Fashion Design Commons^™

Exposing Racism In Fashion: How Black Women Navigate Societal Beauty Standards, Re'nae Dillard '21

Honor Scholar Theses

Throughout American history, Black women have been treated as the most inferior group. Social status is dependent on race, gender, and economic status. These factors contribute to overall social hierarchies. Whiter skin tones are more desired than darker tones. The fashion industry perpetuates white desirability while also displaying Black women as undesirable and inferior. The fashion industry is dominated by white males, and white women are the representations within fashion. Fashion, therefore, is a reflection of the white male’s ideal world: desirable white women, submissive Black women, and very few Black men. Black women however are changing the narrative within …

Appropriation Of Artisans' Intellectual Property In Fashion Design Accessories: Piracy Disguised As Giving Back?, Clovia Hamilton

Technology & Society Faculty Publications

Creative industries are industries focused on the creation and exploitation of intellectual propert, including art, fashion design, and related creative services, such as advertisement and sales. During a trip to Burkina Faso in \Nest Africa, Keri Fosse was taught by an African woman how to wrap newborns with fabric in a manner that creates a strong bond and frees the mother's hands for other tasks. Burkina Faso has a craft culture and is known for its woven cotton and the textile art of Bogolan. Bogolan is a technique original to Mali and involves the tradition of dyeing threads with bright …

The Textile Industry: A Deep Look Into The Environmental Impacts Of Fast Fashion, Jordan Miller

Honors Theses

The purpose of this research was to understand the detrimental effects the textile industry has had on global environments and ecosystems across the globe. The textile industry for many years has continued to disregard the current acceleration of global warming and other environmental crises, and it is time the fashion industry holds itself accountable for these actions and takes a change in a new, more sustainable future. With proper education of the environmental pollution the textile industry has made, young consumers will be able to make the change necessary for businesses to develop more sustainable habits for the future production. …

An Evaluation Of Sustainability In Consumption: The Behaviors Behind Purchase, Care, And Disposal Of Apparel, Ana La Rosa

Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Fashion trend cycles have become increasingly fast-paced and unsustainable due to competition and consumer demand in the apparel sector. Despite having sustainable apparel choices available, consumers seem reluctant to adopt sustainable changes in their consumption habits due in part to the market allure of rapid turnover of goods, better known as ‘Fast Fashion’. Paired with aggressive marketing campaigns that encourage increased consumption beyond need, the apparel industry keeps expanding at alarming rates around the world. Although it has been identified that consumers increasingly care about the unethical behaviors in the industry that negatively impact the environment, this feeling does not …

Sensable: A Comprehensive Exploration Of Designing For Sensory Interaction To Create Dynamic & Inclusive User Experiences In The Context Of Sustainable Fashion, Emma Comtois

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Often, the default in interaction design is to focus on visual interactions, but this leaves a lot to be desired when people can’t interact with those experiences because of an impairment. This approach is further limited when there are singular experiences for all users. To combat this, I completed an exploration of how to design sensory interactions using a combination of motion, visual and voice design, partnered with artificial intelligence to create expansive, accessible experiences. To give this exploration real-life context, I created a series of journeys for users who want to learn about sustainable fashion, an industry with a …

Millennials' Acceptance Of Voice Activated Shopping, Katelyn Nicole Sorensen

Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The rise of voice technologies has changed the way individuals complete tasks and interact with their devices. Retail companies are now offering voice features to shop for products, but there is a gap in literature about consumers’ acceptance of using voice technology to make purchases. Previous studies have compared the different brands of voice technologies, investigated privacy issues, or explained the acceptance of voice technology. Millennials’ acceptance and shopping through voice technologies have not been researched before. Kääriä (2017) calls for future studies to focus on voice technologies, since the technology is constantly improving, and new forms are entering the …

Emotional Branding Speaks To Consumers’ Heart: The Case Of Fashion Brands, Youn-Kyung Kim, Pauline Sullivan

Human Sciences Faculty Research

In this highly competitive market, fashion brands struggle to distinguish themselves to increasingly apathetic consumers. To become more competitive, fashion retailers employ emotional branding as a way to engage their customers, addressing the growing trend of consumers’ seeking emotional relationships with a brand. Although brand technicalities such as product attributes, features, and facts may be unmemorable, personal feelings and experiences better shape consumers’ evaluations of brands. This study illustrates why emotional branding is essential, especially to fashion brands, when developing brand strategies in a volatile marketplace. Trends that support a need for these strategies include consumers’ desires for positive experiences, …

Waste Size: The Skinny On The Environmental Costs Of The Fashion Industry, Elisha Teibel

