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There are numerous design principles that can guide strategic decisions and determine good product design. One principle that has received considerable attention in the literature is the MAYA principle, which suggests that consumers seek a balance of typicality and novelty in products. The purpose of this paper is to test the MAYA principle specific to various categories of apparel. By drawing from the MAYA principle as a two-factor theory, the effects of specific aesthetic properties (i.e. typicality and novelty) of apparel products on consumer response were examined.

An experimental design in three phases was implemented.

Results revealed that typicality is the primary predictor of aesthetic preference relative to pants and jackets, while both typicality and novelty are significant predictors of aesthetic preference relative to shirts, suggesting that the MAYA principle better explains aesthetic preference relative to shirts.

Understanding consumers’ reactions to product design provides potential value for academics as well as practitioners.

Consideration of both aesthetic properties is needed when implementing the MAYA principle in apparel design.

Although studies have examined the MAYA principle relative to consumer products, few have examined how the principle operates relative to apparel products. The definition of a design principle, such as the MAYA principle, assumes that the logic proposed should apply to all types of products. Yet, this empirical study reveals that this is not the case when applied across different apparel categories.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the individual and joint effects of collative design factors, complexity and novelty, on aesthetic response to apparel products; and whether the influence of these factors is moderated by consumers’ centrality of visual product aesthetics (CVPA).

A mixed factorial experimental design, using women’s tops with design complexity and novelty (high vs low) manipulated orthogonally, was conducted among 260 female participants to test the model and its corresponding hypotheses.

Consumers’ aesthetic response was more positive for high than low complexity and novelty apparel designs. Further, when viewed in combination, high complexity + low novelty and low complexity + high novelty apparel designs were favored over high complexity + high novelty and low complexity + low novelty apparel designs, respectively. High CVPA consumers were more distinguishing than low CVPA consumers with respect to novelty in apparel designs.

This study suggests that firms need to be aware that complexity and novelty are crucial for consumers when judging apparel designs.

This study fills an important knowledge gap in the aesthetics literature by drawing on the processing fluency theory and Wundt curve and considering the joint effect of novelty and complexity, both critical determinants of a product’s marketplace success.

The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a classroom assessment aimed at determining the extent to which key sustainability competencies develop in students during an introductory transdisciplinary sustainability course.

The paper summarizes three previously identified key sustainability competencies and describes teaching methodologies used in the introductory course described here to foster these competencies in students. The development of these competencies over the course of one semester is assessed using a pre‐/post‐test based on case analyses. The implications of these findings for academic sustainability programs are discussed.

Based on the assessment used here, the sustainability competencies developed differently in students with different disciplinary affiliations as a result of the introductory sustainability course. Business majors did not improve any of the key competencies, sustainability majors improved systems thinking competence only, and sustainability minors who were majoring in another traditional discipline improved all competencies.

The paper contributes to undergraduate sustainability education by shedding light on how sustainability might best be incorporated into specific academic programs. This information may help create more effective sustainability courses and academic programs, which may maintain the viability of current sustainability programs and promote the institutionalization of sustainability in higher education in general.

Examines the tenth published year of the ITCRR. Runs the whole gamut of textile innovation, research and testing, some of which investigates hitherto untouched aspects. Subjects discussed include cotton fabric processing, asbestos substitutes, textile adjuncts to cardiovascular surgery, wet textile processes, hand evaluation, nanotechnology, thermoplastic composites, robotic ironing, protective clothing (agricultural and industrial), ecological aspects of fibre properties – to name but a few! There would appear to be no limit to the future potential for textile applications.

The paper aims to provide an overview of the area of digital pattern developing for customized apparel.

The paper outlines several methods of digital pattern developing for customized apparel, and discusses the principles, characters and applications. Digital pattern developing process has two paths. One path develops apparel according to traditional 2D pattern‐making technology. There are three methods: parametric design, traditional grading technique, and pattern generating based on artificial intelligence (AI). Another path develops pattern through surface flattening directly from individual 3D apparel model.

For parametric method, it can improve greatly the efficiency of pattern design or pattern alteration. However, the development and application of parametric Computer‐Aided‐Design (CAD) systems in apparel industry are difficult, because apparel pattern has fewer laws in graphical structure. For grading technique, it is the most practical method because of its simple theory, with which pattern masters are familiar. But these methods require users with higher experience. Creating expert pattern system based on AI can reduce the experience requirements. Meanwhile, a great deal of experiments should be conducted for each garment with different style to create their knowledge databases. For 3D CAD technology, two methods of surface flattening have been outlined, namely geometry flattening and physical flattening. But many improvements should be done if the 3D CAD systems are applied in apparel mass customization.

The paper provides information of value to the future research on developing a practical made‐to‐measure apparel pattern system.

The objective of this study is to investigate how country risk, different political actions from the government and bureaucratic behavior influence the activities in industry supply chains (SCs) in emerging markets. The main objective of this study is to investigate the influence of these external stakeholders’ elements to the demand-side and supply-side drivers and barriers for improving competitiveness of Ready-Made Garment (RMG) industry in the way of analyzing supply chain. Considering the phenomenon of recent change in the RMG business environment and the competitiveness issues this study uses the principles of stakeholder and resource dependence theory and aims to find out some factors which influence to make an efficient supply chain for improving competitiveness. The RMG industry of Bangladesh is the case application of this study. Following a positivist paradigm, this study adopts a two phase sequential mixed-method research design consisting of qualitative and quantitative approaches. A tentative research model is developed first based on extensive literature review. Qualitative field study is then carried out to fine tune the initial research model. Findings from the qualitative method are also used to develop measures and instruments for the next phase of quantitative method. A survey is carried out with sample of top and middle level executives of different garment companies of Dhaka city in Bangladesh and the collected quantitative data are analyzed by partial least square-based structural equation modeling. The findings support eight hypotheses. From the analysis the external stakeholders’ elements like bureaucratic behavior and country risk have significant influence to the barriers. From the internal stakeholders’ point of view the manufacturers’ and buyers’ drivers have significant influence on the competitiveness. Therefore, stakeholders need to take proper action to reduce the barriers and increase the drivers, as the drivers have positive influence to improve competitiveness.

