fashion consciousness

Introduction
The fashion industry continues to be of interest to researchers and marketing practitioners alike due to its highly competitive nature and high profitability (Newman and Patel, 2004;Parker et al., 2004;Fashion is a general term for a popular style or practice especially in clothing, footwear, accessories, (According to the U. S. Customs and Border Protection Office of International Trade (2007), 70 percent of counterfeited goods are fashion counterfeits, such as handbags, watches, jewelry, shoes, clothes, hats, sunglasses, and perfume)makeup or furniture. Fashion refers to distinctive; however often a habitual trend in a look and dress up of person as well as to prevailing style in behavior. Fashion usually newest creation made by designer and or bought by a few number of people. Consciousness refers to the relationship between the mind and the world with which it interacts.it is subjectivity awareness the ability to experience or to feel wakefulness, having a sense of selfhood. Various uses of clothing have been found to be related to self-esteem (Humphrey et al., 1971). Kwon (1994) examined the perceived effects of clothing on self-esteem. A market segment within ethnicities that has importance to retailers is college students, most of whom are Generation Y. College students spend a significant amount of money on clothing, but Generation Y is characterized as difficult to reach by retailers through the use of traditional channels of advertising. This is due to the fact that this group of consumers has access and means to purchase what they want and when they want, through various retail formats (Sullivan & Heitmeyer, 2008). Further, members of this generation are more racially and ethnically diverse and are less homogeneous than other generations (Wilson & Field, 2007). Being conscious of inner states such as feelings, moods and beliefs' 'Increasing globalization is reducing the homogeneity of consumer behaviors within countries, while increasing communalities across countries (Cleveland and Laroche, 2007). Globalization has catalyzed the growth of fashion industry and the marketplace attractions have driven the cultural attributes of consumers significantly across various consumer segments. Shifts in the cultural values, consumer preferences, and purchase intentions towards designer products is arguably the most critical issue faced by the marketing managers today. Customer centric market strategy developed on self-esteem attributes of consumer is used by the firms to enhance purchase intentions towards fashion apparel (Horowitz, 2009).
Clothing and fashion are unique dimensions of behavior, and are the ways though which consumers express their identity. Clothing is considered to be a universal tool of aesthetic self-management (Cash, 1990). It is used to enhance one's public self (Kwon, 1991). Fashion and clothing preference display a person's self-concept, or how an individual would like to be. Clothing fashions and aspects of consumer's self are highly related and an increasing amount of research has been expended on aspects of self of fashion consumers. However, almost all studies related to fashion consciousness have been conducted in the developed countries, and comparatively very limited attention has been paid on fashion consciousness of consumers in developing countries. An increasing amount of evidence suggests that the attitudes, beliefs and perceptions of fashion consumers in developed countries are significantly different from those in developing countries (Tan and Farley, 1987; LaTour and Henthorne, 1990). The main objective of this research is to examine the fashion consciousness of consumers. Asian country colonized by the Dutch, the Portuguese and the British, is a good example of a post-colonial developing country. It is well accepted that fashion consumers especially youngsters, are tempted to merely adopt Western clothing styles with less understanding of the functions of various fashions such as freedom, uniqueness, and other characteristics of modernity. Being a country with a unique and strong culture grounded mainly on cultural bases, their own beliefs, norms and attitudes which might shape consumers' behavior.as well as a major two main other factor like purchasing power of the consumers as social influence toward fashion consciousness affected the fashion consciousness and their liking and disliking. Therefore, fashion consumers should have a mental conflict bet wean whether to adopt Western fashions or to obey the rules of their culture Fashion consciousness is various uses of clothing have been found to be related to self-esteem (Humphrey et al., 1971). Kwon (1994) examined the perceived effects of clothing on self-esteem. He suggested that university students perceived themselves as more competent in work, more sociable, and more positive when feeling good about their clothing as compared to feeling bad about it,. Fashion consciousness is of greater importance when examining the self-concept of fashion consumers. Gould and Stern (1989) explain that ''the concept of self-consciousness suggested by Feinstein et al. (1975) is the basis for construct of fashion consciousness"

