Pattern Preference Analysis of Black-and-White Plaid Shirts

The market economy has shifted the decision-making power of the garment industry from the enterprise to the consumer. Research on consumer clothing preferences is an essential part of sustainable development of the garment industry. Based on data statistics from eight fast fashion brands, black and white are most commonly used in two-color plaid shirts. This paper carried out a psychophysical experiment to investigate factors affecting pattern preferences for black-and-white shirts and the differences and similarities between male and female pattern preferences. Twenty-eight different representative patterns of plaid shirts were selected by five fashion designers together from 190 different black-and-white plaid shirts from eight fast fashion brands, which were then classified into three categories: gingham, tartans, and windowpane. Based on these patterns, 28 male and female shirts were simulated in three dimensions and presented on a calibrated computer display. The simulations were assessed by 42 observers (consisting of 21 males and 21 females) in terms of four semantic scales, including light–dark, delicate–rough, simple–complex, and like–dislike. The experimental results revealed that there was no significant difference of pattern preference between females and males for 89.29% of the black-and-white plaid shirts, and also described features of the patterns that the females and males liked or disliked. Furthermore, the study also demonstrated the formulation between the four semantic scales and three pattern features (including the percentage of black region, the size of the minimum repeat unit, and the descriptor of the pattern complexity). The findings could be used to develop a more robust and comprehensive theory of pattern preferences and provide a reference for pattern design for black-and-white plaid shirts. More comprehensive pattern preference theory is not only an effective tool to solve the problem of plaid shirt inventory in the garment industry but also an important theoretical basis for the “sustainable design” of clothing, which is of great significance to the sustainable development of the garment industry.