The purpose was to examine the relationships among gender, fashion leadership, need for affect, and consumers' apparel shopping preference. A survey was conducted using a convenience sample of 351 college students from a university in the Midwest. The hypotheses were tested first with multivariate analysis of variance followed by analysis of variance. Women had a greater fashion innovativeness and opinion leadership than men. Compared to men and fashion followers, women and fashion leaders had a greater tendency to enjoy processing feelings during apparel shopping. Women, fashion leaders, and participants with a higher need for affect showed a greater shopping preference than men, fashion followers, and participants with lower need for affect. This study contributed to current research by (i) adding fashion leadership and need for affect as personal determinants of apparel shopping preferences, (ii) highlighting the importance of consumers' personal traits and epistemic values in shopping preference theory, and (iii) extending current understanding of consumers' exploratory behavior during shopping. Results of the study could help apparel marketers and retailers build stronger customer loyalty to their stores.
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