According to Buss (1980), the central concept of the self-consciousness theory is the extent to which one focuses on the inner or outer self: ''When self-awareness is directed inward, people tend to have a high level of private self-awareness, being conscious of inner states such as feelings, moods and beliefs''. (Buss, 1980, 1985). It is finding that the fashion consciousness depends upon the main effect that things gender education level mental approach educational background culture values and Scio-economical reason. However, this environmentally prudent consumption has not yet extended to apparel purchasing behavior. Consumers' environmental knowledge and consciousness influence their purchase of other products, such as food (because of direct health concerns) and forest-consuming products, but do not influence their purchase of apparel products (Kim and Dam horst, 1998; Butler and Francis, 1997).

According to Meyer (2001), consumers feel reluctant to purchase green apparel products because they cost more but provide fewer choices, they have aesthetic and functional disadvantages, consumers lack information about them, and consumers are uncertain about the actual benefit to the environment. Fashion-oriented consumers have heightened exposure to clothing information, and they are more likely to enjoy shopping for clothing (Sproles, 1979). Consumers who enjoy shopping have specific lifestyles, motivations, and opinions related to shopping (Lee and Kim, 2008; Shim and Kotsiopulos, 1993). They participate in more shopping-related activities, such as attending promotional events and recreational shopping (Moye and Kincade, 2003). Their shopping motivations are reflective of their social and recreational identities (Shim and Kotsiopulos, 1993), they are interested in appearing well put together, and they rarely hesitate to purchase styles they like (Moye and Kincade, 2003). Those with an interest in fashion and shopping are likely to seek new knowledge regarding clothing products, which leads to greater curiosity about eco-apparel and ultimately a greater propensity to purchase environmental fashion consciousness (EFC). The purpose of this paper is to explore groups of variables fashion orientation, shopping orientation, and environmental concern and eco-friendly behavior – that might influence consumers' intention to purchase EFC in the future.

Women are more fashion consciousness than men especially mature women In the year 2000, American households in the 55 to-64 market segment had a median net worth 15 times greater than that reported for those in the under-35 age group (i.e. $112 048 vs. $7240) (Anonymous, 2004). By the year 2020, persons aged 55 years and over will comprise 33% of the US population and will continue to control household assets far greater than younger consumers (Carrigan and Szmigin, 1999). Yet, despite the growing number and obvious wealth of older consumers, they remain one of the most under-appreciated consumer segments. Apparel companies have largely neglected the elderly in their feverish pursuit of the youth market (Solomon and Rabolt, 2004). It is true that few people aspire to be old. In fact, research studies have revealed that most people feel younger than their actual age (Barak and Schiffman, 1981).
Purpose
The purpose of this study was twofold. First, the study compared fashion personality characteristics and shopping behaviors of Pakistani college and university students. Secondly, this study examined the influence of leadership in general, and fashion leadership specifically, on fashion personality characteristics. The fashion personality characteristics studied included fashion consciousness, purchasing power of customers, fashion involvement, and shopping enjoyment.

Rationale
The majority of research concerning fashion consciousness and other psychographic factors that affect consumer behavior among college and university students investigates. There is limited literature available that examines the consumers in general and their interest in fashion in particular. O'Neal (1998) recognized that retailers were beginning to target the consumer and that this subculture's aesthetic preference did not fit ideals of clothing and fashion.
Dixon (2007) examined the values and social and psychological factors on dress and appearance on students. Respondents indicated that all of the psychological factors studied (self-consciousness, self-confidence, fashion consciousness, shopping enjoyment, and spending behavior i.e. purchasing power of the customer) influenced dress and appearance. Fashion leadership had the strongest influence. In regard to social factors, media was the best predictor of dress and appearance.
The majority of available research reports conducted on college and university students as consumers have been limited by the use of a small sample size, which does not provide sufficient information to make recommendations for this group.
Retailers can benefit from information about the similarities and differences of consumers from these ethnic groups and an examination of behavior and psychographics can provide understanding in relation to fashion.
Literature Review

