139 American Academic Scientific Research Journal for Engineering, Technology, and Sciences ISSN (Print) 2313-4410, ISSN (Online) 2313-4402 http://asrjetsjournal.org/ Clothing Preference between Urban and Rural Youth in Bangladesh Mizanur Rahman* Department of KMT, BGMEA University of Fashion & Technology (BUFT),Dhaka, Bangladesh Email: rehmanrahat14@gmail.com Abstract This research aims to compare the clothing preferences of urban and rural youth in Bangladesh. This study examined the clothing preferences of urban and rural youth for their daily wear, nightwear, party attire, and festival costume, along with many other clothes. It also examines the perspectives of urban and rural youths about their brand and non-brand preferences, undergarment preferences, and interest in traditional, western, casual, and formal clothes, etc. As the method for collecting primary data, 240 urban and rural youth in Bangladesh were administered a questionnaire. Among these 240 respondents, 120 were from Dhaka and 120 were from Goma village in Bangladesh's Barisal Division. In three age groups ranging from 15 to 20, 20 to 25, and 25 to 29. From these respondents 50 percent of are male and 50 percent are female. To understand respondents' financial status, the author additionally collected information about family income, which helps to identify the factors that impact respondents' wearing and purchasing preferences under varying financial circumstances. The data were statistically analyzed to determine the clothing preferences of urban and rural youths after the survey was administered to survey respondents and the information gathered from the questionnaire was structured using the Microsoft Office Excel application. This study has provided insight into the clothing choices of urban and rural youth, and also evidence indicating monthly family income and age groups may affect clothing preference. Keywords: clothing preference; urban and rural youth; brand preference 1. Introduction Humans are gratified by clothing because it satisfies a wide variety of requirements. Clothes are tied to us both physically and emotionally. Clothes are no longer just seen as a fundamental requirement, as they were in the earliest days of human evolution. Clothes were worn in the past, Present and will be worn in the future. According to many studies, a person's behavior or personality reflects their dress choices in a manner that is both similar and unlike. Clothing made a person feel joyful and promoted a pleasant disposition [1]. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ * Corresponding author. http://asrjetsjournal.org/ American Academic Scientific Research Journal for Engineering, Technology, and Sciences (ASRJETS) (2022) Volume 89, No1, pp 139-148 140 Now this days, The garment industry in Bangladesh is highly outstanding in the worldwide fashion and clothing industry and as a result customers are reaping the benefits of local and international brands [2]. The number of Bangladeshi fashion brand continues to rise. The younger generation has become increasingly fashion- conscious. In the previous decade, a vast number of fashion houses have been established to meet the need of the vast fashion community. In rural regions, there has been no discernible change in the clothes store, despite the fact that the number of brand-name stores has expanded consistently. Between urban and rural youth, economic conditions, the availability of fashion clothing stores, the availability of adequate clothing stores, level of education, and other factors at times lead to a difference in their clothing preferences. Also, numerous studies indicate that family decision making and product differentiation are crucial in determining whether consumers favor local or international brands and their purchase frequency [3]. The objective of this research is to examine a variety of key aspects that influence the clothing preferences of urban and rural youth. 2. Methodology This study sought to learn more about the variations between Bangladeshi youths from urban and rural areas in terms of clothing choices and purchasing preferences. The collected data investigate individual differences in clothing preference. 