US consumers' subjective hand, sensibility, and preference for textile products made of bast fiber

摘要

This study was aimed at examining how US consumers perceive the sensibility of bast fiber and to investigate how sensibility is affected by subjective hand and impacts preference. Furthermore, this study discovered how sensibility toward bast fibers leads to preference for different end use. Focus group interviews and questionnaire surveys were conducted and 246 usable data were analyzed. Results revealed that US consumers tend to perceive bast fiber in three sensibility dimensions: Wearable,' Modern,' and Rich'. The influence of subjective hand on sensibility was found to differ by sensibility dimensions. The hands of Smooth/Rough' and Warm/Cool' were found to be the most significant determinants of sensibility. This study further found that the extent of preference which was predicted by sensibility differed by end use; while consumer preferences toward apparel, bed and bath items and table linen were found to be predicted by sensibility, furnishing, and industrial items were not.