This study has both theoretical and practical contributions. This study represents an important contribution to the theory by integrating two theoretical perceptions to identify factors of the RMG industry’s SC that affect the competitiveness of the RMG industry. This research study contributes to the understanding of both external and internal stakeholders of national and international perspectives in the RMG (textile and clothing) business. It combines the insights of stakeholder and resource dependence theories along with the concept of the SC in improving effectiveness. In a practical sense, this study certainly contributes to the Bangladeshi RMG industry. In accordance with the desire of the RMG manufacturers, the research has shown that some influential constructs of the RMG industry’s SC affect the competitiveness of the RMG industry. The outcome of the study is useful for various stakeholders of the Bangladeshi RMG industry sector ranging from the government to various private organizations. The applications of this study are extendable through further adaptation in other industries and various geographic contexts.

This study aimed to gain an in-depth and contextualized understanding of what impacted Scheier's commitment to addressing the apparel challenges of people with disabilities (PWDs) and how moral duty may have played a role in developing the adaptive design innovations used in the first-of-its-kind adaptive children's wear line.

To achieve this goal, the study used the duty orientation (DO) theory and the social model of disability (SMD) theory to conduct a case study investigating Mindy Scheier's commitment to addressing the apparel challenges facing PWDs.

The result of the case study revealed three dominant themes that aligned with the DO theory: (a) duty to all PWDs, (b) duty to sacrifice and fight against all odds and (c) duty to solve the apparel challenges facing PWDs. Using the DO and the SMD theories, the themes illustrated how moral duty impacted Scheier's sacrifice and feeling of personal responsibility to address and solve the apparel challenges facing all PWDs.

This study demonstrated how the DO theory contextualized the launch of adaptive apparel into the mainstream fashion industry and how the apparel industry seems to have transitioned from a medical model of disability approach to an SMD to address the apparel needs of PWDs.

The purpose of this paper is to develop and implement a new sustainable apparel design and production model, cradle to cradle apparel design (C2CAD), that provides guidelines for apparel designers and manufacturers to solve some of the sustainability problems related to apparel production.

The C2CAD model was developed by integrating McDonough and Braungart's “cradle to cradle” model into existing apparel design and production models. Knitwear design and production was used to implement the C2CAD model as a proof of concept. The performance and cost of the C2CAD knitwear were evaluated.

The C2CAD model has four main steps: problem definition and research; sample making; solution development and collaboration; and production. Following the four steps and with an international collaboration similar to current apparel industry practices, “Four‐season sustainability” children's knitwear prototypes were developed. Produced with an acceptable manufacturing cost, the products have good mechanical and color fastness performance.

The C2CAD model provides practical guidelines for apparel designers and manufacturers and allows them to address all three pillars in sustainable development: economic development, social development, and environmental protection.

The C2CAD is the first apparel design and production model that emphasizes sustainability in addition to functional, expressive, and aesthetic considerations. The production process of “Four‐season sustainability” children's knitwear demonstrated the implementation of C2CAD model in sustainable apparel design and production.

This research was designed to generate inductively distinguishable clusters of ethnic apparel consumers; theoretical propositions describing these clusters were intended as a comparative benchmark for further research as a guidance for marketing of ethnic apparel to definable consumer segments. Data were collected from a nationwide mail survey (n = 348) of ethnic apparel consumers. Clothing benefits, attitudes toward alternative trading organisations, beliefs about world issues, personal values, patronage commitment, and demographic characteristics were measured. Consumer clusters were formed and analysed through principal component, cluster, MANOVA, ANOVA and chi square analysis. Two distinguishable clusters emerged with salient differences relative to creativity and individuality, culture‐specific versus pancultural focus, body size and camouflage, interest in fashion, hedonic experience and design complexity. Recommendations for further research and for marketing to multiple consumer segments were offered.

The aim of this research is to explore how religiosity (RG) could influence the Islamic apparel brand personality (IABP) dimensions, and to determine the degree to which IABP, attitude (ATT), subjective norms (SN) and purchase intention (PI) are influenced by RG. In addition, this research attempts to investigate the significant relationship between IABP and the components of the theory of planned behavior in the apparel industry in Egypt.

This research adopts a quantitative research method to provide insights relating to relationships between variables. The research data were collected through a conducted survey of Muslim females in Egypt. A convenience nonprobability sampling technique for data collection was used. To achieve the research purposes, confirmatory factor analyses, reliability and validity tests and structural equation modeling were adopted.

The research results show that RG has a positive significant relationship with ATT, SN and PI of Islamic apparel. Moreover, it was that only ATT has a positive significant influence over the PI of Islamic apparel unlike SN and Perceived behavioral control (PBC). Results also found that there is a positive relationship between IABP with ATT and SN. However, the relationship between RG and IABP was not statistically supported.

The research provides practical implications for brand managers, designers and producers in the Islamic apparel sector on how to increase PIs by extending IABP as well as for Egyptian policymakers. The practical implications include the possible approaches that stakeholders of Islamic apparel brands need to address while promoting, and this will influence marketing strategies in general and branding specifically.

This study extends our understanding of consumers’ Islamic apparel purchasing intentions using TPB to determine its rationale. Unlike other studies, this study operated RG and IABP to assess their influence on Islamic apparel PI in Egypt.