Cultural designs in New Zealand souvenir clothing: the question of authenticity

Abstract This paper reports on one aspect of a two-year study into the viability of markets for Australasian tourist apparel, that of the authenticity of the motifs used when local cultural themes are depicted on clothing. When the wider study is complete, the result will be a comparative analysis of the importance of such motifs in the production of clothing, and to the shopping behaviour of tourists in relation to these products. Following a pilot study carried out during 1996, a survey of 322 visitors was carried out by face-to-face interview in New Zealand during May–December 1997. The results suggest that there is indeed an important niche market in the production of designer textiles and clothing incorporating local New Zealand cultural motifs for sale to tourists. The data derived from the visitor survey also show that authenticity with respect to cultural merchandise is significant, though the results are not as conclusive as expected.

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