Cosmopolitanism and Clothing Interest Determinants Amongst College Students of Delhi

Abstract

Globalization has led to the development of cosmopolitan ideology amongst Indians. However, there are limited studies on the impact of this developing ideology on clothing interest dimensions amongst Indian consumers, especially for the specific age category that forms the subject matter of this study. The purpose of the present study was to confirm the relationship between cosmopolitanism (COS) and clothing interest determinants viz: Interest in clothing as experimenting with appearance (ICEA), Interest in clothing awareness (ICA), and Innovative style of clothing (ISC) amongst college students. The present research also studied the gender differences in these constructs. The quantitative approach was used using standardized constructs. Data were collected from college students of Delhi, India. Confirmatory factor analysis was done to confirm the tool validity and reliability, followed by correlation analysis. Results showed a significant positive relation between cosmopolitanism and two determinants of clothing interest, i.e. ICEA and ICA. However, no significant correlation was found between COS and ISC. A significant degree of relation between COS and ICEA was found only amongst males. The present study is going to help designers, manufacturers, marketers, and advertisers in understanding their niche consumers better in terms of clothing interest, which will ultimately help them in manufacturing clothes as per consumers’ interest and developing business strategies accordingly.

Keywords:

• Clothing
• Consumer behavior
• Cosmopolitanism
• Interest
• India

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Garisha Arora

Garisha Arora is a Ph.D. scholar (Fabric and Apparel Science), University of Delhi, India, with five years’ experience of teaching graduate and diploma students. Two paper presentations along with awards and two publications are in her credit. Her research interest area is both qualitative and quantitative in consumer behavior in clothing. [email protected]

Dr. Jyoti Aggarwal

Dr. Jyoti Aggarwal is a Ph.D. (Fabric and Apparel Science) associate professor at the University of Delhi, India, with 20 years’ experience of teaching undergraduate and post-graduate students. Several papers are in her credit and also presented in national and international conferences. Her research areas are fashion studies, garment construction, and innovative methods of doing research. [email protected]