Design Elements and Consumer Characteristics Relating to Design Preferences of Working Females

Abstract

My study was designed to investigate the effect of design elements and consumers’ personal, psycho-social, job-related, and physical characteristics on business jacket design preferences of working females. A self-administered questionnaire including visual stimuli was mailed to 1,500 randomly drawn working females across the U.S. The sample consisted of 265 respondents who wore business jackets to work at least once a week. Repeated measures ANOVA, Least Squares Means, and the Solution option of SAS/STAT® were utilized. Clothing design elements and their interrelationships affected consumers’ evaluations of design attractiveness. In addition, personal characteristics (i.e., age and ethnicity), psycho-social motivation (i.e., ability to modify self-presentation and self-monitoring), and physical profile (i.e., figure type) affected consumer design preference. The findings can be strategically implemented into apparel design and purchase scheme by apparel manufacturers and retailers.