The Social Values Of Fashion Innovators

Abstract

This study compared importance ratings of social values between fashion innovators and non-innovators. The data came from a survey of 607 middle class consumers who rated the nine social values comprising the List of Values (Kahle and Kennedy 1989). As hypothesized, 70 fashion innovators rated the value of excitement more highly than 536 non-innovators, even when chronological age was held constant. This finding was similar for men and women, African-American and whites, demonstrating its robustness. The value of fun & enjoyment was also more highly rated by the fashion innovators.