| This dissertation focused on the first stage of the clothing consumption process, the adoption of new styles. The Russian Federation constitutes an emerging market that has been growing fast during the last decade but currently remains understudied. The size of this market, along with the unique transition it is undergoing from a socialist to a capitalist society, makes it an important part of the world to study. As a result of the preliminary phase of the research, which included an extensive review and analysis of academic and trade publications pertinent to the Russian market, as well as primary data collection in the form of in-depth interviews with Russian consumers, the motivations that drive adoption of new clothing were examined. Two of these motivations constituted primary research constructs of the study and were operationalized as status consumption and need for uniqueness.; The sample for the study was drawn from college students enrolled at three major universities in St. Petersburg, Russia (N = 334). Participants completed a five-page survey questionnaire that contained scales to measure research constructs, as well as clothing-related behaviors and demographics. Based on a review of innovativeness literature and analysis of the existing adoption models, this study incorporated the dispositional adopter identity concept into a modified fashion adoption model and proposed an original method for segmenting the Russian consumer market. Each of the four identified adoption segments, labeled as Innovators, Opinion Leaders, Followers, and Laggards, were found to possess a unique psychosocial identity and to exercise distinct approaches toward selecting, acquiring, and wearing clothing.; Discriminant analysis found that 70% of the sample could be correctly classified as Innovators, Opinion Leaders, or Followers, using a set of variables that measure clothing-related behaviors and attitudes. Detailed profiles were created for each adoption group, including: an overall description of attitudes toward fashion and clothing, motivations for fashion adoption, lifestyle, information sources that the members of the group tend to use in order to obtain ideas about new clothing styles, and clothing acquisition patterns. These profiles will be useful for apparel manufacturers and retailers in designing products and developing positioning and promotional strategies tailored for a particular adoption group.; Although the findings of this research are market specific, they have important implications for general fashion adoption research. This research demonstrated usefulness of the concept of dispositional adopter identity and the status consumption construct in explaining fashion adoption behavior. Overall, this study is a step toward generalizing marketing principles by applying consumer behavior concepts in a post-socialist setting. |
