Fashion: A

Comparative Study on
How Trends Represent
a Society's Principles
Marissa Armstrong
Diana Gomez
JAPN 403
Oct. 19th, 2016
Outline
Research Questions
Significance of the study
Research Background
Research Method
Sample Survey Questions
Bibliography/References
Research Questions

1. How do Japanese and American university students use

their style to represent their identity?
2. What effect do media outlets have on university students'
personal style and what they choose to buy?
Significance Interest in fashion

of the Study: Observation of American & Japanese styles

were vastly different
Marissa Price plays a role in decision to buy
Magazines compared to Social Networking
Services (SNS)
Significance Love shopping

of the Study: Lived in Tokyo

Diana Obirin - liberal arts school

Trendy vs. fashionable
GU, Uniqlo, Wego most popular stores
Japanese have magazines and US has social
media
Research Background
History of American and Japanese Fashion
Media Effects
American and Japanese Personality Stereotypes
(Individualism & Collectivism)
History of Fashion
America Japan
Fit & Quality
Media Effects
America Japan
Dokusho model represents
general consumer (Suzuki,
2016)
Kogaru are trendy, urban girls
(Suzuki, 2003)
Media Outlets
America Japan
Dokusha models are
influential (Suzuki, 2016)
Comparison of How fit & style play a role in purchasing
U.S. fit/quality
clothing purchase Japan color/style

behavior between Different meanings of fashion

US and Japanese Different sources of inspiration

female university
U.S. electronic sources

Japan fashion magazines/displays

students
Dress casual:

Students rejected formality
Connection between class & leisure
how college Also addresses impact of WWII on
students style

redefined
Traces origin of collegiate style
Beyond the campus
American style
The impact of Facebook & Twitter
Recommendations
social Consumption

networking sites Gender

on college Befriended business = higher

consumption rate
students
consumption
patterns
Capturing Website attributes

college students
Design/methodology/approach

Surveyed US college students

on the web:

Three factors proved most valuable

analysis of Product info

clothing web site Customer service

attributes Ease of navigation

Materialistic, Factors of brand loyalty

brand engaged
Influence of materialism

Brand engagement in self-concept

and status (BESC)

consuming Achieving and expressing status

consumers and Women more materialistic

clothing Age not related

behaviors
Materialism and brand loyalty
highly related
The emergence

Kogaru are a social type
Fashionable, trendy, urban girls
of trendsetters Resources required to become
for fashions and trendsetters

fads: kogaru in
Time

Disposable income

1990s japan Communication networks

Dressing Looking at pursuit of modern
clothing
smartly: Functionality

education for

Material
Ability to wash
modernization of Manufacturing

clothing Decrease in quality production due

education (Part 1:
to ready-made clothing
Re-examines the way clothing
its background & education should be

stance)
Dressing What is considered fashion to
young people

smartly: Analyzed 3 male & 3 female fashion

education for
magazine subscribers for 12 months
Men chose look/style
modernization of Women chose abundance in color

clothing
education (Part 3:
analyzing fashion
magazines)
A comparative
Questionnaire Survey
Results divided into 4 factors

study of the
Self-Assertiveness
Individualism

acceptance of
Imitativeness
Competitiveness
Self-assertive people like individualistic
clothing &

Individualistic people like to be noticed
Imitators gain confidence by copying
fashion by
friends and trends
Minority - those who want to be
others
EXACTLY like majority
Majority - live everyone else BUT
containing sense of personal style
Endorser Whether magazine models
influence the consumer

effectiveness by Magazine models represent the

reader model in
general consumer
5 key words:
fashion magazine Sincere

advertisement Impressive

Persuasive

Reliable

Suitable

Magazine models are influential

Research Method

Total of 60 University Students (30 Japanese University Students and 30

American Students)
Demographics: 30 Japanese University Students 15 Female, 15
Male
30 American University Students 15 Female, 15 Male
Age range 18-60
Research Tools: Google Forms
Sample Survey Questions

"Choose 1 male and 1 female outfit that you think would be considered the
most acceptable in your country?" (we will attach 3 male and 3 female images of
different outfit styles)
"What words most describe your style?" (laid back, cute, sporty, simple, sleek,
trendy, etc.)
"When buying a clothing item, what factors are the most important for you?
Pick 2. (Longevity, quality, price, style, brand, individuality, other)
Which media outlet influences your fashion style the most? (Instagram,
Pinterest, Facebook, Magazines, Television, other)
Bibliography (1)
Yoo-Kyoung Seock, & Marjorie J.T. Norton. (2007). Capturing college students on the web: Analysis of clothing web site
attributes. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 11(4), 539-552.
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/13612020710824599
Goldsmith, R. E., Flynn, L. R., & Clark, R. A. (2012). Materialistic, brand engaged and status consuming consumers and clothing
behaviors. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 16(1), 102-119.
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/13612021211203050
Suzuki, T., & Best, J. (2003). The Emergence of Trendsetters for Fashions and Fads: Kogaru in 1990s Japan. The Sociological
Quarterly,44(1), 61-79. Retrieved fromhttp://www.jstor.org/stable/4120758
Paoletti, J. (2014). Dress casual: How college students redefined american style. Canadian Journal of History, 49(3), 533-534.
Thoene, W. S. (2012). The impact of social networking sites on college students' consumption patterns (Order No. 1510342).
Available from ABI/INFORM Collection; ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Full Text: The Humanities and Social Sciences
Collection. (1016196802). Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1016196802?accountid=10355
Kawabata, H. , & Rabolt, N. (1999). Comparison of clothing purchase behaviour between us and japanese female university
students. Journal of Consumer Studies & Home Economics, 23(4), 213-223
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