PurposeThis study aims to examine the causal relationships among fashion involvement, positive emotion, hedonic consumption tendency, and fashion‐oriented impulse buying in the context of shopping.Design/methodology/approachA self‐administered questionnaire developed from the literature was administered to 217 college students during a scheduled class. They were enrolled at one metropolitan university in a southwestern state in the USA. A structural equation model using a correlation matrix with maximum likelihood was estimated by LISREL 8.53.FindingsFashion involvement and positive emotion had positive effects on consumers' fashion‐oriented impulse buying behavior with fashion involvement having the greatest effect. Hedonic consumption tendency was an important mediator in determining fashion‐oriented impulse buying.Research limitations/implicationsThis study was limited to college students at one metropolitan university in a southwestern state in the USA and to general fashion products.Practical implicationsRetailers may encourage consumers' positive emotion through strategies such as store design, product displays, package design, and sales. A focus on entertainment, interest, and excitement may be as important as getting the right mix of merchandise and pricing. Other retail strategies might be to stress the relative rationality and non‐economic rewards of impulse buying in advertising efforts; to make impulse purchases more risk free through convenient return policies; and to increase enablers such as offering credit and extending store hours.Originality/valueFew studies exist for predicting fashion‐oriented impulse buying behavior. This study addresses the need to examine impulse buying behavior related to fashion products.

PurposeThis paper on Mexican college students aims to examine the effects of general consumer variables (i.e. normative interpersonal influence and brand consciousness) and brand‐specific variables (i.e. perceived quality and emotional value) on purchase intention toward a US apparel brand.Design/methodology/approachThe study is designed to determine the factors influencing Mexican college students' purchase intention toward a US apparel brand. Purchase intention is explained with several variables: normative interpersonal influence, brand consciousness, perceived quality, and emotional value. A total of 256 college students in Mexico participated in the survey.FindingsUsing structural equation modeling (SEM), the study finds that Mexican college students' normative interpersonal influence positively affected brand consciousness. Brand consciousness is positively related to emotional value, but not to perceived quality of a US brand. Emotional value positively influences purchase intention toward a US brand, while perceived quality negatively influences purchase intention.Practical implicationsThis study provides valuable strategic implications for US retailers who plan to enter the Mexican market. According to the findings of the study, US retailers could focus on the emotional aspects of US brands in order to appeal to Mexican college students, especially those who are brand conscious.Originality/valueGiven that the Mexican market provides growth opportunities for US apparel retailers, there has been a dearth of empirical research on Mexican college students' attitudes and perceptions toward US brands. In this regard, this paper is designed to determine the factors influencing Mexican college students' purchase of US apparel brands.

An ethnic identity is reflected through intrinsic and extrinsic traits which also may be associated with other ethnic behaviors. This study investigated ethnic identity as it relates to traditional ethnic dress patterns, and use of ethnic reference persons and ethnic market sources as information on contemporary dress. A sample of 117 students identifying with one of seven ethnic heritages was analyzed as a pooled group with separate analyses for the Chinese and Japanese. Analyses included Spearman rho correlations and the Mann-Whitney U test. Results indicated a relationship between ethnic identity and ethnic dress usage. Individuals with higher ethnic identities used family, ethnics other than family, ethnic fashion magazines, and ethnic fashion shows as sources of information on dress; however, the relationship with ethnic identity and the use of these sources varied according to ethnic heritage.

This study examined if consumers' environmental concerns influence their responses to fashion advertisements. Photographs of models wearing fashionable casual apparel, either in nature or non-nature settings, were combined with environmental or fashion advertising claims and were reproduced as slides. Independent variables were advertising message (environmental vs. non-environmental) and environmental concern (high vs. low); the dependent variable was the affective response to advertisements. Female college students (N = 120), enrolled in merchandising classes, recorded affective responses while viewing stimulus advertising slides. Environmentallyconcerned subjects reacted more positively to fashion advertisements than did non-environmentally-concerned subjects, regardless of advertising message. As an interaction effect, environmentally-concerned subjects reacted more positively to the fashion advertisements with an environmental message; subjects who were not environmentally concerned reacted more positively to fashion advertisements without an environmental message. These findings demonstrate the importance of consumers' environmental concerns as a mediator of affective response to fashion advertisements, and suggest the need for further research.

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