A Kansei engineering approach to optimizing traditional Nyonya Kebaya for young consumer preferences

The traditional Malaysian Nyonya Kebaya is increasingly overlooked by younger consumers, reflecting limited adaptation to contemporary fashion. This study employs Kansei Engineering to systematically identify and optimize Kebaya design elements that align with young consumers’ perceptual preferences. An exploratory sequential mixed-methods design was used. Sixty-four Kansei words were first extracted from visual analysis, interviews, and literature, then organized into a Kebaya-specific semantic space. Questionnaire surveys, card sorting, and clustering analyses revealed five perceptual dimensions—cultural perception, esthetic sensitivity, perceived trendiness, charm, and material texture—and yielded a distilled set of 12 high-salience Kansei words. These were mapped onto actionable design levers in structure, pattern, technique, and color, forming explicit guidelines for design optimization. The study’s unique contribution is a quantified, replicable KE pipeline tailored to heritage attire that (i) constructs a five-dimension semantic space for the Kebaya, (ii) operationalizes a compact Kansei lexicon for young-market targeting, and (iii) links perceptual cues to concrete design parameters. The framework advances beyond descriptive accounts by providing measurable criteria for redesign. Findings support the revitalization of the Nyonya Kebaya for contemporary markets and offer a generalizable approach to preserving and innovating other traditional garments.