Search Results (41)

Masstige fashion brands present a promising alternative to both luxury and fast fashion in the context of sustainability, offering an affordable yet prestigious option. However, these brands face the challenge of leveraging digital transformation tools while balancing prestige and accessibility. With its visual appeal, interactive features, and daily usage, Instagram Stories is a highly engaging communication tool for masstige brands. Despite its importance, ephemeral brand communication remains an underexplored area. This study investigates how young consumers interpret and decode Instagram Stories featuring human models from masstige fashion brands that represent identitary values Sexuality and Seduction, Seasonality, and Renewal. Using mind mapping and focus group discussions with 75 frequent Instagram users, findings reveal that audiences actively reinterpret brand messages, sometimes reshaping their intended meaning. Highly stylized celebrities led to skepticism or disengagement, while authentic, everyday portrayals fostered positive engagement. Sexualized imagery was often reframed as functional rather than aspirational. The study reveals that while brands aim to communicate identitary values such as Sexuality and Seduction, these are usually reinterpreted or even rejected by users in favor of values like comfort, simplicity, or emotional authenticity. Conversely, values like Seasonality, Renewal, and Quality were more consistently recognized and positively decoded, suggesting a more substantial alignment between brand encoding and audience perception in those domains. Full article

The textile and fashion industry produce a significant amount of solid waste annually. Most of this waste is either disposed of or burned; very little is reused. This research investigates the potential of reusing and recycling remnant fabric to create sustainable luxury fashion products in a circular economy. Focusing on three factories namely Factory A, Factory B, and Factory C, this study analyzes product diversification, capacity, capital investment, supply chain dynamics, and manufacturing operations. A qualitative approach with semi-structured interviews with industry practitioners from the case factories was employed. Data from purchasing orders, production reports, inventory reports, and monthly invoices were analyzed. The factories manufactured a range of sustainable products, emphasizing floor mats, ladies’ handbags, and bedding items (pillow covers). The analysis revealed that each factory achieved a 30–40% profit margin on their monthly sales. Notably, approximately 95% of the remnant fabric was recycled in the production process, with merely 5% being discarded and resold for further use. These findings indicate local employment opportunities and substantial contributions to socio-economic advancement. This study recommends adopting a circular economy model to generate new business opportunities and income streams from remnant fabric. It encourages new financial investment and technical innovations to promote growth in this sector and benefit wider stakeholders. Full article

The rapid expansion of the non-fungible token (NFT) market, which grew over 200% in 2023 to reach $22 billion, has opened new avenues for fashion brands to engage consumers through digital fashion products under blockchain technology. This study investigated the effects of NFT promotional bundles that combine physical and NFT fashion items as a pair on consumer perceptions. By investigating the interaction effect between the brand type (luxury vs. non-luxury) and promotional bundle types (PHY+free NFT vs. NFT+free PHY), the research demonstrated how these bundles influenced consumers’ perceived value, risk, and authenticity according to the brand type. The findings showed that while a freebie physical item can enhance consumers’ perceived value of NFT products for non-luxury brands, it led to value-discounting inferences, particularly for luxury brands. This study contributes to the literature on NFT fashion by exploring consumer perceptions and providing insights for fashion retailers on effectively framing promotional bundles to maximize consumer engagement for NFT fashion products. Full article

This research aims to assess consumer attitudes towards purchasing pre-loved luxury fashion items and explore how these attitudes influence their intention to buy such products. Luxury goods consumption is evolving into a multifaceted proposition where customers actively take on new responsibilities. In addition to being purchasers and users, they occasionally turn into luxury brand product dealers. Luxury fashion, which includes more expensive materials, apparel, and frequently new and limited-edition items, is unquestionably stylish. Luxury brands could draw clients and the attention of many audiences, becoming quite prominent, even though luxury fashion only makes up a small portion of the economy compared to other significant businesses. Using a convenience sampling technique, data were collected from 282 individuals in Cairo. The analysis was conducted through SPSS software v2023. Our findings show that consumers’ concerns about the environment have a big influence on their perceived value (PI) of used luxury fashion items, both directly and indirectly through the mediation of their desire for sustainability. Nonetheless, attitude strength has a moderating effect on this association. It is interesting to note that the relationship between environmental concern and sustainability is weakened under the influence of attitude strength. Furthermore, our findings indicate that modest levels of attitude strength make it easy to change how customers’ environmental concerns affect their previously owned luxury fashion items. High-end stores can also fight off counterfeit marketplaces by providing authentication services to consumers of pre-loved luxury clothing. This study emphasizes the role of consumer attitude as a mediator in shaping purchase intentions for pre-loved luxury fashion. However, its focus on one region and cross-sectional data collection presents limitations. Future studies should explore other markets and use longitudinal data for a deeper understanding. This research contributes to the existing literature by offering insights for consumers, marketers, and sellers promoting pre-loved luxury fashion. Full article

As a representative of China’s fashion market, the second-hand luxury market in Shanghai is experiencing significant growth. To deepen the understanding of sustainable fashion consumption, this study adopts grounded theory methodology and utilizes semi-structured interviews with 40 interviewees who have purchased second-hand luxury goods. Through theoretical sampling and step-by-step coding using Nvivo12, a comprehensive model was developed, identifying five main categories of factors influencing consumer purchasing behavior in Shanghai: three external factors—store factors, product factors, and social environments—and two internal factors—benefit cognition and personal factors. Based on these factors, we propose the following managerial implications: managers should explore new digital channels to expand service chains, leveraging celebrity endorsements to promote sustainability initiatives. Additionally, broadening product sourcing channels and establishing a standardized recycling system, while enhancing the management and monitoring of high-risk products, are essential steps. Maintaining competitive pricing, high inventory turnover, and a diverse product range are also critical measures. Furthermore, the government should increase support for second-hand luxury sales in urban commerce, fostering a competitive and sustainable business ecosystem. Full article

