The effects of brand labeling and store image on perceptions of clothing characteristics were investigated using a 3X3 completefactorial between-subjects experimental design. Ninety women individually examined and rated a knit shirt on status, utility, styling, and purchase evaluation characteristics. The shirt had either a designer, private, or no label attached to it and was associated with either a high image store, a low image store, or no store. Both brand label and store image affected ratings of status characteristics of the shirt. Store image affected the ratings of styling characteristics of the private label shirts but not of the designer label shirts. The results are discussed in terms of Congruity Theory.
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