Fashion consciousness refers to a person's degree of involvement with the styles or fashion of clothing. An individual does not have to be either a fashion opinion leader or a fashion innovator to be considered fashion conscious. Rather, fashion consciousness is characterized by an interest in clothing and fashion, and in one' appearance (Summers, 1970; Jonathan and Mills, 1982). Obviously, fashion consciousness is a convenient consumer attribute for apparel marketers, in that this pre-existing interest in clothing can increase consumer receptivity to apparel product promotions (Richards and Sturman, 1977; Kaiser and Chandler, 1984).A theory which provides help to correctly determine the purchasing power and purchasing intention of consumers toward fashion consciousness is called fashion adoption theory a(1979). Fashion adoption theory which has been applied on several studies, Identifies fashion-oriented consumer behavior and suggests the types of variables affecting consumer decision making with regard to apparel purchases. Also, this theory emphasizes fashion ability, which plays a key role in the decision-making process for selecting apparel products. Forsythe et al. (1991) Pre-existing conditions are defined as consumer awareness and current level of acceptance of products.

Pre-existing mindset influences consumer information-seeking and decision-making behavior. For example, "fashion leaders," or early adopters of new fashions, search for and use more information than other consumer groups. Factors within this variable, including consumer identity (age, sex, socioeconomic characteristics, and physical profile) and shopping motivations, are indicators that help to define a potential fashion adopter. The second variable in fashion adoption theory, directing influences on fashion decisions, is composed of psychological and social forces, which are inputs for decision making. Adopters' cognitive orientation, psychological identity, social influences, lifestyle, and sociocultural developments, as well as fashion marketing systems, are considered psychological and social forces. In addition, consumers' own perceived fashion ability affects their awareness of new fashion (Law et al., 2004).implemented this theory to test the acceptance of short skirts, as well as to identify a likely consumer group for the product. Belleau et al. (2001) in this theory used the theory to explore consumer attitudes toward exotic leather apparel products. The term fashion is used to denote trends in the consumerism. The notion of fashion also involves consumption behavior that displays individual tastes values to others and it is applied by large group of people. Fashion industry is a profitable industry in this era. People are now fashion conscious. (Dr. Robin Pentecost. Lynda Andrews) if consumers read fashion magazines and fashion-related books, they experience increased exposure to information about environmental fashion conscious.

Several articles have described top designers, such as Philip Lim, Stella McCartney, and Calvin Klein, who use eco-friendly processes to create their collections, and this information may cause young consumers to consider environmental fashion conscious as more innovative and exciting (Vartan, 2008).Consumers with different shopping orientations demonstrated different consumer characteristics, a preference for different types of products, and a different motivation for shopping (Gutman and Mills, 1982). These researchers' use of shopping orientation suggests that the decisions to purchase EFC could be approached based on a motivation for fun and enjoyment through shopping for apparel. Gutman and Mills (1982) suggested four factors associated with fashion orientation.

The authors used the criteria of fashion adoption priority, time frame, and initiative to determine the four factors. The psychographic dimension of fashion perception also influences how quickly consumers adopt new fashions (Guttmann and Mills, 1982). Gutman and Mills (1982) also identified six factors of shopping orientation: Shopping enjoyment, Cost consciousness, Traditionalist, practicality, planning. Advertisement, Print media, Education and History regarding products etc. The criteria used to develop the six factors were variety, frequency, and organization in shopping behavior (Gutman and Mills, 1982). Guttmann and Mills (1982) found those fashion leaders who enjoy shopping are not generally cost consciousness, practical, or traditional.