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

The fashion industry is a web of complex global markets currently valued at $3 trillion that employs somewhere around sixty million people worldwide and is estimated to be one of the most labor-intensive industries on the planet. Over the past couple of decades, the industry has evolved into a highly fragmented sector with complicated supply chains and completely unstandardized production practices, which vary by factory and by country. The most significant facet of the fashion trade is the clothing and textile industry. The current total value of the clothing and textiles trade is estimated at $726 billion and a staggering …

Development And Marketing Of A Repurposed Textile Product For Homeless Individuals In Northwest Arkansas, Mckenna Whitaker, Beau Broyles, Lindsey Stone

Apparel Merchandising and Product Development Undergraduate Honors Theses

Growing concerns over waste disposal methods have led to a greater focus on recycling efforts in the textile industry. Second only to the oil industry, the textile industry continues to be one of the most wasteful among leading businesses around the world and determining ways to repurpose fashion materials could be a reasonable solution to this growing problem (Dobilaite, V., Mileriene, G., Juciene, M., & Sacevičienė, 2017). In addition to alleviating disposal issues, repurposed materials could serve the humanitarian needs of local communities, and even more importantly, could specifically benefit homeless populations. The purpose of this project was to design, …

Is Fast Fashion A Concern Of The Everyday Teen?, Mariah N. Cruz

Student Research Symposium

The phrase “fast fashion” refers to getting clothes at extremely low costs to keep up with the newest fashion trends. When we purchase items, we don’t put much thought into where our clothing goes after we “get rid” of them. The saying “Out of sight, out of mind” is apparent when it comes down to consumers and letting go of old clothes. Our only concern as consumers is the next big thing. The fashion industry has drastically changed over the past two decades and trends play a huge role in this push for mass production. We as a society are …

An Evaluation Of The Quality Of Mens 100% Cotton Jersey Knit T-Shirts Representing Three Retail Categories, Jeanne Oakes Badgett

Theses and Dissertations--Retailing and Tourism Management

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the quality of design, materials, construction, appearance, and performance of mens 100% cotton jersey knit t-shirts from three retail categories: mass merchant, fast fashion, and better. These retail categories were represented by brands Fruit of the Loom, H&M, and Brooks Brothers, respectively. A convenience sample was comprised of 78 t-shirts. 13 white and 13 navy t-shirts from each brand were used for testing according to ASTM and AATCC standards and specifications. Evaluations and measurements were conducted before washing, and after one, five, ten, and twenty laundry cycles. The t-shirts were evaluated for …

Learning Styles Of Students Enrolled In Fashion Classes: Academic Level, Geographic Region, And Major, Harrison Qiu, Diana Saiki, Alyssa Dana Adomaitis

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

An Examination Of "Lookism" In Scholarly Literature, Diana Saiki, Alyssa Dana Adomaitis, Gundlach Jessica

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Jean Genie

SIGNED: The Magazine of The Hong Kong Design Institute

Koyo William is now an internationally recognised fashion designer with his own label, but his story began at the HKDI, where he first understood the power of creativity and jeans that fit in all the right places.

Caring For Creativity

SIGNED: The Magazine of The Hong Kong Design Institute

From August to October this year fashion retailer Joyce showcased four new designer brands selected by HKDI. The pop-up boutique project at PMQ was called "Talent Shop" and aimed to provide young designers with a concrete business platform to showcase their work.

East Meets West

SIGNED: The Magazine of The Hong Kong Design Institute

A unique fashion shoot involving young designers from Hong Kong and Belgium took place at HKDI in February. Linda Van Waesberge directed the shoot and shared her insights into the contemporary fashion industry with Daisy Zhong.

Fashioning Desire At B. Altman & Co.: Ethics And Consumer Culture In Early Department Stores, Tessa Maffucci

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

We live in an age of fast fashion. Clothing is produced in greater volumes than ever before and the lifecycle of each garment keeps getting shorter and shorter. Many items are manufactured to be worn only one time and then thrown away—as disposable as a cup of coffee. There is much to be learned about our current fashion ecosystem by looking into the past. Beyond the garments themselves we must understand the larger historical and sociological context in which these articles of clothing were produced. How does the shopping environment shape the buying habits and fashion trends of an era? …

Developing An Attitudinal Model Of Collaborative Consumption: Moderating Effects Of Consumer Traits And Situational Factors, Alyssa Dana Adomaitis, Caroline Kobia, Diana Saiki

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Ua94/6/17 Student / Alumni Personal Papers Wku Annie Reis, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records created by and about Annie Reis during her years as a student at Western Kentucky State Normal School.

The Quincy Brand, Jessica Pelton

Graphic Communication

The purpose of this study was to find how to effectively brand the Quincy brand by designing multiple platforms that will communicate the company’s intended message to the consumer. After researching the Western industry, designs were created for the brand based on the company’s target market and intended product. Designs were created for a logo, package, and website. A survey was conducted to determine which designs most effectively represented the company and appealed to the consumer. The results of this study can be used to develop Quincy into a distinctive and established brand in the marketplace.

