The development of an emotion-based (or affect-based) apparel design system has become an important issue nowadays due to the customer’s increased demand for apparel products not only in the aspect of function but also of aesthetics or affect/emotion. This paper presents a study on developing a mapping from affective words to design parameters. The technique employed to develop this mapping is neural networks (NNs). Both linear NNs and higher-order NNs were applied. An example was taken to illustrate and validate the developed mapping. There are two main contributions from the study. The first is that this mapping is the first in the domain of apparel design, and with it, the computer-aided affect-based design for apparel becomes possible. The second one is the provision of some empirical knowledge for the evaluation of so-called higher-order NNs.

This paper describes initial investigation of ideas for developing and refining current haptic parameters and interfaces for use in the textiles and related industries. A simple force-feedback mouse has been programmed to represent some of the more obvious tactile issues in fabrics. An evaluation study has been made of five different fabrics, and numerical values have been assessed for tactile parameters according to a new set of semi-quantitative descriptors. The results are discussed, and are displayed as a demonstration.

Purpose: the focus of this study was on exploring the application of psychological research methods (as yet not applied) in the fashion arena. The aim of this project was to quantify, formalise and explore the causal relationships between clothing style, preference, personality factors, emotions and mood with a view to better understand the psychological profile of the fashion consumer. Design Methodology/approach: using a uniformly composed sample of females, explorative, quantitative research was carried out. Two sets of questionnaires were administered to the sample to examine emotion, mood and personality before trying on a set of eight garments categorized according to style, and again after to examine emotion and mood while wearing each outfit. Photographs of them were taken wearing each of the outfits. They then ranked the eight outfits into order of preference. SPSS analysis identified relationships and preference indicators. Findings: the results indicated strong relationships between mood and significant relationships between three out of five personality factors and clothing style preference; mood was a significant predictor of preference, whilst personality was moderate. Research limitations/implications: the research methodology necessitated lengthy time commitments from the participants and therefore limited the sample size making generalization difficult. Based on the findings, the research requires further exploration of methods for practical application with a larger sample size. Practical implications: personality, emotion and mood were shown to be managed and reflected through clothing with implications for assistance in consumer clothing decisions, service training, and strategies for personal shoppers, market segmentation and design. Originality/value of the paper: the methodology derived from a combination of research methods coupled with actual wearing experience, previously not studied together. This is original and demonstrates how important this combination is to fully appreciate the psychological profile of the fashion consumer.

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The aim of the study was to quantify and explore the causal relationships of appearance management through an analysis of one's own clothing and wearing experience, namely clothing preference, personality factors, emotion and mood, newness, familiarity of one's own clothing, and social interaction. Explorative quantitative and qualitative research was carried out using a uniformly composed sample of 10 size 12 females. A personality questionnaire was completed a short while prior to the study. A 10 day 'wearing diary' was administered to record where and when outfits were worn. Two questionnaires were completed measure emotion and mood, prior to changing into clothing (a daily baseline), and when they were wearing or changed clothing (dynamic mood). Qualitative information was recorded and included their thoughts and feelings other than the questionnaires, along with photographs that were taken by participants. Preference, social and newness ratings for each outfit worn were recorded after the 10 day period. SPSS analysis identified relationships and linear regression analysis identified preference indicators. Thematic analysis identified 9 themes regarding the management of mood, personality and social factors when wearing one's own clothing. The results indicated strong relationships between emotion, mood, personality and preference and how much newness and different levels of social interaction influence these factors. Participants tended to match their mood and personality with their clothing choices but in some cases also compensated. This research recognises the value of consumer psychological processes involved in appearance management, and has implications for further research into product involvement, post-purchase behaviour and retail strategies for personal shoppers.