Fashion consciousness depends upon purchasing behavior of the consumer, social and cultural factor. Fashion consciousness depends upon social and cultural factors. It includes economics, cognitive and brand related factors to induce purchase intentions. Fashion loving people spend much money in search of good product or designer brands. Globalization plays a vital role in growth of fashion industry. It has driven the cultural attributes of consumer various segments. Increasing the globalization is reducing the homogeneity consumer's behaviors within of countries. (Raja goal).the decision making style is another factor that influence the fashion consciousness is depends upon demographic and socialization. Eight decision-making styles were conceptualized. (Abdul Raze Kamaruddin and safiek Mokhlis) Fashion consciousness depends upon social, psychological and on the purchasing power of and individual. Advertisement plays a vital role in this. (Imam Naderi) Income, education, gender, consumer behavior, purchasing clothing and student college India are the variables, which are used. the rise of consumerism, economic factor, attention level of demand of new articles and second hand trades approval from group of peer, purchasing power attitude toward fashion counterfeits past purchasing experience ethical judgment ethical values age gender education fashion orientation shopping orientation environmental concern ecofriendly behavior
Previous literature has discovered factors that make consumers more likely to practice ecological purchasing behavior. Ecological purchasing behaviors are defined as consumers selecting products, recycling, and taking other actions to protect the environment (Fraj and Martinez, 2006). Studies have shown that consumers who are concerned about the environment and practice eco-friendly behavior purchase more green products (Diamantopoulos et al., 2003; Zimmer et al., 1994). Fraj and Martinez (2006) also found that consumers who work to improve themselves and enjoy challenges in doing so are often aware of environmental problems and have an ecologically sensitive lifestyle. In addition, consumers who are inclined to practice eco-friendly behavior are more inclined to practice eco-friendly apparel consumption behavior (Kim and Dam horst, 1998). Another study confirmed the positive relationship between environmental concerns and response to green clothing advertisements (Kim et al., 1997).

Based on previous literature, the researchers' approach to determining an individual's level of environmental concern employed measures of environmental attitudes, knowledge, and behavior. Bohlen et al. (1993) developed three appropriate indicators – knowledge about environmental issues, attitudes toward the environment, and environmentally sensitive behavior to measure ecological concerns. According to Fishbone and Ajzen (1975), a person's attitudes, which influence behavior, are built from past experiences, current concerns, information, and social pressure. Therefore, understanding consumers' environmental concerns and eco-friendly behavior is essential to understanding both attitudes toward EFC and purchasing decisions. Just as there are fashion-forward consumers, there also might be consumers who prefer EFC. Because acceptance of a fashion product is largely determined by changes in fashion, and because EFC purchase is related to eco-friendly behavior, the combination of research on eco-friendly and fashion-oriented behaviors may help in identifying the consumer's process of adopting EFC.

After reading all the researches it's the be all and end all fashion consciousness depends upon purchasing power of consumer purchasing power includes financial factor. All things link with finance.so if the purchasing power of consumer is high he will be more conscious about fashion .teen agers are more fashion conscious than mature. On the other hand social factor also influences the fashion counterfeits (gender, demographical personal profile of the consumer age ecofriendly behavior family religion social classes).


Theoretical Framework

Everybody wants to look different which makes all of us same. But question is that why people want to look different? The reason that identifies by observing different types of people (childish, teenagers, adults, mature) it is the psyche of human being that they want to look beautiful. The second thing is that people want to hide their reality. It may be due to social class's trend, religion, culture, surroundings, eco- friendly behavior, traditions, peers, family trend and also Effects of fashion consciousness on high fashion consciousness greater involvements in environmental factors lower fashion consciousness less involvements in environmental factors. The important factor of fashion consciousness is social environmental factor. In consumer socialization research, age has been shown to be related to differences in young consumers' characteristics. In clothing research, the importance of differentiating adolescents according to their age has also been demonstrated (Beaudoin and Lachance, 2006). Gender should be considered as an important factor which affects a person's choice of clothing'' (Bohdanowicz and Clamp, 1994). Gould and Stern (1989) suggested that biological sex is more predictive of attitudes and behavior than substitute constructs.

