MSc Applied Psychology in Fashion students explore cultural differences in the way we wear our pants
- Written byLondon College of Fashion
- Published date 01 August 2024
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This year London College of Fashion collaborated with material manufacturer Toray to task fashions future leaders with researching the differences in consumer trends toward underwear in Asia and Europe.
For over 90 years Toray Industries have been pushing the boundaries of material manufacture and innovation in Southeast Asia. The past 20 years have seen them expand further and further into western markets. In January 2024, they came to London College of Fashion with a question on the culture shift: Why does underwear undersell in Europe?
Under the guidance of our academic expert Young-Jin Hur, 15 MSc Applied Psychology in Fashion students set about finding the solution in the form of thorough quantitative and qualitative reports which compared documented differences in attitudes and behaviours toward underwear wearing globally. Students then designed and executed studies based on individual hypothesis and summarised findings into research reports.
Student Elliot Rickerby gave us some insight into his experience researching the topic:
We've already got the factor here that's changing, it's the culture. So there's an obvious culture gap. So when I was doing the background research for that, I was just straight in, into the culture, looking for research which kind of distinguished consumption behaviour in relation to underwear across different cultures.
These reports were presented at Toray’s HQ in Soho to team members: Yasuaki Nozawa, Takuya Suzuki, Fumitake Mori of Toray’s Global Operations department. The team were so inspired by the innovative solutions provided by students, they decided to purchase the IP of 6 of the reports to develop further research which would not only impact their own business development – but that of their partners as well.
Takuya Suzuki, General Manager Toray Global Operations said on his experience working with London College of Fashion:
‘I've met great people from the London College of of fashion. We didn't think much. We just take the chance and we just loved it.’
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