk paintin g(Minhwa) representing the Korean image well, and was reinterpreted in a modern sense. Bunny in the Wonderland is a modern Scandinavian style design using a rabbit, a symbol of brand B, as the main motif. Beyond Nature used a flower motif in various expression techniques and images. A textile design was developed by extracting from a folk painting, a rabbit, and a flower motif and standardizing a motif in watercolor, pen, and graphic techniques. It was digitalized by a scanner and a pattern was made via the steps of color adjustment and repetition. Three kinds of textile designs were developed according to three concepts and four kinds of colorways were made for each design.
This study attempted to develop a textile design as Korean-made high value-added textile products. It is meaningful to suggest textile design with Korean cultural images and brand identity. Further study will focus on the development of fashion cultural products and DIY products to commercialize developed textile design.