Clothing style confidence: The development and validation of a multidimensional scale to explore product longevity

Personal style has been more frequently cited in the sustainable consumption discourse in recent years. The purpose of this research project is to conceptualize and operationalize clothing style confidence (CSC), defined as confidence about the individual way people express themselves with clothing and accessories. This study aims to advance a systematic understanding of the role of CSC in product longevity by developing a measurement scale through qualitative interviews, expert review, a survey to purify the scale, and a survey to validate a scale. The project began with 23 interviews among men and women who self‐identified as style confident, which aided in the development of 108 initial items. These items were reviewed by seven experts, resulting in the retention of 77 items. An online survey via a mass e‐mail facilitated through a large southwestern university's communication office yielded 141 responses for the purpose of scale purification, resulting in 26 items for the validation phase. An online survey was then conducted with a consumer panel purchased via Research Reward, yielding 451 usable surveys for scale validation. A measure of CSC that is both reliable and valid resulted, including 22 scale items across five distinct dimensions: style longevity, aesthetic perceptual ability, creativity, appearance importance, and authenticity. Analyses reveal a significant relationship between CSC and wardrobe engagement as well as wardrobe preservation, indicating that CSC is related to a more attentive and aware approach to clothing use that supports product longevity.