Eureka! Institutional Repository

As the conversation regarding the environmental impact of apparel industry is growing nowadays, the ecological practices of companies have become more important in marketing strategies (Kim et al., 1998). In addition, business opportunities for companies wishing to produce eco-friendly products have been created (Gam, 2011). This research aims to examine empirically the preferences of young people for the attributes that make-up an organic blouse, which is the most representative example of the existing organic apparel items. The object of this research is to provide an insight into the preferences of various segments of young people regarding an organic blouse as well as their potential to purchase organic apparel. So, the identification of segment with the highest potential to purchase organic apparel as well as the most optimal product design of organic apparel are attempted. Based on the results, the conceptual model of the research is validated and the segment with the highest purchase intention towards organic apparel is the segment which indicated the highest perceived consumer effectiveness. This significant knowledge could help the companies which sell or try to sell organic apparel to identify their potential consumers and design their promotion campaign. The greatest opportunity was created for Fashion brands as the great majority of respondents prefer an organic blouse branded by Fashion brands.