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- ItemOpen AccessAn examination of participation in sneaker culture: consumer motivations and responses to co-branding between luxury apparel and athletic shoe brands - Louis Vuitton and Nike(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2023) Shin, Donghoon, author; Hyllegard, Karen, advisor; Ogle, Jennifer, committee member; Chai, DaeSeok, committee memberThis thesis investigated the phenomenon of 'sneaker culture' influence on the contemporary fashion market by examining consumer perspectives and their motivations for engaging in this subculture and by exploring their responses to the collaborative marketing strategy called co-branding. This research examined the co-branding of luxury apparel brands and athletic shoe/sportswear brands through the collaboration between Louis Vuitton and Nike. This research was guided by the lens of fandom and participatory culture, and it employed an inductive approach to draw general conclusions from specific observations (i.e., interviews). This study was conducted by interviewing 'sneakerheads' who were expected to be particularly interested in this collaboration between luxury and athletic brands. Through a qualitative research method, this study provides insight into consumers' (i.e., sneakerheads) perceptions of the value of this type of co-branding. Findings also provide insights for fashion companies to understand the specific motivations of consumers who participate in sneaker culture and their behavior/response (i.e., consumer attitudes and purchase intentions) to co-branding between luxury brands and athletic shoe/sportswear brands.
- ItemEmbargoA framework to guide eco-cultural interior design in adaptive reuse(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2023) Schmidt, Alea, author; Malinin, Laura, advisor; Kwon, Jain, advisor; Valdes Vasquez, Rodolfo, committee memberAs the current efforts of sustainability in the built environment shift in focus from the environment to including aspects of health and wellbeing, equity, diversity, and inclusion, there is a need to understand how these aspects connect to the concept of eco-cultural design and the role of the interior designer. This qualitative study explores the ways in which interior design has potential to contribute to eco-cultural design especially within the context of adaptive reuse. The conceptual framework for this study is informed by the concept of eco-cultural design and the coinciding assessment framework proposed by Qtaishat et al. (2020). The indicators within the main categories of the original framework were adjusted to focus on aspects that relate specifically to interior design. Purposive sampling and the content analysis of design firm websites were used to identify professionals working at the intersection of adaptive reuse, interior design, and sustainability. Nine professionals participated in open-ended, semi-structured interviews to discuss their lived experiences with interior design and adaptive reuse and how sustainability and aspects of ecocultural design are understood in the industry. The qualitative coding techniques of open coding and a priori themes were used to explore the applicability of the conceptual framework for practice, and the ways in which the roles of the interior designer relate to the different categories of eco-cultural design. The participants' experiences and insights informed the refinement of the conceptual framework toward a guideline for Eco-Cultural Interior Design, including the roles interior design professionals might play from pre-design through project administration. The findings suggest there are already efforts being made in the industry regarding aspects of eco-cultural design. However, due to the overwhelming number of terms and concepts that exist relating to sustainability, interior designers lack the language to clearly communicate with clients the value of considering aspects of eco-cultural design. The findings also suggest that the framework is more impactful when used to guide interior designers as they move through the design process, rather than as another building rating system. Instead, it may be better used to provoke critical thought regarding how to consider all dimensions of sustainability during interior design and adaptive reuse. In addition, there is potential for interior designers to have the most impact on the eco-cultural sustainability in the pre-design phases of the design process, demonstrating the importance of involving them from the start. The main contribution of this study is therefore the development of a framework to guide eco-cultural interior design in practice.
