Abstract

The main purpose of this exploratory research was to examine the characteristics of consumers who patronize natural-dyed clothes and their perceptions regarding natural-dyed clothes. Thirty three participants who have worn natural-dyed clothes were interviewed for the study. They were asked about the styles and price of natural-dyed clothes they owned, their evaluation on them, and the lifestyles of themselves. Existence of subculture among the interviewes and its characteristics were also probed. The results indicated that natural-dyed clothes are relatively high-priced, mostly of modified hanbok style, and became popular in recent years. Interviewees frequently mentioned uniqueness and comfort as the main benefits of natural-dyed clothes, and expressed dissatisfaction regarding color fastness, easy care and problem of coordination. The consumers of natural-dyed clothes appeared to have strong preferences for environment conservation and Korean traditional culture. They also seemed to form a subcultural group who have commonality in their involvement in Korean cultural activities, mainly tea ceremony.

Keywords

• Korean traditional culture;
• lifestyle;
• natural-dyed clothes;
• subculture

• 한국전통문화;
• 라이프스타일;
• 천연염색의류;
• 하위문화;