College student perceptions about the incorporation of cultural elements in fashion design
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Abstract
The cultural and creative industries have received considerable global attention in recent years; in particular, the close relationship between these industries and design has been identified. Because mysterious and attractive East Asian aesthetic are a crucial contemporary style, this study examined a fashion exhibition held in the New York Metropolitan Museum, which entitled “China: Through the Looking Glass” and conducted a literature review, scale design, survey and data analysis, and factor analysis about the incorporation of cultural elements in fashion design. Subsequently, the perceptions of college students with various educational backgrounds on several selected exhibits were identified and analyzed. The results were revealed that: (1) the research scale can be used as a reference for related design teaching and in the appraisal of fashion products in the design industry; (2) cultural connotations are more notable in design than the technical aspects; (3) compared with students of other backgrounds, students with a background in fashion design emphasized more on the technical and professional aspects and expressed a preference for design pieces with experimental qualities, such as those made with stiff materials and having exaggerated styles, and neutral and neat straight lines.
Keywords
Cultural and creative industry Cultural elements Design product Fashion design Fashion show Design perceptionIntroduction
The origins of modern design lie in Renaissance art and succeeding eras such as European aestheticism in the nineteenth century; however, modern design was not clearly defined and adequately developed until the Bauhaus school in the twentieth century (Bony 2008). After this substantial period of accumulation, “design” is a broad field with a rich diversity of styles. From a domain perspective, fashion design is an essential aspect, and clothing is the first item which most people would associate fashion with. Personal clothing styles directly affect appraisals of fashion (Yen et al. 2015). The contemporary concept of “fashion” used to be referred to simply as popular trends of clothing. The fashion dictionary defines fashion as the “clothing styles, colors, or patterns accepted by the majority of people at a particular time and place” (Yen et al. 2014a, b). One style that has been difficult to ignore in recent years is the “East Asian aesthetic” trend that has spontaneously swept the world, including the eastern cultural elements that convey an aesthetic of mystery, depth, and fantasy. Of all eastern cultures, Chinese culture is one of the most prominent and representative. Contemporary designers using elements of China’s aesthetics draw not only from traditional clothing, but also from Chinese painting, calligraphy, and characters; furthermore, the rich history of Chinese culture and aesthetics that spans over thousands of years has ensured an expansive evolution of clothing. China’s rich historical inheritance, including intangible philosophical thoughts, meanings and forms of Chinese characters, poetry, and ancient cultural artifacts, has become indispensable elements of contemporary design; by incorporating these elements in product design, an emerging industry of aesthetic design based on the integration of culture and aesthetic economy is created (Chiu et al. 2013). Thus, this study examined the “China: Through the Looking Glass” fashion exhibition held at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art to explore the incorporation of cultural elements into fashion design. The purpose of this study was to develop an evaluation scale for the integration of cultural elements into fashion design, which can be used as a reference for future design instruction, product evaluation, and relevant future studies.
Literature review
Fashion design in cultural and creative industries
The cultural and creative industries facilitate the production of quality goods by supporting brand creation in the design industry; in which process, culture, fine art, and creativity are incorporated. In short, the cultural and creative industries produce creative design products on the basis of rich cultural heritage and artistic styles, prompting consumers to approve the brands as well as the content of quality products. Therefore, consumers are likely to purchase the goods because of the emotional resonance they experience (Wu 2007). The development of fashion is aligned with mainstream social developments, and represents a refined and innovative lifestyle, rather than the simple pursuit of luxury (Lin et al. 2012). The use of culture to establish market differentiation is an advantage that traditional industries can adopt; of all traditional industries, fashion industry is the most appropriate one to facilitate the development of fashionable lifestyles to satisfy public need of cultural consumption. For example, Taiwan is a multicultural and multiethnic country suitable for producing innovative and creative products. Effective integration of diversified local cultural characteristics into clothing styles facilitates developing new design elements on the basis of existing cultural inheritance. Chen and Chen (2011) pointed out, this practice improves design styles through innovation, assists with the development of the fashion industry by finding new opportunities, and increases the added-value of products.