2.1. Research Approach This study gathers information from young people in urban and rural Bangladesh on their daily clothing choices, brand preferences, underwear preferences, etc. Data for this survey study was gathered from several locations in Bangladesh. When interviewing respondents, some factors are taken into consideration, including the respondent's age, gender, place of residence, family's financial situation, the accessibility of a brand shop or local clothing store near their homes, etc. 2.2. Problem Analysis The survey identified youths' clothing preferences and purchasing habits in urban and rural areas. The analysis of the data gathered from the various respondents in this study also helps to figure out how different urban and rural youths choose and prefer wearing clothing in daily life. 2.3. Develop Question The questionnaire was created to efficiently elicit pertinent information regarding the respondent's clothing preference behavior. In these questions, the author collects information such as age, gender, living area, education level, family financial condition, type of clothing worn daily, brand preferences, etc., to gain a clear understanding of the preferences of youths based on their perspectives. The author utilized the "Tick Mark" option to simplify the survey question and reduce the amount of time required. American Academic Scientific Research Journal for Engineering, Technology, and Sciences (ASRJETS) (2022) Volume 89, No1, pp 139-148 141 2.4. Data Collection The author interviewed 240 Bangladeshi youth from urban and rural areas to answer the survey question.These 240 youth were categorized by their ages and financial condition by the monthly income of their family. According to the “Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics” youth age range of Bangladesh is 15 to 29 and middle-class family income is BDT 40000 to BDT 80000 [4, 5]. Ages of those respondent categories in three age groups,First Category 15 to 20 age group those who study in school/college/recently admitted to the university, Second category 20 to 25 age group those who completed study or study higher education or newly entered the job environment and third category 25 to 29 age group those who currently working in the private sector or doing business. The main goal for this age group is to collect data from those youth who is self-dependent and responsible to their family. Besides this, there is a section to collect data about respondents' financial condition of their families. For better understanding author categorized this financial condition into three categories. In those categories, a family income of BDT 40000 to BDT 100000 is chosen as the average category of middle and upper middle class families. Above average category set as the high income family for above BDT 100000 monthly family income and below average for those whose income below BDT 40000.This category made for an average family of four people. The author conducted this survey to collect data from 240 respondents where 50% of them male and 50% female. The author collected data from Dhaka, Bangladesh for urban youth clothing preferences and GOMA, a remote village in Barisal Division, Bangladesh, to collect data about rural youth clothing preferences. 2.5. Data Analysis Qualitative content analysis is used to classify or decrease the variety of responder words, thereby portraying the data in fewer understandable categories. The study utilizes the "Open Coding" methodology to code data. This approach to data analysis allows us to comprehend the data and analyze the order structure. 2.6. Measure To achieve an adequate response ratio among respondents, the author selected a sample size of around 240 people, 120 from urban areas and 120 from rural areas, with 50 percent male and 50 percent female respondents in three age groups ranging from 15 to 20, 20 to 25, and 25 to 29. The majority of responders are students, and those aged 25 to 29 have private occupations in Bangladesh. The respondent is from Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh and Goma, a rural village in Barisal Division, Bangladesh. 3. Result & Discussion 3.1. Clothing Preference in Daily Life The investigation shows urban and rural males have a widespread test for western cloth such as t-shirts, shirts, jeans, and Panjabi, which is very commonly worn in Bangladesh. However, the traditional attire Lungi creates a significant difference between urban and rural youth.80% of rural youth prefer Lungi as a daily life cloth. In contrast, only 13% of urban youth preferred this. Conversely, other clothes like pajamas, trousers, fatua, and American Academic Scientific Research Journal for Engineering, Technology, and Sciences (ASRJETS) (2022) Volume 89, No1, pp 139-148 142 Figure 1: Urban & rural male clothing preference for daily life tank tops have different preferences between rural and urban youth. Also found is that formal dress "Suit" is more preferred by rural youth. Figure 2: Urban and rural female clothing preference for daily life Female cloth preference shows a variety of changes. Rural females are less interested in western cloth, whereas urban females prefer them more. Female traditional wear is a much preferred cloth for Bangladeshi youth females. Saree, Salwar Kameez, and Borkah (Muslim Traditional Cloth) are commonly used in females. Between rural and urban youth, rural youth preferred traditional cloth then urban. Among 60 rural females, 73% preferred traditional cloth Saree and Borkah,93% chose Salwar Kameez. In the urban area, this percentage was 26% for Saree,53% for Salwar Kameez and 26% for Borkah. 