Consumer groups for Ghanaian fabric products, based on aesthetics and socially responsible shopping behavior

Recent fashion trends using African prints are combined with a desire to provide outreach to artisans in Ghana, West Africa, leading to an investigation of mainstream consumer groups in the United States. The purpose of this research was to identify US consumer segments based on aesthetic preferences, purchase intentions and socially responsible behavior (willingness to support artisans) with regard to products made from Ghanaian fabrics. This research identified ethnic apparel consumer segments based on consumer characteristics. First, Cultural Creatives, a psychographic scale, compared consumers regarding aesthetics/benefits of ethnic apparel and consumers’ willingness to support Ghanaian artisans. Next, clusters were compared according to demographics: age, ethnicity and education. Lastly, clusters were compared by purchase intention (of apparel and accessories), aesthetic preferences for fabrics (ie print size, as garment trim, as home furnishings) and social comfort (ie comfort wearing among others). By using multi-step cluster analysis, this study categorized respondents (N = 577) into three distinct segments: Artisan Shoppers, Holistic Shoppers and Ethnic Stylists. Based on the results, limitations and further research are discussed.