Cultural elements incorporated in design
The most notable difference between cultural products and other products is cultural connotation. Specifically, cultural products draw upon various cultural elements as their creative source and facilitate the interpretation of distinctive meanings or appreciation of the culture. Furthermore, cultural and creative products are mass-produced commodities, rather than luxury goods (Yeh 2006). Cultural and creative products that improve lifestyle through product design are products that have cultural meaning; designers infuse cultural, historical, and ethnic elements into their products to increase product value. Furthermore, consumers are able to reacquaint themselves with historical or lifestyle culture through these products, while simultaneously being involved in the passing-down of culture. The emphasis of cultural values and local features has already become a key aspect of the product development process (Gobe 2009; Koike 1992; Yeh 2006; Hsu and Hsieh 2009).
When individuals experience positive emotions, both the left and right hemispheres of the brain are activated. Sensory and cognitive studies on psychological and physical sensations, and the subsequent quantification of sensory perceptions, have indicated that product designers must consider psychological and physiological sensations (Berridge 2003; Lin 2003). Ashby and Johnson (2003) have also proposed the theory of product personality, which suggests that products possess physiological (e.g., features that meets the primary purposed of the design, functions, and other features) and psychological (e.g., personality and usability) dimensions. Notably, personality includes product aesthetics, associations, and perception conditions, whereas usability concerns consumer interaction. Overall, products possess two layers of meaning: the practical layer manages function and performance, and the other layer manages symbols, identification and emotions. Herein, attractiveness, beauty, and creativity are psychology qualities of products, and delicacy and engineering are physiological qualities of products. If a product possesses both functional (physiological) qualities and emotionally appealing psychological qualities, this product can satisfy consumers in both functional and emotional dimensions; moreover, if a product possesses cultural connotations in addition to the qualities of attractiveness, beauty, creativity, delicacy, and engineering, it can also be referred to as a quality good (Pogrebin and Trebay 2015; Yen et al. 2012, 2014a, b).
Elements of fashion design
An analysis of fashion design elements is critical in the examination of clothing styles, including ideas and concepts, creativity, material, color, form and construction, techniques, human elements, accessories, elements, and time. The basic presentation elements of clothing are lines, material, and color, of which in-depth understanding and effective usage are required for creating superior designs (Huang 2015; Jung 2011). In addition to satisfying the material needs of consumers, clothing should also echo their psychological reactions. Furthermore, fashion trends can be viewed as the understanding and acceptance of certain ideas in a group; thus, clothing is not only a reflection of daily ideologies, but also a creative product that demonstrates cultural style. Because the creation of contemporary clothing design aesthetics must integrate function, design content, and technical considerations, a designer should aim to create products that satisfy the demands of functionality in the physiological dimension and the demands of aesthetically appealing shapes in the dimension of psychology, so that the products can not only meet basic demands of usability, but also remonstrate added values such as desire-fulfilling pleasant use experience (Fornell and Larcker 1981; Jung 2011).
The basic composition of clothing includes material, structure, form, and function. Material is the framework of a clothing system; specifically, it effects change in the structure and form of clothing. Certain materials can even be interacting with consumer senses directly and become a form of the product. Structure refers to the result of interconnection and mutually interaction between elements in the system, or the method of connection between diverse materials. Comprising color, line, and shape, form is the appearance of clothing developed on the basis of the combination of material and structure. Form can be considered a symbol or message. Finally, the function of clothing refers not only to an article’s usage function, but also to the value of interaction between individuals and clothing in social relationships (Verganti 2013). Thus, the composition of clothing can be divided into two levels: the formal and technical level, and the cultural connotation level. In design, cultural connotation is a basic element of clothing, whereas form and technique are elements that help convey cultural connotations (Cao 2011).
Methods
Research framework
This study was based on the results of a literature review, and included the qualia characteristics of cultural and creative products as the six dimensions; namely, the form, technique, and cultural connotation elements of clothing, as well as overall performance. This study used an imagery survey, data analysis, and result inferences to conduct a factor analysis about the incorporation of cultural elements in fashion design.
Sample costumes
Sample costumes
| Code/name | Image | Costume description |
|---|---|---|
| P1. Costume converted from arched shoes | Fabrics with different textures are stitched in a stack, including pink embroidery, gold thread, an auspicious bird pattern, a cloud-patterned belt, and an above-elbow sleeve. The gap in the hem of this garment is similar to the concave shape of arched shoes | |
| P2. Costume converted from snuff bottles | A long cut-out shoulder one-piece dress that shapes like a container, with a design similar to patterns painted inside traditional snuff bottles. The meticulously embroidered surface of the costume features ancient Chinese architecture, flowers, and other decorative patterns in various colors | |
| P3. Costume converted from female figurines | A one-piece long-sleeved dress, with a style adapted from dancing figurines. The collar is presented with modern lines, while the sleeves are comparatively shorter to match normal wear. The surface of the garment is embroidered with floral patterns using gold thread | |
| P4. Costume converted from bronze mirrors | A black silk straight-collared one-piece A-line long dress with puff sleeves. It includes a chest decoration with three arcs, similar to a necklace, and a skirt fashioned out of a bronze mirror-textured material to connect different fabrics. The bronze mirror pattern is scattered asymmetrically on the surface of the upper skirt | |
| P5. Costume converted from bronze vessels | A two-piece garment combination. The primary incorporation of cultural characteristics is reflected in the top garment, which is a neutral style short-sleeved jacket layered with three-dimensional wave patterns reminiscent of bronze vessels. The design and metallic colors of the garment provide a futuristic feel | |
| P6. Costume converted from bronze pots | A two-piece garment combination. The primary incorporation of cultural characteristics is reflected in the top garment, which is a neutral Chinese-style single-breasted top with tall shoulder pads and fur sleeves sewn together with other materials. The design is a distinct presentation of the conflict between order and escape from tradition | |
| P7. Costume converted from bronze bells | A wine-colored one-piece long-sleeved short dress. The surface pattern comprises a bell motif that extends from the top to the umbrella-shaped skirt. A single color was used in the stitching and embroidery on the surface of the garment. A western-style bow attached to the collar invokes a sense of fusion between Chinese and western styles |
Research instrument
Quantitative scale and evaluation of the incorporation of cultural elements into fashion design
| Dimension | Evaluation questions |
|---|---|
| Attractiveness | A0. This costume is charming |
| A1. This costume possesses an appealing story or meaning | |
| A2. This costume is able to convey cultural connotation | |
| A3. This costume is interesting | |
| A4. This costume evokes memories of daily life | |
| A5. This costume is fashionable | |
| A6. This costume possesses a positive meaning | |
| Beauty | B0. This costume possesses aesthetic beauty |
| B1. This costume has a positive shape ratio | |
| B2. This costume conveys a sense of contemporariness | |
| B3. This costume uses color appropriately | |
| B4. This costume exhibits an ingenuous use of materials | |
| B5. This costume was designed based on the original characteristics of concrete items (e.g., animals, plants, things) | |
| B6. This costume has an exceptional tactile feel | |
| Creativity | C0. This costume is creative |
| C1. This costume is novel | |
| C2. This costume is original or innovative | |
| C3. This costume feels special | |
| C4. This costume features an ingenuous manner of wearing | |
| C5. This costume meets the needs of various users | |
| C6. This costume is multifunctional | |
| Delicacy | D0. This costume is refined |
| D1. This costume has an elegant structure | |
| D2. This costume has a favorable detailed design | |
| D3. This costume features fine surface ornamentation | |
| D4. This costume has fine and exquisite accessories | |
| D5. This costume has a high quality texture | |
| D6. The overall design of this costume is refined | |
| Engineering | E0. This costume is ergonomic |
| E1. This costume possesses practical functionality | |
| E2. This costume is easy to wear | |
| E3. This costume does not accidentally expose the wearer easily | |
| E4. This costume allows for convenient movement | |
| E5. This costume appears to be durable | |
| E6. This costume uses professional or cutting-edge production techniques | |
| F. Overall performance | F1. I like this piece |
| F2. This piece is a model of a creative and cultural product | |
| F3. This piece is well designed |
Experimental design and data collection
This study had two stages of the investigation. Stage 1 were reliability analysis of measuring scales and exploratory analysis of factors. This stage involves a preliminary verification of the measuring scales used in this study. Stage 2 were proposed measurement model by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The authors conducted the confirmatory factor analysis by using SPSS and Amos of the Statistical Data Analysis software.
This study involved the fashion design survey through the cultural elements into fashion design questionnaire. College students in Taiwan with a basic understanding and familiarity with Chinese cultural artifacts and design were recruited for this study, and were recruited to participate in the survey through purposive sampling. This study was conducted during design-related classroom courses. The students were invited to participate as subjects and agreed to follow the experimental procedure. The purpose of the experiment was explained to the subjects and slides showing the 7 sample costumes was juxtaposed with a slide of their corresponding description and evaluation questions. Each subject completed the experiment within 20 min. A total of 194 individuals, comprising 86 students who were enrolled in fashion-related programs and 108 who were enrolled in design-related programs, of which 86% were female. The mean age of the sample was 21 years, completed an online questionnaire. The questionnaire employed a 7-point Likert scale and consisted of 38 questions that retrieved basic personal information and students’ opinions regarding various dimensions of each fashion piece. Subsequently, a detailed review of the completed surveys was conducted, through which blank surveys or surveys with an excessive number of unanswered questions were excluded from subsequent analysis. In total, 192 valid surveys were returned.