The second important factor that affects the fashion conscious people is purchasing power. Every activity is inter linked with finance's full purse makes man to speak. Cultural and social problem also threat of the fashion conscious consumer Knowledge about product and its quality and brand existing feature in the product also attract to the fashion consciousness consumer buying behavior. These are Problems of less fashion conscious consumer's behavior Lack of money, Interest, Culture, Society trends, Market, accessibilities of fashionable product. Due to fashion and shopping orientation Fashion leadership, Fashion interest, Importance of beings well dress, Anti-fashion attitude etc. Belleau et al. (2001) employed fashion and shopping orientation to understand whether fashion leaders have a more positive attitude toward exotic leather apparel products and, therefore, a heightened purchase intention, than fashion followers. They found that fashion leaders demonstrated a more favorable attitude and a heightened purchase intention regarding exotic leather apparel products. Beaudoin et al. (2000) tested the relationship between fashion leadership and attitude toward imported apparel and found that fashion leaders had a more positive attitude toward imported clothing because imported clothing generally means a larger selection. In addition, fashion leaders purchase an apparel product because of its symbolic value, such as fashionableness or attractiveness, rather than for its functional values, such as durability, ease of care, or comfort. These results revealed that consumers who are interested in fashion demonstrate their interest by purchasing new apparel products and that their reasons for shopping differ from those who are not interested in fashion.

Shopping orientations are effective factors for describing the needs and preferences of multiple consumer groups (Moye and Kincade, 2003). Consumers who have different shopping orientations have different lifestyle activities and patronage behaviors (Shim and Kotsiopulos, 1993). Consumers who enjoy shopping spend more time on shopping activities, including information searching (Moye and Kincade, 2003). Children, as they grow and learn, are exposed to many different influences on their behavior and a wealth of information has been gathered over the years regarding children's knowledge about the marketplace as consumers (John, 1999). Consumer socialization of children is an area which has been well researched (John, 1999) and has been defined as "processes by which young people acquire skills, knowledge and attitudes relevant to their functioning as consumers in the market-place" (Ward, 1974, p. 37). McNeal (1973, p. 12) states that "Much consumer behavior is performed under the influence of others. The very foundation of human behavior is learning from others", while McGregor (1999, p. 37) "states that consumer socialization is a function of, inter alia, the age of the child, the content that is learned and agents of socialization. According to Solomon and Rabolt (2004), the adoption of innovative products is based on a consumer's knowledge of and experience with those products. Fashion and shopping orientation have been utilized in a variety of studies, especially those that tested how consumers adopt new apparel products. Fashion orientation explains an individual's attitude toward, interest in and opinions about fashion products, while shopping orientation explains dimensions of variety, frequency, and motivation (Belleau et al., 2001). Fashion leaders are highly engaged in fashion, and these consumers use fashion to differentiate themselves from others (Beaudoin et al., 2000). Fashion leaders tend to spend more money on apparel products (Bertrandias and Goldsmith, 2006), and fashion

The relationship between fashion consciousness and approval of peer is positive because when your peer and family gives you permission to do the desire fashion you will do it if they insist you that do not do this fashion you can't do it.
Purchasing power has a direct relation with fashion consciousness. If purchasing power of the consumer is high he will be more fashion conscious. If their purchasing power is low, he is less fashion and brand conscious. Attitude towards fashion counterfeit has a great impact on fashion consciousness. Ethical value, past purchasing experience, ethical judgment exploratory factor social and environmental factor, financial and monetary factor fashion orientation shopping orientation environmental concern, demographic ,education ecofriendly behavior personal interest, personal background, inspiration personalities also connected with fashion consciousness.





Schematic Diagram

Purchasing power of the customerPurchasing power of the customerFashion Consciousness Fashion Consciousness Shopping enjoyment Shopping enjoyment Fashion involvement Fashion involvement

Purchasing power of the customer
Purchasing power of the customer

Fashion Consciousness


Fashion Consciousness

Shopping enjoyment
Shopping enjoyment
Fashion involvement
Fashion involvement

Consequently, the following hypothesis was tested:

There is a relationship between purchasing power of consumer and fashion consciousness.

There is a relationship between social factor and fashion conscious.

There is a relationship between environmental factor with fashion consciousness


H1 Purchasing Power of the consumers factors (a) shopping enjoyment (b) cost consciousness(c) traditionalism.(d) Influence Buying groups (e) Informational groups (f) Exploratory of the brand helper (g) Focus groups peer media etc. also influence in the fashion consciousness and (h) anti-fashion attitude – will be predictors of consumers' purchase intention etc.

