Clothing and Semiotic Landscape in Café Space: A Case Study of One Step Garden Café in Shanghai

Main Article Content

Sutthikan Watthanaphokhayakit

Abstract

This study takes One Step Garden café as a case to explore the phenomenon of convergence in clothing as a linguistic landscape within a spatial context. Grounded in theories of linguistic landscape and spatial context, the research adopts a case study approach and non-participant observation to examine and statistically analyze the colors and styles of customers’ clothing across three branches. The findings reveal that low-saturation colors such as black, white, gray, and brown predominate, with an overall tendency toward simplicity, naturalness, and low expressive intensity, forming visual coordination with the aesthetic design of the space. The study argues that this convergence does not result from individuals’ conscious adjustments in dress, but rather emerges naturally through mechanisms of spatial selection and aesthetic attraction. By incorporating clothing into the analytical framework of spatial linguistic landscape, this research extends the non-verbal dimension of linguistic landscape studies and deepens the understanding of the relationship between space and identity construction.

Article Details

How to Cite
Watthanaphokhayakit, S. (2026). Clothing and Semiotic Landscape in Café Space: A Case Study of One Step Garden Café in Shanghai. Journal of Man and Society, 12(1), e293982. retrieved from https://so06.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/husocjournal/article/view/293982
Section
Research Article

References

Ahmad, H., Sumarti, E., & Sriwulandari, Y. A. (2022). Cafe as a representation of the lifestyle of the urban community. Technium Social Sciences Journal,33,569–576. https://doi.org/10.47577/tssj.v33i1.6851

Barnard, M. (2002). Fashion as communication (2nd ed.). Routledge.

Barthes, R. (1983). The fashion system (M. Ward & R. Howard, Trans.). Hill and Wang.

Belk, R. W. (1988). Possessions and the extended self. Journal of ConsumerResearch,15(2),139–168. https://doi.org/10.1086/209154

Cialdini, R. B., & Goldstein, N. J. (2004). Social influence: Compliance and conformity. Annual Review of Psychology, 55, 591–621. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.55.090902.142015

Dechaburananon, B. (2025). Content presentation of café hopping reviewer on the TikTok platform. Academic Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Burapha University, 33(1), 189–201. https://so06.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/husojournal/article/view/276614

Elliot, A. J., & Maier, M. A. (2014). Color psychology: Effects of perceiving color on psychological functioning in humans. Annual Reviewof Psychology,65, 95–120. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-010213-115035

Ferreira, J., Ferreira, C., & Bos, E. (2021). Spaces of consumption, connection, and community: Exploring the role of the coffee shop in urban lives. Geoforum, 119, 21–29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2020.12.024

Hall, E. T. (1966). The hidden dimension. Doubleday.

Jakobson, R. (1960). Closing statement: Linguistics and poetics. In T. A. Sebeok (Ed.), Style in language (pp. 350–377). MIT Press.

Jaworski, A., & Thurlow, C. (Eds.). (2010). Semiotic landscapes: Language, image, space. Continuum International Publishing Group.

Kovačić, S., Jovanović, T., Vujičić, M. D., Morrison, A. M., & Kennell, J. (2022). What shapes activity preferences? The role of tourist personality, destination personality and destination image: Evidence from Serbia.Sustainability,14(3),1803. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14031803

Landry, R., & Bourhis, R. Y. (1997). Linguistic landscape and ethnolinguistic vitality: An empirical study. Journal of Language and Social Psychology,16(1),23–49. https://doi.org/10.1177/0261927X970161002

Lefebvre, H. (1991). The production of space (D. Nicholson-Smith, Trans.). Blackwell.

One Step Garden. (n.d.). Official website. Retrieved May 23, 2026, from https://www.yichizhijian.com/

Pozos, R. K. (2015). Coffee shops: Exploring urban sociability and social class in the intersection of public and private space [Bachelor’s thesis]. Stanford University. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.19087.43680

Proshansky, H. M., Fabian, A. K., & Kaminoff, R. (1983). Place-identity: Physical world socialization of the self. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 3(1), 57–83. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0272-4944(83)80021-8

Roach-Higgins, M. E., & Eicher, J. B. (1992). Dress and identity. Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, 10(4), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1177/0887302X9201000401

Singh, S. (2006). Impact of color on marketing. Management Decision, 44(6), 783–789. https://doi.org/10.1108/00251740610673332