Results and discussion
Survey reliability and validity analysis
The reliability and validity of questionnaire (N = 192)
| Dimension | Code | Cronbach α | Factor | Variance explained (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. Attractiveness | A0 | .958 | .909 | 80.326 |
| A1 | .912 | |||
| A2 | .907 | |||
| A3 | .883 | |||
| A4 | .834 | |||
| A5 | .923 | |||
| A6 | .903 | |||
| B. Beauty | B0 | .964 | .931 | 82.767 |
| B1 | .946 | |||
| B2 | .885 | |||
| B3 | .936 | |||
| B4 | .942 | |||
| B5 | .835 | |||
| B6 | .888 | |||
| C. Creativity | C0 | .955 | .942 | 79.846 |
| C1 | .945 | |||
| C2 | .928 | |||
| C3 | .915 | |||
| C4 | .944 | |||
| C5 | .785 | |||
| C6 | .775 | |||
| D. Delicacy | D0 | .982 | .963 | 90.263 |
| D1 | .942 | |||
| D2 | .965 | |||
| D3 | .946 | |||
| D4 | .903 | |||
| D5 | .961 | |||
| D6 | .969 | |||
| E. Engineering | E0 | .939 | .863 | 73.506 |
| E1 | .901 | |||
| E2 | .919 | |||
| E3 | .722 | |||
| E4 | .900 | |||
| E5 | .884 | |||
| E6 | .795 | |||
| F. Overall performance | F1 | .955 | .956 | 91.886 |
| F2 | .955 | |||
| F3 | .964 |
Analysis of correlation coefficients of the questionnaire on cultural elements incorporated into fashion design
Internal relationship between the dimensions and the scale (N = 192)
| Dimension | M | SD | A. | B. | C. | D. | E. | F. | All |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. Attractiveness | 4.623 | .9239 | 1 | ||||||
| B. Beauty | 4.620 | .8794 | .931** | 1 | |||||
| C. Creativity | 4.443 | .9370 | .908** | .907** | 1 | ||||
| D. Delicacy | 4.914 | .9512 | .866** | .920** | .850** | 1 | |||
| E. Engineering | 4.151 | .8260 | .780** | .817** | .824** | .693** | 1 | ||
| F. Overall performance | 4.564 | 1.0186 | .896** | .918** | .901** | .890** | .776** | 1 | |
| All | 4.551 | .8570 | .957** | .976** | .958** | .928** | .867** | .946** | 1 |
Proposed measurement model
In this phase, the authors proposed measurement model of cultural elements into fashion design. The data of this study were subjected to delete the questions’ factor were less than .85 (base on Table 3), and to reduce the number of items as a scale to analyze fashion design. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to analyze five latent variables (attractiveness, beauty, creativity, delicacy and engineer) of the “cultural elements into fashion design scale.”
The model of cultural elements into fashion design
The overall model fit verification results showed that the ratio between the Chi square value and the degrees of freedom was between 1 and 5 (×2/df = 3.392) which was within the acceptable range. Other index values showed that they all complied or were close with the testing standards (RMR = .068 < .08; PGFI = .573 > .5; NFI = .9 = .9; RFI = .9 = .9; IFI = .905 > .9; NNFI (TLI) = .9 = .9; CFI = .905 > .9; PNFI = .798 > .5; PCFI = .829 > .5; RMSEA = .1). Overall, all index values in the model reached or were close to the acceptable levels. This showed that the model had a good fit in terms of the theoretical and empirical data structure.
Effects of different educational backgrounds
T test of dimensions of the questionnaire of different learning background (N = 192)
| Dimension | Learning background | M | SD | F | t |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. Attractiveness | Background in other design | 4.5337 | .91683 | .077 | −1.493 |
| Background in fashion design | 4.7333 | .92592 | −1.492 | ||
| B. Beauty | Background in other design | 4.5637 | .87964 | .206 | −.975 |
| Background in fashion design | 4.6882 | .87926 | −.975 | ||
| C. Creativity | Background in other design | 4.3972 | .93925 | .002 | −.743 |
| Background in fashion design | 4.4983 | .93667 | −.743 | ||
| D. Delicacy | Background in other design | 4.8554 | .97488 | .007 | −.939 |
| Background in fashion design | 4.9850 | .92167 | −.944 | ||
| E. Engineering | Background in other design | 4.0337 | .79563 | .633 | −2.208* |
| Background in fashion design | 4.2957 | .84429 | −2.194* | ||
| F. Overall Performance | Background in other design | 4.4555 | 1.02301 | .000 | −1.645 |
| Background in fashion design | 4.6977 | 1.00296 | −1.649 |
T test of dimensions of the questionnaire of different learning background (N = 192)
| Dimension | Code | Learning background | M | SD | F | t |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. Attractiveness | A0 | Background in other design | 4.7049 | 1.02035 | .004 | −1.428 |
| Background in fashion design | 4.9153 | 1.00882 | −1.430 | |||
| A1 | Background in other design | 4.8100 | 1.01758 | .161 | −1.527 | |
| Background in fashion design | 5.0316 | .97788 | −1.533 | |||
| A2 | Background in other design | 4.9542 | .98867 | .117 | −1.061 | |
| Background in fashion design | 5.1080 | 1.01204 | −1.058 | |||
| A3 | Background in other design | 4.5526 | 1.00264 | .061 | −.426 | |
| Background in fashion design | 4.6146 | 1.00517 | −.426 | |||
| A4 | Background in other design | 3.8854 | 1.13491 | .058 | −2.429* | |
| Background in fashion design | 4.2874 | 1.14715 | −2.426* | |||
| A5 | Background in other design | 4.4704 | 1.01705 | .380 | −1.018 | |
| Background in fashion design | 4.6179 | .97519 | −1.023 | |||
| A6 | Background in other design | 4.3585 | 1.05794 | .030 | −1.311 | |
| Background in fashion design | 4.5581 | 1.03889 | −1.313 | |||
| B. Beauty | B0 | Background in other design | 4.7062 | .98971 | .010 | −.874 |
| Background in fashion design | 4.8289 | .93891 | −.879 | |||
| B1 | Background in other design | 4.5620 | .93963 | .243 | −.931 | |
| Background in fashion design | 4.6894 | .94563 | −.931 | |||
| B2 | Background in other design | 4.3706 | .96262 | .377 | −.092 | |
| Background in fashion design | 4.3837 | 1.01188 | −.091 | |||
| B3 | Background in other design | 4.6321 | .94369 | .177 | −1.037 | |
| Background in fashion design | 4.7757 | .96829 | −1.034 | |||
| B4 | Background in other design | 4.7412 | .95844 | .005 | −.855 | |
| Background in fashion design | 4.8588 | .93267 | −.858 | |||
| B5 | Background in other design | 4.5714 | 1.04867 | .112 | −.974 | |
| Background in fashion design | 4.7176 | 1.01631 | −.977 | |||
| B6 | Background in other design | 4.3625 | 1.00227 | .361 | −1.456 | |
| Background in fashion design | 4.5631 | .87964 | −1.476 | |||
| C. Creativity | C0 | Background in other design | 4.7318 | 1.04378 | .451 | −.106 |
| Background in fashion design | 4.7475 | .98529 | −.107 | |||
| C1 | Background in other design | 4.7264 | 1.06378 | .699 | −.008 | |
| Background in fashion design | 4.7276 | .98503 | −.008 | |||
| C2 | Background in other design | 4.7736 | 1.08113 | 2.162 | .261 | |
| Background in fashion design | 4.7342 | .98516 | .264 | |||
| C3 | Background in other design | 4.8895 | 1.09992 | 1.560 | .902 | |
| Background in fashion design | 4.7542 | .94549 | .916 | |||
| C4 | Background in other design | 4.5013 | 1.05094 | .008 | −.226 | |
| Background in fashion design | 4.5349 | .98590 | −.228 | |||
| C5 | Background in other design | 3.6900 | 1.08912 | .106 | −2.513* | |
| Background in fashion design | 4.0914 | 1.11412 | −2.507* | |||
| C6 | Background in other design | 3.4677 | 1.10684 | .064 | −2.663** | |
| Background in fashion design | 3.8987 | 1.12547 | −2.658** | |||
| D. Delicacy | D0 | Background in other design | 4.9488 | 1.06343 | .132 | −1.149 |
| Background in fashion design | 5.1196 | .97431 | −1.159 | |||
