Swapping Styles: An Exploration of Fashion Leadership,
Brands, and Group Membership in the Context of Clothing Swaps
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The first national meeting of textile and clothing professors took place in Madison, Wisconsin in June 1959. With a mission to advance excellence in education, scholarship and innovation, and their global applications, the International Textile and Apparel Association (ITAA) is a professional and educational association of scholars, educators, and students in the textile, apparel, and merchandising disciplines in higher education.
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Abstract
Past research on fashion consumer groups indicates that fashion leaders have a high need for uniqueness that motivates them to choose more novel offerings within the apparel product category (Tian, Bearden, & Hunter, 2001; Workman & Kidd, 2000). For these consumers, certain brands can signify specific meanings important to group identity and membership (Liu & Wang, 2008). The purpose of this study was to explore how consumers use clothing to identify themselves as fashion leaders and the role of brands in this process. To address this purpose, consumption behaviors of fashion leaders were examined within the clothing swap environment.