ITAA-KSCT Joint Symposium

Different Ethnicities With Different Fashion Preferences, or One Nationality With Similar Fashion Preferences Today?

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Abstract

Many researchers have proposed the acceptance and respect for heterogeneous characteristics/ behaviors among diverse races/ethnicities/cultures and suggested the adoption of business strategies for different races/ethnicities/cultures. However, recent research noted that consumers with different cultural backgrounds, especially the younger generation, have shown homogeneous behaviors. The purpose of this study is to examine whether consumers with different cultural backgrounds show heterogeneous or homogeneous preferences towards fashion products. This quantitative research found out that the majority of participants from four different ethnic groups showed similar shopping orientations and similar preferences in most fashion attributes, in contrast to the previous literature. Further, the second survey examined whether four ethnic groups chose the fashion styling selected for their own ethnicity by an AI-based styling app. When showing four different styling groups together, all ethnic groups chose the same specific styling as their favorite, which can be interpreted as that participants chose the attractive styles regardless of their ethnic backgrounds and favorite fashion attributes. Marketers and educators are recommended to consider the homogeneity of today’s young consumers' psychographics (i.e., fashion preferences in this study) while respecting the diversity/heterogeneity of demographics.

Keywords: AI Styling App, Diversity, Ethnicity, Fashion Preference, Inclusion, Shopping Orientation

How to Cite:

Kim, S., (2022) “Different Ethnicities With Different Fashion Preferences, or One Nationality With Similar Fashion Preferences Today?”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 78(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.13447