This study investigated how sustainability-related messages of cotton textile and apparel products influence consumers’ attitudes toward the message and interaction with other consumers in social media. Three hundred and eighty-eight online survey data of US consumers investigated the effects of perceived information and emotion toward sustainability practice messages on attitude toward and social interaction with other consumers and the effects of attitude on social interaction in social media. The results confirm that emotion is an influential variable, and, specific, positive emotion is an influential variable for attitude, and attitude influences social interaction with other consumers of sustainability practice messages. Negative emotions influence both attitude and social interaction. The information does not influence attitude but directly impacts social interaction, which may bring the purchase intention of sustainable fashion products. Thus, apparel marketers should consider emotionally sustainable promotion messages when tailoring their brand communications on social media. This study helps clarify the relationships between emotion and social interaction for sustainable fashion products. It also contributes to the theoretical foundation and has implications for sustainable fashion marketing and management in social media.

To help small firms navigate changing rural markets, this study investigated how small businesses use social media to expand their customer and stakeholder networks to sustain their businesses. Focus group interviews with owners of small retail and service businesses were conducted in three selected rural Iowa communities. Our findings indicate that social media is an innovative marketing tool to promote interactive, collaborative, and personalized interactions with customers and stakeholders. These interactions enabled small businesses to attract new customers and foster commitment to the business. In addition, reciprocal relationships with stakeholders leveraged social media content creation and fostered social capital formation. However, social media integration poses challenges for many small businesses, due to operational, economic, infrastructural, legal and regulatory, and psychological factors. Our findings highlight education, legal and regulatory guidelines and policies, tools to measure the effectiveness of social media on marketing, and business assistance and support for small businesses to utilize social media to build customer and other business support networks. Implications support the potential for social media to enhance online interactions for these small firms, leading to the development of social capital, a valuable source of competitive advantage and business sustainability in rural markets.

Fitness apparel companies target consumers with easy access to social media (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest). However, fitness apparel companies have struggled to incorporate social interactivity into their marketing strategies due to a lack of knowledge about consumers’ social media behaviors and different country contexts. The purpose of this study was to investigate (1) comparison of college students’ body image satisfaction in both the United States (U.S.) and South Korea and (2) how their body satisfaction influences consumer communication and the sustained referral intentions of fitness apparel in social media. The findings from 1144 survey responses of U.S. and South Korean college students reveal that student body satisfaction differs between the two countries. Body-dissatisfied U.S. and South Korean students with social capital on social networking websites are directly influenced by word-of-mouth regarding online fitness apparel purchases. Furthermore, perceived e-service quality, including website design and website responsiveness, is a significant mediator in both cultures, affecting the word-of-mouth for fitness-related purchases. This study provides evidence for marketers of fitness apparel, particularly e-marketers, to consider the cultural differences in customer preferences and customer body satisfaction, so as to enhance service performance.

This study develops an interactive learning curriculum for large size courses in the apparel design and merchandising discipline as well as evaluates outcomes of student engagement and learning. Interactive learning activities using social media such as Pinterest are developed for a fashion forecasting course to enable students to share discussions, research, and assignments. Student reflective essays at the end of the semester were collected and analysed using thematic analysis to identify engagement and outcomes from these activities. Students perceived three interactive learning activities: (1) collaborating with peers, (2) observing and evaluating peer learning and outcomes, and (3) searching for fashion trends and information. These activities generated student motivation to engage in learning as a perceived enjoyment in learning, comparing and contrasting outcomes of learning, and feeling connected with the industry. Finally, student-learning outcomes included enhanced knowledge, improved critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, new technology skills, and perception of a fashion industry career.

The purpose of this research was to develop learning activities to improve global competence for a classroom-based course in the field of clothing and textiles and explore how those activities affected the global competence of college students. To achieve this goal, the researchers proposed the following objectives: (a) develop learning activities on global competence and (b) explore the influences of newly proposed learning activities on the global competence of college students. The authors analyzed students’ reflective essays to identify themes through constant comparative analysis. The authors found participants learned about the Japanese culture through diverse aspects of global competence—affective, cognitive, and behavioral dimensions—throughout the semester via these learning activities. The authors also found informal writing could work as a starting point, where students were slowly exposed to a different culture, and reflective essays worked as a final summarizing phase where students could think further about their learning process related to global competence. This research is significant in terms of providing an empirical example of how to increase global competence in classroom-based courses. Additionally, scholars and teaching practitioners can gain insights from this study on how to improve global competence for the future workforce in a global economy.