The Self-Concept of Fashion Leaders

This study reports new findings about fashion leaders that describe their unique characteristics in an unexamined area: their self-concept. A valid and reliable self-report scale was used to measure fashion leadership for 376 college students. Analyses showed that this scale did a good job of identifying the fashion leaders. Additional analyses showed that fashion leaders expressed a unique self concept; they considered themselves more excitable, indulgent, contemporary, formal, colorful, and vain than followers. The implications of these findings for fashion theory and merchandising are discussed.