| D1 | Background in other design | 4.7965 | 1.02504 | .336 | −.201 | |
| Background in fashion design | 4.8256 | .95879 | −.203 | |||
| D2 | Background in other design | 4.8235 | 1.05947 | .229 | −.875 | |
| Background in fashion design | 4.9535 | .97716 | −.883 | |||
| D3 | Background in other design | 5.0984 | .97118 | .036 | −.768 | |
| Background in fashion design | 5.2060 | .95834 | −.769 | |||
| D4 | Background in other design | 4.5849 | 1.01371 | .122 | −1.598 | |
| Background in fashion design | 4.8140 | .95394 | −1.609 | |||
| D5 | Background in other design | 4.8248 | 1.04054 | .154 | −1.057 | |
| Background in fashion design | 4.9784 | .95002 | −1.067 | |||
| D6 | Background in other design | 4.9111 | 1.02457 | .031 | −.595 | |
| Background in fashion design | 4.9983 | .99398 | −.597 | |||
| E. Engineering | E0 | Background in other design | 4.2412 | .96031 | .498 | −1.740 |
| Background in fashion design | 4.4850 | .97219 | −1.738 | |||
| E1 | Background in other design | 3.6173 | 1.07693 | .025 | −2.477* | |
| Background in fashion design | 3.9967 | 1.02852 | −2.489* | |||
| E2 | Background in other design | 3.9434 | .89977 | .205 | −2.053* | |
| background in fashion design | 4.2209 | .96956 | −2.037* | |||
| E3 | Background in other design | 4.6388 | .83281 | .051 | −.922 | |
| Background in fashion design | 4.7542 | .89728 | −.915 | |||
| E4 | Background in other design | 3.6995 | .98382 | .215 | −2.426* | |
| Background in fashion design | 4.0432 | .96719 | −2.430* | |||
| E5 | Background in other design | 3.8760 | .95559 | .582 | −1.852 | |
| Background in fashion design | 4.1246 | .88574 | −1.866 | |||
| E6 | Background in other design | 4.2197 | .98880 | .016 | −1.587 | |
| Background in fashion design | 4.4452 | .96727 | −1.590 | |||
| F. Overall Performance | F1 | Background in other design | 4.3167 | .98640 | .325 | −2.273* |
| Background in fashion design | 4.6462 | 1.01341 | −2.267* | |||
| F2 | Background in other design | 4.4973 | 1.11762 | .267 | −1.380 | |
| Background in fashion design | 4.7176 | 1.07754 | −1.385 | |||
| F3 | Background in other design | 4.5526 | 1.10886 | .860 | −1.132 | |
| Background in fashion design | 4.7292 | 1.03179 | −1.141 |
T test of the dimension of overall performance (N = 192)
| Sample | Code | Learning background | M | SD | F | t |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | F1 | Background in other design | 3.7264 | 1.61265 | 2.432 | −1.734 |
| Background in fashion design | 4.1163 | 1.46664 | −1.751 | |||
| F2 | Background in other design | 4.1415 | 1.55189 | 1.533 | −1.129 | |
| Background in fashion design | 4.3837 | 1.38197 | −1.143 | |||
| F3 | Background in other design | 4.0943 | 1.54012 | 1.217 | −.591 | |
| Background in fashion design | 4.2209 | 1.39243 | −.597 | |||
| P2 | F1 | Background in other design | 4.4340 | 1.46722 | 1.489 | −1.026 |
| Background in fashion design | 4.6395 | 1.26410 | −1.042 | |||
| F2 | Background in other design | 4.5849 | 1.43340 | 1.613 | −1.168 | |
| Background in fashion design | 4.8140 | 1.24155 | −1.186 | |||
| F3 | Background in other design | 4.6226 | 1.50841 | 5.359 | −.783 | |
| Background in fashion design | 4.7791 | 1.19214 | −.803 | |||
| P3 | F1 | Background in other design | 4.9057 | 1.60076 | .531 | .194 |
| Background in fashion design | 4.8605 | 1.60267 | .194 | |||
| F2 | Background in other design | 4.8302 | 1.55821 | 1.504 | −.087 | |
| Background in fashion design | 4.8488 | 1.36784 | −.088 | |||
| F3 | Background in other design | 4.8491 | 1.49789 | .068 | .338 | |
| Background in fashion design | 4.7791 | 1.33197 | .342 | |||
| P4 | F1 | Background in other design | 4.9434 | 1.58463 | 2.141 | −.261 |
| Background in fashion design | 5.0000 | 1.38054 | −.264 | |||
| F2 | Background in other design | 4.7830 | 1.38705 | .018 | .138 | |
| Background in fashion design | 4.7558 | 1.32786 | .138 | |||
| F3 | Background in other design | 5.0000 | 1.43427 | .644 | .854 | |
| Background in fashion design | 4.8256 | 1.37363 | .858 | |||
| P5 | F1 | Background in other design | 3.4151 | 1.59085 | 1.419 | −4.644*** |
| Background in fashion design | 4.4419 | 1.43572 | −4.694*** | |||
| F2 | Background in other design | 3.9717 | 1.58239 | .698 | −2.813** | |
| Background in fashion design | 4.5814 | 1.37597 | −2.854** | |||