H2 Social Factor to influence the fashion consciousness (a) Culture factors (b) Social class trends toward fashion in society(c) Reference groups behavior (d) As well as family background (e) Motivation toward fashion (f) Personality and Self-image leadership (g) importance of being well dressed (h) Relation of peers, Family belongings, Advertisement of products, Colonies, Culture of other famous personality of society, Friends, Knowledge and Education etc.

H3. Environmental factors (a) environmental concern (b) eco-friendly behavior, (c) environmental concern for apparel production (d) Gender education level, (e) Mental approach, Educational background and Culture values etc.
Methodology

This study examined the fashion consciousness of fashion consumers in the ages between 16 and 25 and above in Pakistan. The hypotheses of the Study were focused on the degree of fashion consciousness of respondents. ''Gender should be considered as an important factor which affects a person's choice of Clothing'' (Bohdanowicz and Clamp, 1994). Gould and Stern (1989) suggested that Biological sex is more predictive of attitudes and behavior than substitute constructs. Clothing could play an important role in providing Individuals with the incentive to remain socially active. How Clothing style differences relate to the formation of sociability impression. This raises the important question ''what is the impact of level of Education on fashion consumption? 'Education plays a vital role in fashion. The students are more fashion conscious than the professionals.

Observation Method
In Part I of the project, we observed the fashion conscious consumer behavior of students and society. Students are more fashion conscious than professional ones. There are multiple reasons behind this. It may be due to coeducation environment. They come from different areas and cultures. So when they come at the same place, they inspire from each other. Last but not the least reason, youngsters are more fashion oriented because they have spare time to attend the parties and to watch television as compare to professional ones. They have fewer responsibilities. So they always want to change themselves according to the environment.
Sampling method
Sampling method was divided in to two phase.
Pilot study
First we had gathered data from 30 elements of population through questionnaire method to measure the interval scale. We checked the reliability and the value of chronebach's alpha. These questions were subsequently broken down into the following five related themes, which form the basis of the findings:
(1) Influences of fashion on other people
(2) Buying behavior of the consumers
(3) Social behavior and social reason of consumers
(4) Environmental behavior of the fashion consumers
As this was a small convenience sample, it was not appropriate to apply statistical techniques to the results and instead, content analysis techniques (Holsti, 1969) were employed to answer the research questions.

We further collect data from 70 more element of population through questionnaire. In this we collect data from students, faculty members and some professional bodies like fashion designers, fashion counterfeits, models etc. The research involved the utilization of qualitative methods and the main objective was to establish the respondents' attitudes to buying fashion clothes and to their friends' and family's influences on their behavior. The focus groups were selected in order to provide a greater, in-depth understanding of these young consumers' behavior and views on the research area. The animators – often referred to as "moderators" – gained from the ability to capture "the richness and fullness associated with qualitative data" (Saunders at al., 1997, p. 339).
As stated, the authors attempted to investigate the buying process, the main influencing factors and the attitudes of young "teenage" consumers to buying fashion clothing and tried to ascertain how the respondents buy and the role that parents and friends play in the process. (Creswell, 2003)


Dear Respected
We, student of MBA, are conducting research on "Why People Want to Look Different?" Kindly spare your few minutes to fill this questioner. The information provided by you will be utilized for education purposes only. We will be grateful if you kindly answer the all questions.

Demographic
Name: __________________________Contact No: __________________________Email: __________________________Age: 16-18 19-21 22-25 Gender: Female Male Qualification: Intermediate Graduation Master Other Family Income 20,000-40,000 40,001-60,000 60,001-100,000 Name: __________________________Contact No: __________________________Email: __________________________Age: 16-18 19-21 22-25 Gender: Female Male Qualification: Intermediate Graduation Master Other Family Income 20,000-40,000 40,001-60,000 60,001-100,000

Name: __________________________
Contact No: __________________________
Email: __________________________
Age: 16-18
19-21
22-25
Gender: Female
Male
Qualification: Intermediate Graduation Master Other
Family Income 20,000-40,000
40,001-60,000
60,001-100,000



Name: __________________________
Contact No: __________________________
Email: __________________________
Age: 16-18
19-21
22-25
Gender: Female
Male
Qualification: Intermediate Graduation Master Other
Family Income 20,000-40,000
40,001-60,000
60,001-100,000