Dressing Indian: Appropriation, Identity, And American Design, 1940-1968, Alison Rose Bazylinski

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This thesis examines the ways the American fashion industry and fashion publications appropriated aspects of Indian cultures as marketing tools from 1940 to 1968 and the ways representations stereotypes created through fashion outlets denoted American and individual, rather than Native, identity. Representational stereotypes created at the turn of the twentieth century provided fashion merchandisers and sellers with a home-grown marketing scheme, while the development of an American fashion industry based on mass-produced, ready-to-wear sportswear led to nation-wide dissemination and use of "Indian" colors, patterns, and designs.

A Fashion Paradox: Reflective Thinking For Fashion Forecasting, Alyssa Dana Adomaitis

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Interview With Chris Cone, Portland Fashion Week, 2011 (Audio), Chris Cone

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of Chris Cone by Daniel Grey on February 22nd, 2011.

The interview index is available for download.

Attitudes Toward Counterfeit Fashion Products: A South Dakota State University Case Study, Amy Frerichs

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

Ethically, morally, and legally people know it is wrong to produce and use counterfeit money, but why do we not think twice when it is a fashion product? The business of counterfeiting fashions is a growing problem with no end in sight. Over the past few decades, the problem has been increasing to an ultimate high. Purchasing a counterfeit product reflects on a person’s ethics and morals. There is a difference between a knock-off version of a designer’s product and a counterfeit product; the terms will be defined and evaluated. The ethical and legal dilemma that consumers are in will …

Mirror Of Culture: The Study Of A Nineteenth-Century Sewing Diary, Elizabeth M. Dellabadia

Senior Honors Projects

Hidden inside the library of the American Textile History Museum in Lowell, Massachusetts is wonderful resource for the study of late nineteenth-century America. When Ann Eliza Cunningham was middle aged, she compiled a sewing diary that included scraps of material from dresses she wore or China trade fabrics brought home by her father. Ann Eliza not only included assorted swatches; but she associated the fabrics with different events in her life. She includes swatches from dresses she wore on her wedding day in 1856, for Thanksgiving, and for various family celebrations like birthday parties. Similar to the work of a …

Ua53 Fashion From 1850 Through 1869, Wku Kentucky Museum

WKU Administration Documents

Notebook of fashion images for the period 1850 through 1869 compiled by student Lisa Massey. These images are mostly from Godeys, Harpers and Petersons periodicals. At the back of the book are copies of images from the Kentucky Library collections.

The Influence Of Apparel Size On Shopping Behavior And Appearance Management Factors Of Caucasian And Asian International Female University Students, Yuko Sugita

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of different apparel sizes (apparel sizes smaller than 14 and 14 and larger) on the relationships between appearance management factors and apparel shopping behavior of Caucasian and Asian international females. Appearance management factors were divided into sociocultural factors (media), personal factors, and psychological or behavioral factors. One hundred thirty-eight subjects (75 Caucasians wearing apparel sizes smaller than 14; 17 Caucasian females wearing apparel sizes 14 and larger; and 46 Asian international females wearing apparel sizes smaller than 14) completed a questionnaire, which was designed to measure subjects' appearance management factors …

Ua37/21/2 Research Interview, William Jenkins, Suzanne Hansen

Faculty/Staff Personal Papers

Research interview with Suzanne Hansen owner-operator of Recycled Revolution. The tape has quite a lot of background noise which occasionally make it difficult to hear what is being said.

For more information regarding Recycled Revolution see:

• Apodaca, Rose. New-Age Junkies, Los Angeles Times, 4/23/1993.

• Kelly, John. Bowling Green Firm Turns Old Junk Into Fashion, Kentucky News Era, 11/1/1993

Ua77/1 Western Alumnus, Vol. 42, No. 6, Wku Alumni Association

WKU Administration Documents

Alumni magazine published by WKU. This issue has the following articles:

• Wood, Willson. He Did Not Teach Art - He Taught People - Ivan Wilson
• Dixon, Frances. Russell Miller - Benevolent Despot of Western Theatre
• The Ivan Wilson Center for Fine Arts
• Conway, Sheila. For New Center . . . A Fine Arts Send-Off - Ivan Wilson Hall
• Hackney, Karen & Richard Hackney. Soaring in '77: Satellite Research
• Branham, Judy. Homecoming 1973
• Conway, Sheila. Music, By Gemini! - Gemini 15
• Given, Ed. For More Than A-Mews-ment - Marvin Mews
• Dunn, Thomas. WKU Professors Complete International TV Research
• Remember 1966-67
• Pomp, …