Perceptions of clothing and physical appearance among young men and women from Split

Aim: To assess whether young people are influenced by social and fashion trends related to body, physical appear-ance, and clothing, as well as to explore their understanding of fashion, styles, and trends. Methods: We used a mixed methods approach consisting of both quantitative and qualitative research methods. The first phase of the study included a survey among a conve-nience sample of 200 young men and women from Split. The second phase consisted of semi-structured interviews with nine young women. Results: Most participants considered their physical appear-ance to be average (77.5%). More than half were satisfied with their physical appearance (59.5%), while women tend-ed to be more preoccupied with their body, appearance, and beauty. Participants mostly prioritized the quality of their garments (77%), minimalism (69%), and their personal style (86%) rather than eye-catching cuts or statement pieces. The majority of participants stated that what they wear is not lim-ited by the opinions of society, as well as that they do not place importance on other people’s opinions (72.5%). The analysis of semi-structured interviews showed that female interview-ees follow fashion trends and consider them an indispens-able part of their lives. They mostly follow fashion through social media, namely because they want to follow trends, wear beautiful clothes, and improve the way they present themselves. They associate trends with transience and fitting the mold, whereas they consider style to be an expression of one’s personality. Regarding their clothing, they are focused on quality, functionality, and the feel of the materials on their body, and they support the concept of ‘slow fashion’. Conclusions: The results from our survey point to the impor-tance of personal style and the quality of garments, while the interviews build on these findings, as female interview-ees further emphasized the importance of garment func-tionality and quality. They also state that they are mindful when choosing materials, as well as that they are interested in the concept of sustainable fashion. Although young peo-ple follow fashion and fashion trends, their limiting influ-ence in their own clothing is not overemphasized.