The purpose of this study was to develop a reliable and valid instrument to measure color, design clothing preferences, and purchase intentions of Asian-Indian female consumers; secondarily, to determine if westernized clothes with Asian-Indian ethnic dress elements might be purchased more often than westernized clothing with design attributes primarily symbolic of American culture at different levels of acculturation. The instrument included a modified acculturation scale, limited demographics, and the developed Clothing Preferences and Purchase Intention Instrument. The instrument consisted of four components: Color Symbolism and Purchase Intention, Design Symbolism and Purchase Intention, Symbolic Attributes Scale, and Clothing Preference and Purchase Intention for Mainstream American versus Asian-Indian Inspired. All of the scales had high reliability. Of the 30 colors in the instrument, red, magenta, orange gold, yellow, cobalt blue, and purple were symbolic of Asian-Indian dress; hunter green, navy blue, baby blue, and blue were considered western colors. Neutral colors were eliminated. Nine of the 27 tunics in the instrument were highly indicative of Asian-Indian clothing; 11 were indicative of westernized clothing. Secondarily, Asian-Indians preferred and showed intent to purchase westernized clothing with colors and designs associated with their native country’s traditional dress regardless of acculturation. 1. Introduction Study of Asian Indian immigrants to the (USA) and their clothing preferences and purchase intentions is an important area of research. Immigrants from India are at their highest rates in history [1]. According to the USA census, in 2010 there were 2.9 million people in the USA that classified themselves as Asian Indians. They have a growth rate of 38% since 2000, the highest rate for any Asian country [1]. Almost 67% of all Indians have a bachelor’s or higher degree (compared to 28% nationally and 44% on average for all Asian American groups). Almost 50% of Asian Indian immigrants have graduate or professional degrees [2]. In addition, the median family income for this group is $113,095 compared to $68,257 for the median overall household income in the USA [3] giving this ethnic group significantly higher purchasing power than many other consumers. Studying the clothing preferences and purchase behavior of this segment of the population is beneficial in providing a selection of apparel appealing to this market. In order to study an ethnic group as they move to the USA, one must first determine how well they have adapted to
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