3.2. Clothing Preference for Night Figure 3: Urban and rural male clothing preference for night wear American Academic Scientific Research Journal for Engineering, Technology, and Sciences (ASRJETS) (2022) Volume 89, No1, pp 139-148 143 Rural males and females mainly chose traditional cloth for the night, like Lungi for men and Salwar Kameez for females. 80% rural male prefer lungi and 61% female prefer Salwar Kameez. Also, rural and urban youth most commonly use t-shirt for their nightwear. The rural females most prefer nighty. Figure 4: Urban and rural female clothing preference for night wear 3.3. Clothing Preference for Festival During festivals, urban youth prefer to wear cloth based on the festival. Eid (for Muslim religious) and Puja (for Hindu religious) is the most famous festival in Bangladesh. In those times, youth preferred to wear cloth based on the festival. Such as like, for Eid, men like to wear Panjabi pyjama, and Women like to wear saree and salwar kameez. But rural people are also interested in wearing traditional cloth for the festival. 3.4. Clothing Preference for Party In this research, we found that rural youth like to wear traditional and formal cloth more than urban youth. There is a significant difference in using casual wear between urban and rural youth during a party. In urban areas, the percentage of different clothes by youth is 28% casual,35% traditional and 37% formal dress, whereas 12% for casual,45% for traditional and 44% for formal in rural areas. Figure 5: Clothing preference for festival Figure 6: Clothing preference for party American Academic Scientific Research Journal for Engineering, Technology, and Sciences (ASRJETS) (2022) Volume 89, No1, pp 139-148 144 3.5. Branded Cloth Preferences Figure 7: Branded and non-branded preference Figure 8: Opinion on “Is branded product is overpriced?” Branded cloth is most preferred by urban youth. Rural youth are less interested in purchasing and wearing branded cloth. Though both rural and urban youth think branded cloth makes people look good, they also mention that branded cloth is overpriced. Rural people are less interested in buying from brand stores. During this research, the author tries to understand their opinion on their financial situation. In the rural area, those youth whose family income is below average and average is less interested in buying branded cloth. But in urban areas, youth prefer to buy branded cloth more. Figure 9: Number of people think branded cloth make more beautiful Figure 10: Brand preference by families financial condition American Academic Scientific Research Journal for Engineering, Technology, and Sciences (ASRJETS) (2022) Volume 89, No1, pp 139-148 145 3.6. Availability of Brand Store In the rural area, the brand store is less available. It also derives from making rural youth less interested in branded cloth. If brand shops open more stores near rural areas, it could change the interest in buying non- branded cloth among rural youth. 3.7. Non Branded Cloth Preferences Figure 11: Number of people think non branded cloth is Cheap Figure 12: Availability of branded cloth store Urban and rural youth significantly agreed that non-branded cloth is cheaper than branded cloth. To the financial condition and income of families, rural and urban youth prefer to buy cloth from the local clothing store. In rural areas, those family live below average income show 100% interest in buying from the local clothing store. Figure 13: Non-branded cloth buying preference of local cloth based on financial condition 3.8. Preferred Shopping Place American Academic Scientific Research Journal for Engineering, Technology, and Sciences (ASRJETS) (2022) Volume 89, No1, pp 139-149 146 Figure 14: Prefer to buy from Local clothing store by financial condition Urban youth mostly prefer to buy their cloth from the shopping center, whereas rural youth prefer to buy from local clothing stores near home. Urban youth have the availability of brand shops and they have the facility to purchase cloth from lots of brand options. On the other side, rural youth have fewer shopping centers, and fewer brands shop near to home. It could be costly for them to go to urban areas for shopping. That's why rural youth are most interested in buying from the nearest clothing store in their living place. 3.9. Personality by Cloth Through this research, the author tried to know what rural and urban people think about human personality by their clothing appearance. Between rural and urban people, rural people mostly think that human personality reflects by their clothing appearance. Among 240 respondents, 85% respondents from urban and rural youth also think that human personality reflects on their cloth. 