Development and Validation of a Model for Estimation of the Effects of Ritual Design on Audiences’ Satisfaction with Fashion Show

Abstract

The modern economic era is experience-oriented, with pleasure generated through perceptual experiences to create an enjoyable process and more sales. Under the influence of the coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) pandemic, people have begun to pursue a sense of ritual and to focus on their emotion, which has enhanced the connection between brands and consumers. The new emphasis on enhancing consumer experiences illustrates how incorporation of ritual and cultural imagery have become a means through which fashion brands can distinguish themselves from global competitors. Although international fashion weeks are now being hosted through virtual catwalks, these shows lack face-to-face interactions and a sense of on-site ritual. Therefore, many have proposed that the COVID-19 era fashion industry should be redesigned to ensure shows maintain a strong sense of ritual that enables audiences to transform their perceptions through a cultivated atmosphere to experience pleasure and satisfaction. In the present study, we explored the incorporation of cultural experiences into fashion curation to identify modern design focuses for fashion curation. We also analyzed the shows of different brands participating in the fashion weeks and discussed whether incorporation of ritual in the design of the shows affected their experiential value and audience satisfaction. Our conclusions were as follows: 1. use of ritual in designing fashion shows was effective, 2. ritual in the design of fashion shows increased participants’ satisfaction with the show and its experiential value. Future studies should integrate design practice into our proposed research framework to provide a reference for fashion curation and instruction to develop curators that meet the needs of the fashion industry.