| The individual in-depth meanings that Chinese consumers have for the fashion they consume have been neglected by the fashion marketer. A discussion of the local consumption culture and fashion/brand-buying practice was made in this thesis. It has argued that consumer interpretation of the situations, shaped by local culture, provide the marketers with an invaluable means of addressing questions concerning the relationship between fashion consumption and Hong Kong consumers. This thesis, in an attempt to move beyond the limited conception of self-concept (identity) and brand image congruency, establishes an empirical grounding for relationship between fashion consumption and consumer self amongst the Hong Kong consumers. Data from the main study were collected under the Grounded Theory research design and operated through a triangulated research process, in the form of Existential-Phenomenological Interviews, a series of Quasi-Long Interviews, and Observation of the interviewees. Results show that Hong Kong consumers' identities are largely shaped by the society and interpretation of the situations. The evidence of buying non-label fashion also suggests that consumers on the one hand dress themselves upon the different situations, while on the other attempt to construct a sense of difference within the context. Moreover, their choices of fashion essentially are the negotiation between rational and emotional side in their mind-set. By using the triangulated research tools, consumer meanings in everyday setting is better understood and in turn contributes to developing theoretical model of fashion consumption in daily life. This model is a qualitative model, which identifies ‘Human’, ‘Object’ and ‘Event’ as causes for fashion consumption. This model integrates the rational buying model and emotion-driven model with the evidence of situational fashion consumption all together to explain the contemporary fashion buying decision process and consequences in Postmodernity. Moreover, a sub-model concerning the interplay between rational and emotional drive in buying decision was developed under this study. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
