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The process of designing and making costumes for the performing arts is highly collaborative, involving costume designers, directors, costume makers, and performers. Communication across the costum...

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between consumers' perceived media characteristics, telepresence, attitudes and adoption intention towards augmented reality (AR)-based virtual fitting rooms (VFRs). Additionally, the mediating effect of telepresence was examined.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 352 university students and analysed using structural equation modelling.FindingsEmpirical results suggest significant positive influences of media characteristics, including perceived interactivity and augmentation, on telepresence, which, in turn, influenced attitudes and adoption intention towards AR-based VFRs. Also, telepresence mediated the relationship between media characteristics and consumers' attitudes.Research limitations/implicationsData for this study were collected based on the subjects' one-time experience with a particular AR-based VFR. Therefore, the generalisation of the findings may be limited.Practical implicationsAn important implication is that the enhancement of rendering interactive and augmented features is crucial for adoption of AR-based VFRs considering the key role of interactivity and augmentation in inducing telepresence, attitudes and adoption intention.Originality/valueThe paper empirically tested the importance of unique media characteristics, telepresence and attitudes in consumers' adoption of AR-based VFRs through the lens of the theory of interactive media effects.

The use of 3D apparel simulation software for prototyping is becoming prevalent in the fashion industry. This technology can also be used as a tool to digitize historic costume for permanent online display and access, to increase audience engagement, and as a marketing tool to draw visitors to online and onsite exhibitions.For this research, a silk and lace evening gown (ca 1920-1930) worn by suffragist Carrie Chapman Catt was simulated using CLO 3D apparel simulation software. The objective was to investigate the tools needed for 3D digitization and visualization of historic costume and to determine the decision-making process.The results show that digitization of historic costume using 3D apparel simulation software is feasible. However, it requires construction knowledge of historic garments and silhouettes to create a historically correct simulation. Also, the continuous decision-making process that is involved can be subjective which affects the final results.

While VFRs have started to become available in the online fashion retail environment, they are still in early stages of consumer adoption and are yet to be widely implemented in the fashion industry. Moreover, research fully investigating influential factors and examining consumers’ adoption of VFR technology is limited. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the importance of consumer experiences on consumers’ adoption of VFRs from the perspective of regulatory focus. The objective of this study was twofold. On one hand, from the integrated consumer experience perspective, this study aimed to examine the influences of consumers’ perceptions of functional, experiential, and social value on their VFR adoption. On the other hand, considering the newness of VFR technology, this study aimed to investigate how a consumer’s enduring motivational orientation, regulatory focus, influences their perceived functional, experiential, and social value toward VFRs.

India is a country with a rich heritage of handicrafts that operate as a labor intensive cottage industry, with little opportunity for organized operation and impact in the global marketplace. Service-learning is the systematic approach to teaching and learning where students use academic knowledge and developed class skills to address community needs. The goal of this ongoing service-learning project was to develop practices that might aid the development of a sustainable enterprise, leveraging traditional Indian handicrafts in the Western marketplace. To this end, a class assignment was developed to engage textile and fashion students in a real-world production experience while learning about the design and manufacturing process, as well as culture through their activities. The skills and knowledge that the students are developing can go far beyond the traditional manufacturing to retail outcome objectives, touching and influencing people’s lives with a global sustainable perspective. At the sam...

Virtual Fitting Rooms (VFRs), simulation technologies that enable consumers to virtually try on inventories, have received tremendous attention from online retailers as the way to provide in-store like fitting experiences (Gultepe & Gudukbay, 2014). VFRs have recently evolved into a new format that primarily utilizes Augmented Reality (AR) for the basis of virtual fitting (Javornik, Rogers, Moutinho, & Freeman, 2016). Unlike typical VFRs, AR-based VFRs can precisely replicate users and their surrounding environment in a more realistic way using a camera-based technology with the exception of products that are virtually simulated (Javornik et al., 2016). Hence, it can generate a mixed reality with the unique features, bringing different psychological processes of users with the subsequent effects on their responses (Javornik, 2016). However, despite the great potentials of AR-based VFRs, VFRs are still considered in the early stage of adoption. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine the effects of perceived media characteristics and subsequent immersive experiences on their attitude and adoption intention toward AR-based VFRs. Additionally, the moderating effect of a particular personal trait, sensation seeking tendency, was examined to account the influence of individual differences in their usage, skills, and experience of technology.

Despite its significant growth and utilization, online shopping bears great risk concerns among consumers, mainly due to limited product information available for consumers to make complete product assessment, including product fit. Recent advances in virtual technologies have made it possible for consumers to virtually try on products before purchase. Using a mix of advanced virtual simulation technologies, virtual fitting rooms (VFR) can comparatively translate in-store fitting experiences to the online environment by simulating sensory elements into realistic visuals, reshaping consumers’ online shopping experiences through additional functional and experiential values. However, researchers claimed that these values, which represent consumers’ knowledge, cannot be perceived unless novel technologies become accessible and visible in the marketplace. At the current stage, VFRs are not yet widely implemented in many countries and are still considered in the early stage of adoption. While South Korea and China were both observed offering relatively more technology applications in the retail industry, the level of technology applications and adoptions differs between the two countries due to their different infrastructure and culture values. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine the effect of technology visibility and subsequent perceptions of VFRs on consumers’ adoption intention toward VFRs. Also, the differences between Chinese and Korean consumers were examined to account the different culture influence.

In this paper, we report how the interactive process of garment fitting, as a component of the apparel development process, was impacted by the use of virtual fittings in place of live fittings. We created 3D garment simulations using five existing garment patterns, then conducted virtual fittings with the maker and the designer of each garment. Participants viewed the virtual fittings via WebEx. They responded to questions about fit and design details, and about the experience of participating in a virtual fitting. They had opportunities to suggest alterations and to see alternate style line markings on the virtual garments. Responses showed that elements inherent to both preparation and execution of a virtual fitting impacted the collaborative experience.

The course is a 6 hour studio, designed to introduce students to “foundational design concepts and methods representative of the creative thought and processes of fashion and textile design disciplines.” In brief the assignment was to select 5 themes, and draw 3 objects from each theme, each in 5 different styles. The result would be a collection of 60 drawings from each student, each of which could potentially be used as a design motif in a textile print or as a garment design embellishment.