Adaptation of Chinese Design in Western Contemporary Dress

Abstract

Recently, Asian immigrants have become the largest of the minority groups in some areas of the United States. Increased contact with people from other cultures often influences consumers' behavior. For this reason, it may be important for some firms to adjust their marketing direction to suit the unique shopping behavior of ethnic groups The purpose of this study required adapting Chinese style characteristics into Western contemporary dress. The objectives of the study were to examine whether ethnic identity and cultural experiences influenced subjects' evaluation of Chinese design adapted to contemporary garments. 43 Chinese women and 43 non-Chinese women were shown 4 garments ranging from no ethnic influence to traditional Chinese dress. Increased cultural contact did indeed influence subjects' evaluation of the garments, but ethnic identity was not significantly related to subjects' evaluations of the garments.