Exploring the Evolution of Modern Shanghai Clothing: A Comprehensive Study on Its Significant Factors

Abstract

This paper explores the evolution of modern Shanghai clothing, focusing on changes in fashion from both literary and visual perspectives. The first part examines the social and cultural factors that have influenced modern Shanghai clothing, such as urbanization, modernization, and the influence of foreign cultures. The second part analyzes how Shanghai-style literature depicts clothing and its significance in society. The third part looks at historical photographs of Shanghai clothing to understand its development and influence on fashion. The fourth part compares literature and visual records to interpret the societal significance of changes in Shanghai clothing. Finally, the fifth part explores how foreign cultures have influenced Shanghai clothing and its role in the broader context of Chinese fashion history. The methodology applied in this study is multi criteria decision making which comprehensively analyse the factors influencing the evolution of modern Shanghai clothing. It involves three main steps: indicator identification through content analysis, respondents’ identification through stakeholder analysis, and indicator screening using a questionnaire survey and structured interviews. The collected data were then analysed using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) within a Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) framework, facilitated by Super decision software. AHP was chosen for its ability to reveal relative priorities through pair comparisons, which is essential for ranking the most relevant indicators for the evolution of modern Shanghai clothing. The study's findings highlight the importance of factors such as the Media and Technology, Consumer Preferences, Social Cultural Influences, Economic Factors, and Environmental Factors in influencing the evolution of modern Shanghai clothing. The research provides valuable insights that can support the management and planning of the fashion industry in Shanghai, offering a framework for prioritizing key metrics and guiding future research to quantify limits and establish best practices for sustainable development.