- ItemEmbargoExamining knowledge transfer between design research and healthcare design practices: an interpretive comparative case study(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2023) Iedema, Alyssa, author; Malinin, Laura, advisor; Kwon, Jain, advisor; Graham, Daniel, committee memberThe utilization of research to inform design decisions has been a rising topic of discussion. There is a gap between design research, how it is communicated and its accessibility, and the design industry, the ones responsible for designing and building the environments people inhabit (Huber, 2017). There have been few studies investigating how interior design practitioners are acquiring and applying research to inform their design decisions (e.g., Dickson and White, 1993; Huber, 2016b; 2017). Architecture and design firms have started to invest in developing in-house research labs in attempt to bridge the gap (Donofrio, 2013; Huber, 2016a). The purpose of this comparative case study is to explore how architecture and design firms in the United States are engaging with design research throughout the design process, including if and how engagement differs between firms with in-house research labs and those without. A total of 8 firms were studied (4 of these had in-house research labs). A content analysis of each firm's website was conducted to understand how they are describing their engagement with research to find essential themes across cases. Ten individuals, consisting of interior design practitioners and design researchers, were then interviewed to gain an understanding of research utilization from their perspective. Findings suggest that eight themes in which research is involved in the design process: 1) motivation for research 2) definition of research 3) organization of research 4) identifying knowledge 5) selecting knowledge 6) adapting knowledge 7) implementing knowledge 8) disseminating knowledge. Findings also suggest that there is an inconsistent communication and expectation of research across all firms.
- ItemEmbargoStudy of mechanical and antimicrobial properties of biomimetic shark skin fabrics with different denticle size via 3D printing technology(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2022) Wen, Jiayi, author; Li, Yan Vivian, advisor; Chisholm, Sandra, committee member; Prawel, David, committee memberPrevious studies have shown that biomimetic shark skin fabrics can reduce water drag and increase swimming speed. It was also known that the smaller the denticle was, the higher water drag reduction was. In nature, the size of the denticles on shark skin is between 100 μm and 500 μm. However, the minimum size of the 3D printed denticles on a biomimetic shark skin fabric previously reported was about 2mm, which was still much larger than the natural size. In this study, different sizes of denticles ranging from 0.65mm to 1.30mm were fabricated using a Form3 3D printer and Flexible80A resin, and the effect of denticle size on mechanical properties and antimicrobial properties of biomimetic shark skin fabric were evaluated for the applications in functional clothing. The results suggested that when the size of the denticle was decreased, the stiffness of the fabrics was increased. In the tensile testing, the tensile strength and the breaking elongation of the 3D printed fabric with 1.04mm denticles were largest in the tested fabrics, which was larger than those of some common fabric materials used in commercial swimwear, suggesting great potential of functional clothing applications. In addition, mechanical anisotropy was observed in the 3D printed fabrics, which is commonly seen in textile fabrics. In antimicrobial testing, the shark skin fabrics with 0.65mm and 1.04mm denticles were found to be less susceptible to bacterial attachment, suggesting good potential for functional clothing applications.
- ItemOpen AccessImparting protective properties to lyocell fabric via single and multi-functional finishing treatments(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2010) Vora, Gunjan, author; Sarkar, Ajoy, advisor; Tremblay, Kenneth, committee member; Mallette, Dawn, committee memberLyocell is a fiber made from wood pulp cellulose. Like other cellulosic fibers, it is breathable, absorbent, very comfortable to wear, and biodegradable. Lyocell fiber is also eco-friendly and sustainable since the solvent used to manufacture the fiber is environmentally not hazardous and the manufacturing of lyocell is a closed-loop process. Lyocell has been treated a myriad of ways to enhance its value-added potential. However, no studies were found to have been done to impart protective properties such as resistance to UV-radiation and resistance to microbes. In this study, untreated lyocell fabric was analyzed for its protective properties against UV radiation and disease causing microbes. Lyocell was found to afford no protection against UV radiation and also possessed no anti-microbial activity against the three microbes investigated in this study. To improve its protective properties, lyocell was finished with UV-absorbers. To enhance its antimicrobial property, lyocell was treated with an antimicrobial agent. It was experimentally determined that a UV-absorber concentration of 2% on weight of fabric was sufficient to improve the UV properties of lyocell fabric to an excellent degree. The antimicrobial concentration for excellent antimicrobial activity was found to be 0.5% on weight of fabric. Combining several processing steps to reduce time and cost is preferred in the textile industry so the synergistic effect of UV absorber treatment and antimicrobial treatment from a multi- functional treatment bath was explored in the next phase of the study. Lyocell fabrics were treated with the optimum amount of UV-absorber and antimicrobial agent. The data showed the UV-protection of lyocell fabric was not imparted negatively when a multi-functional bath was employed. Similarly, the antimicrobial efficiency was not reduced on multi-functional finishing treatment. Further, the finishing treatments, both single and multi-functional were durable to laundering and to light exposure.