Pattern Preference Analysis of Black-and-White Plaid Shirts

Abstract

The market economy has shifted the decision-making power of the garment industry from the enterprise to the consumer. Research on consumer clothing preferences is an essential part of sustainable development of the garment industry. Based on data statistics from eight fast fashion brands, black and white are most commonly used in two-color plaid shirts. This paper carried out a psychophysical experiment to investigate factors affecting pattern preferences for black-and-white shirts and the differences and similarities between male and female pattern preferences. Twenty-eight different representative patterns of plaid shirts were selected by five fashion designers together from 190 different black-and-white plaid shirts from eight fast fashion brands, which were then classified into three categories: gingham, tartans, and windowpane. Based on these patterns, 28 male and female shirts were simulated in three dimensions and presented on a calibrated computer display. The simulations were assessed by 42 observers (consisting of 21 males and 21 females) in terms of four semantic scales, including light–dark, delicate–rough, simple–complex, and like–dislike. The experimental results revealed that there was no significant difference of pattern preference between females and males for 89.29% of the black-and-white plaid shirts, and also described features of the patterns that the females and males liked or disliked. Furthermore, the study also demonstrated the formulation between the four semantic scales and three pattern features (including the percentage of black region, the size of the minimum repeat unit, and the descriptor of the pattern complexity). The findings could be used to develop a more robust and comprehensive theory of pattern preferences and provide a reference for pattern design for black-and-white plaid shirts. More comprehensive pattern preference theory is not only an effective tool to solve the problem of plaid shirt inventory in the garment industry but also an important theoretical basis for the “sustainable design” of clothing, which is of great significance to the sustainable development of the garment industry.

A United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals perspective for sustainable textile and apparel supply chain management

“…Sustainable design means to use more eco-friendly materials, patterns and techniques to design apparel, when comparing with the traditional apparel design ( Kozlowski et al, 2018 , Jiang et al, 2018 , Maldini et al, 2019 ). The concepts of design for disassembly, design for recycling, and design for environment are also new approaches for sustainable design ( Liu et al, 2019 ).…”

Perception and Preference Analysis of Fashion Colors: Solid Color Shirts

“…The intention of sustainable design is to "eliminate negative environmental impacts completely through skillful, sensitive design" [4]. Jiang et al mentioned in previous studies that the "sustainable design" clothing strategy can be summed up in three ways: (1) sustainable design based on a material foundation aims at reducing the use of materials and optimizing the use of materials, and it intuitively reflects the ecological concept of environmental protection; (2) sustainable design based on conveying specific ideas uses emotional design methods to sensibly convey sustainable ideas to consumers; and (3) sustainable design based on life cycle considerations aims at prolonging clothing usage and service life [5]. It was also mentioned in the study that the third method was the easiest to implement and could be achieved in a short period of time.…”

“…Because of size, style, color, seasonality, and other factors related to clothing products, a large number of products are often produced to meet the needs of customers, resulting in inventory. The product backlog not only occupies the company's operating capital but also increases the company's management and profit costs, reducing the company's overall profits, and it is also an obstacle to the sustainable development of the garment industry [5]. By understanding the preferences of consumers, the design and production of clothing enterprises can reduce undesirable clothing and, thus, reduce inventory [5].…”

“…The product backlog not only occupies the company's operating capital but also increases the company's management and profit costs, reducing the company's overall profits, and it is also an obstacle to the sustainable development of the garment industry [5]. By understanding the preferences of consumers, the design and production of clothing enterprises can reduce undesirable clothing and, thus, reduce inventory [5]. Sun et al also mentioned that sales forecasting plays an increasingly important role in decision support systems for market competition and globalization in the apparel market [8].…”

Influencing millennials to embrace sustainable fashion in an emerging market: a modified brand avoidance model perspective

“…The fashion industry is increasingly under pressure to embrace sustainability principles in order to enhance environmental citizenship status (Jiang et al, 2018;Peters et al, 2021). In this regard, a transition from fast fashion to sustainable fashion is imperative (Kozlowski et al, 2018).…”