DIMENSIONS OF APPAREL QUALITY INFLUENCING CONSUMERS PERCEPTIONS

Given a lack of knowledge about the dimensions of apparel quality sign ificant to consumers, manufacturers map mistakenly focus attention on product attributes which are not salient to consumers. Therefore, a Le tter understanding of the quality dimensions perceived by consumers an d of the intrinsic cues they use in making judgements of products' sal ient qualities is needed. In this study, 122 adult shop pers evaluated the quality of men's dress shirts. Three dimensions of perceived qual ity emerged which were defined as Sturdiness/Durability (garment seams , stitching, fabric construction), Style/Aesthetics (garment design, s tyling and over-all appearance), and Lasting/Care (garment life and ca re required). Multiple regression showed that two of these factors, St yle/Aesthetics and Sturdiness/Durability, predicted consumers percepti ons of apparel quality. Thus styling, design, and over-all appearance are combined with sturdiness and durability as integral components of consumers' perceptions of quality.