MFIS, Kent State University, 0, College of the Arts / School of Fashion

Garment therapy bridges the gap between fashion and mental health. Over the years, mental illness has been on the rise. With depression and anxiety as the most highly experienced forms of mental illness in the United States, many forms of aid have come about to ease the experiences of those with mental illnesses. From medication to therapy and more holistic approaches, many have found relief through these avenues. As food, drink, and sleep are examples of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, we also find clothing in this category. Over the years, many healing properties have been found in the foods we intake, what we drink, and how we sleep. However, minimal research has been done to inquire about the healing properties clothing may have especially upon those experiencing mental illness. This research sought to ask about the importance of clothing in one's daily life and study how one's wardrobe and garment behaviors could positively impact their mental health. Within this study, the following questions were explored: (1) How do individuals experiencing anxiety and/or depression describe the relationship between garments and their mood? (2) How do clothing attributes relate to individuals' choice of garments while experiencing anxiety and/or depression?

Committee: Jihyun Kim-Vick (Advisor) Subjects: Mental Health

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 1984, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 1970, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

MFIS, Kent State University, 2024, College of the Arts / School of Fashion

From the fashion industry's clothing overproduction and subsequent negative impacts on the environment to the rise of Generation Z's interest in luxury goods, pre-loved luxury has emerged as a more approachable and growingly popular option for sustainable luxury purchases (Islam & Singh, 2020; Maiti, 2023). This study delves into the motivations that drive Generation Z consumers to engage with pre-loved luxury and the possible effects that pre-loved luxury has on individuals who have previously consumed these products. Through a quantitative approach, a self-administered online survey was sent to college-aged Generation Z participants and received 225 usable responses. The survey is comprised of nine sections which explore personal values, proximity of clothing to self, social embarrassment, along with attitude and behaviors toward pre-loved luxury. Principle factor analysis, reliability testing, and independent sample t- test were conducted to examine the differences and similarities of the research constructs between Generation Z consumers who have purchased pre-loved luxury and those who have not. The results showed that three hypotheses were supported: higher level of self-transcendence values among pre-loved luxury consumers, attitude towards pre-loved and behavioral intention towards pre-loved. The results have implications that will benefit the pre-loved luxury industry, Generation Z individuals, and academia.

Committee: Jihyun Kim-Vick (Advisor); Lauren Copeland (Committee Member); Kim Hahn (Committee Member) Subjects: Behavioral Sciences

MDES, University of Cincinnati, 2022, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Design

Medical personal protective equipment (PPE) garment designs usually use male data. However, the primary users of PPE garments are women. This research aims to take a user-centered design approach for redesigning PPE suites based on data of female healthcare professionals and addressing their unique needs in the design process. The main methods used in this study include Empathic Experience: Role-play Ideation, Storyboard Research Design Methodology, Experiments on design and defect testing of protective clothing, Ethnographic Interviews, Ethnographic Observations, stakeholder Value Web, and Prototyping and prototype testing. This study found that the improved design of the medical PPE garment will 1) significantly improve the user experience of female healthcare workers, 2) address the issue of medical PPE garments not conforming to Chinese female anthropometric data, 3) address the exposure of healthcare workers to viral environments and elevated risk of infection due to back fabric displacement, and 4) address the problem of hand skin damage due to prolonged wearing of medical rubber gloves. For future research, this study will provide reference and support for developing PPE garments focusing on female users' needs.

Committee: Craig Vogel M.I.D. (Committee Member); Brigid O'Kane MFA (Committee Member); Zachary Hoh (Committee Member) Subjects: Design

Master of Science (MS), Bowling Green State University, 2019, Forensic Science

Touch DNA deposited onto clothing requires blind swabbing unless a technique is available to visualize the biological sample. This study aims to visualize DNA that was deposited onto articles of clothing, thereby allowing the collection, extraction, and amplification of the sample to obtain a full STR profile. Five concentrations of DNA were deposited onto a cotton shirt and denim jeans. A solution containing p-dimethylaminocinnamaldehyde (DMAC), silicone oil, and acetone was sprayed onto the clothing and irradiated with a 455 nm light source to visualize the DNA. The clothing was swabbed with 4NGFLOQSwabs, followed by phenol/chloroform/isoamyl alcohol extraction, and then GlobalFiler PCR Amplification Kit processing. The DNA was visible on the shirt and jeans under a 455 nm light source and photographs were taken and quantified using Image J. The STR analysis using ABI 3130 xl Genetic Analyzer was inconclusive. The image density results show there is no correlation between the concentration of DNA deposited and the quantity of light measured. Further research is needed to determine if the use of DMAC inhibits the analysis of STR profiles for use in forensic laboratories.

Committee: Travis Worst Ph.D. (Advisor); Lewis Maddox Ph.D. (Committee Member); Jon Sprague Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Biology; Molecular Biology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1965, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Home Economics

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1959, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Home Economics

Master of Arts, University of Akron, 2014, Clothing, Textiles and Interiors

Evidence is pointing to the re-emergence of sweatshop and/or exploitive working conditions within the textile and apparel industries, possible today because of the concentration of players and the move to off-shore production. Today, globally, cotton is the primary fiber of choice for apparel. The globalization of the cotton industry has had detrimental effects on small-scale farmers. Environmental and social activists are documenting evidence of the disparities of cotton production due to globalization. Small-scale cotton farmers, in today's arena, have to compete with large cotton agribusinesses that are highly subsidized. Fair trade and/or organic cotton have met standards demonstrating environmental and social responsibility. Large retail companies are now making clothing from organic cotton for the eco-conscious consumer. Does organic cotton apparel equate to better working conditions for the farmer-to-garment supply chain? One of the goals of this research paper has been to compile a literature review from disparate points of view in order to establish the relationship of organic cotton to the working conditions within the textile and apparel industry. These topics include the social history of the textile and apparel industry in the United States, the development of trade agreements, and the expansion of the textile and apparel industry globally and the various standards and organizations establishing criteria for cotton. In addition, through investigative studies of five retail companies known for their organic cotton apparel, this paper analyzes whether organic cotton clothing is helping to raise the bottom line in the “race to the bottom.”

Committee: Teena Jennings-Rentenaar Dr. (Advisor); Virginia Gunn Dr. (Committee Member); David Witt Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Economics; Labor Economics; Textile Research

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2011, Human Ecology: Fashion and Retail Studies

The 1363 English Sumptuary law was put in place to control the consumption of fabrics and related goods based on social class. The social implications of such laws have been discussed previously as reviewed in the literature. But there is a need to better understand the context, purpose, and function of these laws through examination of the prices of fabrics compared with the limits on cloth expenditure set out by the sumptuary laws. This thesis provides a comparison of the 1363 English sumptuary law, the most comprehensive of the fourteenth-century English sumptuary laws, with available fabric prices from the fourteenth century. The fabric prices come from transcriptions of fourteenth-century documents that record fabric purchases for making clothing. Through a comparison of these documents it is possible to gain some understanding of the fabrics available to people based on the restrictions in the 1363 sumptuary law.

Committee: Patricia Anne Cunningham PhD (Advisor); Sarah-Grace Heller PhD (Committee Member); Gayle Strege (Committee Member) Subjects: Art History; Economic History; European History; History; Law; Medieval History; Middle Ages

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 1975, Economics

Committee: Lois Dickey (Advisor) Subjects:

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 1975, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Master of Business Administration, The Ohio State University, 1964, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 1961, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 1962, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1924, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1950, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 1970, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 1970, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 1963, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: