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The purpose of this paper is to explore garment consumption decision processes of female consumers when they have the option to sew or purchase their clothing.

This research study presents a segment of the findings from a larger qualitative grounded theory study on women who choose to sew clothing for themselves (Martindale, 2017). This research analyzed the interview data pertaining to the unique sew or purchase decision-making process in which these consumers undertake as well as the related control over ready-to-wear consumption that sewing provides them.

The ability to sew resulted in a unique consumer decision-making process in regard to the clothing purchases due to the control it provided them over their ready-to-wear consumption. The women developed factors that they used to make the decision to sew or purchase. Over all the ability to sew provided them the option to sew or purchase clothing, allowing the women more control over their clothing selection specifically in regard to the garments body fit.

This study was limited to English-speaking women living in the North America. The qualitative data collected are specific to this sample which cannot be generalized to all female home sewers. Research involving a larger population of women from a larger geographic area is needed.

The newly developed sew or purchase model provides an understanding of the control that having the option to sew or purchase provides female consumers. The findings offer apparel industry professionals a new perspective on ready-to-wear consumer dissatisfaction. The investment that is made when a garment is sewn instead of purchased has the potential to increase wardrobe sustainability as the consumer experiences more attachment to the clothing they have made. The model serves a starting point for further exploration into other craft-related consumer decision behaviors.

Purchasing decisions of this nature have yet to be considered in published research. Exploring these women’s decisions who operate outside of typical consumer culture and developing a model for this consumer behavior explains a phenomenon not yet addressed by existing consumer consumption research.

In today's marketplace, successful branding requires building strong bonds with the consumers, by creating favorable, strong and unique brand associations in consumer minds. This study aims to identify the role of functional (perceived quality) and symbolic brand associations (personality congruence and brand prestige) in creating brand loyalty in the ready‐to‐wear sector from the perspective of Generation Y consumers.

The research employs a structural equation modeling method based on data collected from 564 individuals born between 1977 and 1994. Turkey is chosen as the context of the study based on the fact that the ready‐to‐wear sector is one of the leading sectors in the country and about 30 percent of the population are Generation Y consumers.

The findings of the study reveal that perceived quality has a direct positive effect on brand loyalty, suggesting appearance and product quality perception are critical in the preferences of Generation Y consumers. Personality congruence and brand prestige, on the other hand, have an indirect positive effect on brand loyalty with the mediation of appearance and product quality.

The practitioners in the sector should devote special attention to appearance quality together with product quality, and construct a high quality and prestigious brand image with the personality traits of sincerity, competence, and excitement.

This study has contributions to branding, ready‐to‐wear, and Generation Y literature combining several important dimensions into a structural model, and examines the interrelationships among these dimensions as well as their effect on brand loyalty.

This study examines the impact of servitization in the form of repair and maintenance services on consumers' quality perceptions, purchase intentions and recommendation intentions while considering consumer frugality as a moderator in the retail ready-to-wear sector.

A quantitative approach based on consumer research was pursued. Study 1 tested the research model using a fictitious ready-to-wear brand within an experimental design. To increase the generalizability of results, Study 2 retested the model with a well-known ready-to-wear brand. For both studies, regression, mediation and moderation analyses were conducted in SPSS.

Both studies showed that servitization positively influences perceived quality. Servitization positively affects purchase intentions and recommendation intentions indirectly via the mediating role of perceived quality. Frugality moderates the relationship between servitization and perceived quality for the fictitious brand (Study 1), whereas it is not significant for a well-known ready-to-wear brand (Study 2). Servitization positively influences perceived quality regardless of consumers' frugality levels for a stronger brand.

This study suggests and tests an original conceptual model that relies on signaling theory. It is among the first studies to examine the impact of servitization on retail fashion consumers' quality perceptions and consequent purchase and recommendation intentions. This study also contributes to the literature by presenting empirical findings based on consumer research on servitization while considering frugality as a moderator.

Bundling products with additional services can contribute to quality perceptions and consequently to purchase and recommendation intentions for ready-to-wear brands.

The concept of developing clothing sizes has taken importance in recent years due to increasing expectations of consumers for branded clothing and its value in terms of fit and durability. The kids’ ready-to-wear brands are expected to pose the least fit issues, thereby covering a wider population of a particular size. This necessitates the standardization of measurements. The lack of standardized approaches has caused fit issues like mismatching of sizes and alterations, in a heterogenous consumer market, like India. The performance of branded apparel depends on the quality of the measurements considered in developing sizes and the approach for standardization. There is a lacuna in the measurements used by the kids’ apparel domestic brands. This study aims to propose an anthropometric approach for deriving quality measurements that can be used effectively in developing kids’ sizes to fit a wider population of kids, thereby reducing the need for alterations.

The measurement data was gathered through the quantitative method. An anthropometric survey was conducted by measuring school kids. A total of 544 kids (girls and boys) of age group 6–8 years were measured to obtain prime anthropometric measurements required for ready-to-wear apparel production. WHO manual and ISO 8559, 1998 meant for anthropometry survey for garment industry was referred for accurate measuring following the landmarks for measuring.

The findings revealed differences in the anthropometric measurements based on gender and age. The anthropometric measurements showed variations within the same body mass index (BMI) range. S, M and L sizes were identified within an age group. The apparel manufacturers and designers need to focus on the discrepancies occurring in the body measurements of an age group to address and control fit issues in kids ready to wear apparel.

The anthropometric approach can be significantly used to control undesired fit and comfort issues in kids’ ready-to-wear apparel.