3.10. Traditional Attire Preferences Figure 15: Number of people think personality depends on cloth Traditional cloth like Pajama, Panjabi, Lungi for men and Saree, and Salwar Kameez for the female are more used by rural youth. In this study, respondent shows that rural youth like to wear traditional cloth more than urban youth. Among 240 respondent 89% rural and urban youth prefer traditional attire On the other side, Urban youth dislike it more than rural youth. 15% respondent from urban youth dislike it. American Academic Scientific Research Journal for Engineering, Technology, and Sciences (ASRJETS) (2022) Volume 89, No1, pp 139-149 147 Figure 16: Traditional attire preferences 3.11. Family Forces to Wear In rural areas, families are required to wear clothing that reflects their preferences and family traditions. Occasionally, it is due to their religious beliefs. But it is less apparent in urban families. Urban families force less of their clothing preferences on their family members. From the respondent 33% forced to wear cloth by their family tradition, 22% of them from rural areas. 3.12. Undergarments Preferences Figure 17: Family forces to wear cloth by their choice The author of this study discovered that urban and rural ladies prefer to wear undergarments. Although youth boys like to wear but a significant proportion of them dislike wearing undergarments. 95% female like to wear undergarments where 31% from 120 male youth not prefer to wear. American Academic Scientific Research Journal for Engineering, Technology, and Sciences (ASRJETS) (2022) Volume 89, No1, pp 139-149 148 Figure 18: Undergarments preferences between rural and urban youth 4. Conclusions This study concluded that t-shirts, shirts, jeans, formal pants, etc. are very common among urban and rural youth for daily and nighttime wear, whereas traditional garments such as Panjabi, Lungi for males and Saree, Salwar Kameez for females differ significantly between rural and urban youth. Rural youth prefer festival specific and traditional attire more than urban youth during festivals. At parties, rural youth prefer traditional and formal attire, whereas urban youth prefer casual attire. Casual attire is less popular among rural youth as a party dress. Urban youth like branded clothing, whereas rural people believe branded clothing is overpriced, despite the fact that rural people believe branded clothing makes one more fashionable. When deciding between Branded and Non-Branded cloth, it appears that youth from families with an average wage income between BDT 40,000 to BDT 100,000 prefer to purchase non-branded cloth. There are fewer stores that sell clothing items in rural areas than in urban areas. Both rural and urban youth believe that non-branded cloth is less expensive than branded cloth. Among 240 respondents, 95% think non-branded cloth is cheap to buy. Youth in rural areas prefer to shop at local clothing stores near their homes. 85% of rural and urban youth believe that clothes reflect one‘s personality. 89% of 240 respondents are interested in traditional dress, whereas rural youth prefer it more. 33% of respondents are forced to wear clothing selected by their families, whereas 22% are from rural areas. Regarding the preference for undergarments, 95% of 120 females like to wear undergarments. In addition, 31% of the 120 male respondents dislike wearing undergarments. This survey provided valuable insight into the clothing preferences of both urban and rural youth in Bangladesh. Also, it shows information regarding the brand and non-brand purchasing preferences. 5. Limitation and Further Study Due to the size and location of the sample, it is possible that the data are not truly representative of rural and urban youth in Bangladesh. These outcomes might not be applicable in other locations. This research identified influential independent variables, and the study was conducted in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, and Goma, a rural village in the Barisal Division of Bangladesh, which is a small portion of the country. In reality, there may be other variables, and the research will be conducted over a larger area. These elements will be explored in the future. American Academic Scientific Research Journal for Engineering, Technology, and Sciences (ASRJETS) (2022) Volume 89, No1, pp 139-149 149 References [1] Hasan, Syed Akif, Muhammad Imtiaz Subhani, and Ms Osman. (2011). "New Article of Clothing translates the Mood of an Individual." International Journal of Business and Social Science [On-line] 23(2). 183-185. 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