| F3 | Background in other design | 4.0189 | 1.71259 | 7.785 | −3.182** | |
| Background in fashion design | 4.7209 | 1.24287 | −3.287** | |||
| P6 | F1 | Background in other design | 3.6321 | 1.53266 | .066 | −3.107** |
| Background in fashion design | 4.3256 | 1.54495 | −3.104** | |||
| F2 | Background in other design | 4.1415 | 1.48285 | .021 | −2.109* | |
| Background in fashion design | 4.5930 | 1.46631 | −2.111* | |||
| F3 | Background in other design | 4.0660 | 1.55085 | .007 | −2.282* | |
| Background in fashion design | 4.5698 | 1.48356 | −2.292* |
Conclusion
- First
-
The reliability, validity, and correlation coefficient analysis results met the test standards, and The model of Confirmatory factor analysis(CFA) had a good fit in terms of the theoretical and empirical data structure. Therefore, the model for the incorporation of cultural elements in fashion design is feasible, and thus it can be used in related design instruction or the industrial appraisal of fashion design. From the overall model, attractiveness and beauty of fashion design of the most significant, and engineering is the followed factor to be considered.
- Second
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Conclusions related to the comparison of participants with diverse educational backgrounds are described as follows:
- 1)
The evaluation of factors that influence the incorporation of cultural elements into fashion design indicated that the students with an educational background in fashion design place greater importance on whether a fashion piece evokes memories of daily life, whether a fashion piece fits the needs of different users, and whether a fashion piece is multifunctional, practical, easy to wear, and provides ease of motion than the students with other design backgrounds. Furthermore, the fashion design students typically offered a more favorable opinion for the selected pieces compared with other design students, with the physiological engineering dimension exhibiting the greatest difference. Therefore, it is evident that fashion design students place greater emphasis on the technical and professional aspects of these pieces. Finally, fashion design students emphasized different aspects of creativity than those highlighters by other design students. However, for the aesthetic and delicacy dimensions, no significant difference was identified between the two groups, showing consistency in their opinions on the aesthetic and structural features of these fashion pieces.
- 2)
According to the answers of the two respondent groups to questions F1, F2, and F3, only those of P5 and P6 exhibited significant between-group differences; specifically, these two pieces were highly regarded by design students. Further observation of P5 and P6 demonstrated that the most substantial difference between these two pieces and the other five was that they were the most unlikely to be worn in real life; as they featured stiff materials, exaggerated styles, and neutral and sharp lines, they had a greater degree of experimental, rather than practical, qualities.
The contemporary fashion scene has been swept by a trend of East Asian aesthetic; because “China: Through the Looking Glass” was presented as the theme of a Met Gala New York fashion event, Asian designers have rapidly emerged on the international stage (Hsu 2004). The long and rich history of Chinese culture is the greatest advantage of ethnic Chinese people. Creativity and beauty appeal to the psychological dimension of the consumers and are the key to design products that exhibit the added value of cultural connotations as well as satisfy the physiological needs. The conclusions of this study can be used as a reference for educational organizations and other design-related organizations. Furthermore, this study can be referred to for industry appraisals of fashion designs, which will assist firms in improving their cultural creativity and industry competitiveness.
Notes
Authors’ contributions
Both authors work together in questionnaire distribution, and first author work in conception, implementation, write and apply the proposed methods in this paper then both authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Competing interests
All authors declare that they have no competing interests.
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