This study helped to understand the importance of scientific measuring practices to arrive at standardized measurements to develop sizes in ready-to-wear apparel manufacturing.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the current challenges to making individualized men’s dress shirt adjustments, and devised a novel measurement method to assess shoulder shape.

To understand the common complaints about ready-to-wear dress shirts, a wear evaluation with 15 Japanese males was performed. The shoulder components of these shirts could not be adjusted using any currently available measurement methods. The three-dimensional body shape of two subjects who had a problem with the shoulder of ready-to-wear shirts was compared with a dummy designed to represent the average Japanese male.

The authors determined that one of the subjects with an incompatible shoulder fit had a shoulder point (SP) line that was anterior to the one measured on the average dummy. The other subject had a smaller shoulder angle than the average dummy. To effectively measure the wearer’s shoulder characteristics, the authors devised a new measuring device that can measure the shoulder angle and its degree of forward thrust. With this device, it was possible to understand the wearers’ shoulder types and make appropriate dress shirt adjustments.

The authors devised a new measuring device to assess shoulder angle and forward thrust, qualities that previously could not be measured without three-dimensional analysis. Using this device, it was possible to understand the wearers’ shoulder types and make appropriate dress shirt adjustments.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the relationships between consumers' body types and characteristics such as shopping orientation, past experience with fit problems, attitudes toward internet shopping and attitudes toward 3‐D body scanning.

This study collected body data from 441 Korean females who participated in 3‐D body scanning. Using a hierarchical cluster analysis, the body scanning identified five body types. Then body types and shopping characteristics variables were analyzed.

Slim respondents showed significantly higher hedonic shopping orientation and their attitude to internet shopping was positive, since they evaluated using the internet as being “fun”. By contrast, respondents with larger body types considered the convenience of internet shopping to be the most important feature. Respondents, regardless of their body types, regarded 3‐D body scanning as an enjoyable, futuristic and interesting experience. Moreover, respondents showed a high inclination to spend more money for customization services which utilize the 3‐D scanning technique.

This study analyzed Korean females' body shapes using 3‐D scanned body measurements. This study can contribute to integrate knowledge in the body measurement sector and the consumer behavior sector.

This paper uses the criteria for defining market segments by George Day to analyse older females as a market segment for well‐fitting clothing. This market can be identified by the physical characteristics of older females and their chronic dissatisfaction with ready‐to‐wear. The growing proportions of older consumers and their life expectancy render this market substantial and durable. Retail trade statistics and family expenditure surveys can be used to measure the market segment. Research pertaining to older females' behaviour towards clothing is limited; therefore, the distinctiveness of older females as a market segment for clothing is far from conclusive. Research implications include clothing expenditures and the behavioural dimension of older consumers.

This study aims to probe customers’ expectations and explore discrepancies across various domestic kids’ ready to wear (RTW) apparel brands for measurements, fit, shape and labelling/nomenclature.

Data were collected through qualitative and quantitative methods. Interviews were held with the consumers to understand their perceptions and expectations with the kids’ wear brands for measurements, fit and labelling. The approach had a twofolded purpose of addressing the consumers’ dissatisfaction and the apparel manufacturer’s perspective.

The results indicated that 87% of consumers gave importance to well-fitted apparel. The apparel brands considered for the study showed inconsistency and discrepancies in the measurements, leading to consumer dissatisfaction and frustrations.

The findings of the study may be useful for fashion academia, kids RTW apparel manufacturers and designers who can relate to the role of standard measurements and the varying body shapes in RTW apparel. They can work closer to develop innovative practices focusing on the fit challenges in kids RTW apparel.

The implication of the lack of any standard measurement for Indian kids for apparel is well-established in the study.

The purpose of this study was to assess the body characteristics (body size, garment sizes worn, shape and body satisfaction) of Ethiopian young adult female consumers and their effects on garment fit satisfaction and fit preferences of ready-to-wear garments such as T-shirts, blouses/shirts, skirts and jeans trousers.

Through a structured questionnaire, 418 usable responses were collected from young female university students. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multivariate ANOVA (MANOVA) were used to examine differences in garment fit satisfaction with the body characteristics of the respondents. Moreover, a multiple regression analysis was used to determine the effect of body characteristics and fit satisfaction on fit preferences in four of the ready-to-wear garments.

The body shapes of above half of the respondents were either bottom hourglass or spoon. The respondents were somewhat dissatisfied with the fit of the ready-to-wear garments, and above 70 per cent of them faced fit problems on average. BMI showed significant fit satisfaction differences in four of the garments, while garment sizes worn were significant only in skirts. However, no statistically significant difference was obtained with body shape. The effect of body characteristics and fit satisfaction on fit preferences was found significant in T-shirts and jeans trousers. The respondents preferred looser shirts and skirts irrespective of their body characteristics.

The paper is unique in comprehensively examining the relationship between body characteristics and garment fit satisfaction and their effects on fit preferences in selected garments in the context of female consumers in a developing country.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a guideline in the methodology of measuring the head toward the establishment of ready-to-wear (RTW) hijab sizing for Malaysian market.

This paper discusses the methodology for measuring facial dimensions in order to create facial anthropometric database for Malaysian women age between 18 and 30 years old.

Variety of RTW hijab measurement with non-standardized sizing system together with the support of respondent’s response from online survey due to their experience when wearing RTW hijab.

This paper fulfill the need in standardized sizing system either in RTW hijab or head sizing system in Malaysia.