When a bandwagon consumption trend of luxury fashion products appears, potential consumers tend to conform to the trend. The conformity behavior is enhanced by social media because it makes bandwagon trends more visible. However, no research has explored the drivers of fashion trend conformity in the social media age and the underlying mechanisms. Our empirical research demonstrates that fashion trend conformity is a socially directed type of behavior driven by trend perception and reference group pressure, which represent the informational and normative social influence stimuli, respectively. In addition to the direct impact, we also examine the mediating roles of demand amplification and the urge to buy impulsively (UBI). Demand amplification and UBI, respectively, reflect the rational cognitive reaction and irrational emotional reaction to stimuli of fashion bandwagon consumption. However, our results show that only the cognitive reaction path works, but the emotional reaction path does not. Put simply, trend conformity behavior is largely the result of consumers’ rational reactions rather than irrational reactions to the social influence stimuli of bandwagon consumption. Our study contributes to the research on luxury fashion consumption by introducing three new concepts, i.e., fashion trend conformity, trend perception, and demand amplification, to describe and theorize the characteristics of consumer behavioral patterns for luxury fashion products and new drivers and novel underlying mechanisms of consumer behaviors in the social media age. Our findings offer practical insights for retailers and manufacturers to promote fashion trend conformity behavior. Full article

Digital fashion may instill transformative power into the fashion industry as it can simultaneously deliver fashionability and sustainability. Renowned for their innovativeness and creativity, luxury brands embrace digital fashion and achieve market success, indicating the future of digital fashion. This research aims to empirically investigate consumers’ general perceptions and evaluations of digital fashion and to specifically examine consumers’ purchase intention of luxury brands’ digital fashion. A total of 214 responses were collected from a U.S.-based research company’s consumer panel. Data were analyzed by using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results revealed that the general attitude toward digital fashion is influenced by four factors: the two specific attitudes toward outfitting avatars and dressing real people’s on-screen bodies in virtual spaces, the perceived social value of digital fashion, and consumer environmental involvement. Furthermore, the general attitude and perceived social value of digital fashion directly affect the purchase intention. This study attempts to extend established theories into the emerging digital fashion context and provides insights and suggestions for digital fashion marketers, particularly for luxury fashion brands. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted societies worldwide, leading to challenges in ensuring well-being and sustainability. In this context, it is essential to better understand consumer consciousness of pro-environmental products from the perspective of well-being. Therefore, our cross-national investigation aimed to explore the relationship between subjective well-being (SWB) and sustainable luxury consumption during the pandemic. We analyzed data from 800 respondents in China and Japan during the pandemic. Our findings, obtained through partial least squares structural equation modeling, reveal novel insights. First, SWB positively influences pro-environmental behavioral intentions, even in luxury fashion consumption. This highlights the potential for individuals to make sustainable choices, while indulging in luxury products. Additionally, we observed variations in the impact of subjective happiness and life satisfaction on luxury consumption between China and Japan. Specifically, the influence of subjective happiness was more pronounced in China than in Japan, indicating cultural distinctions in the relationship between well-being and luxury consumption. Moreover, our study identifies consumer novelty seeking as a mediator linking SWB to sustainable luxury consumption. This discovery provides a further understanding of the relationships explored in our study. These findings deepen our understanding of the interplay between well-being and sustainable luxury consumption, thereby informing strategies to promote pro-environmental behaviors in the luxury fashion sector. Full article

This study investigated consumer behaviors in conspicuous omni-signaling—its internal motivations and its consequences on social needs fulfilment and re-consumption intention in the context of luxury fashion. A phenomenon of conspicuous consumption is identified with the consumption and display of conspicuous goods to signal status, wealth, and prestige. Digital development has made conspicuous signaling radically emerge in social media through the posting of photos, videos, or stories of luxury goods. This drives an emerging phenomenon of conspicuous omni-signaling, the use of both offline and online media to signal conspicuous consumption hybridlike. As a new phenomenon, little is known of consumer behaviors related to conspicuous omni-signaling. To facilitate the investigation, an online survey was conducted to collect data from 474 valid respondents across eight cities representing various conspicuous consumption characteristics of Indonesian consumers. Veblen’s conspicuous consumption and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theories were employed as the main lens for analysis. PLS-SEM technique was employed as the research model uses mixed reflective and formative constructs. WarpPLS 7.0 was then used for data analysis. The results indicated that luxury values and fashion consciousness positively affect conspicuous omni-signaling. This study also found that conspicuous omni-signaling affects conspicuous re-consumption both directly and indirectly through social needs fulfilment. This study contributes to extend the concept of conspicuous offline consumption and conspicuous online consumption to conspicuous omni-signaling. This study also confirms conflicting results in the effect of conspicuous consumption on social needs fulfilment, and conflicting results in the effect of conspicuous consumption on conspicuous re-consumption. Full article

The purpose of this study is to explore the interaction between copyright, branding, marketing, and heritage protection with regard to a fashion brand. The authors use analytical-critical and legal-dogmatic methods, supplemented with desk research, a case study approach, and a review of the marketing literature. This paper argues that the top-tier fashion brands use the concept of artification in order to build their brands, mesmerize clientele, and increase revenues. Although design and reference to the arts play a major role in the luxurious and premium end of the fashion business, this analysis proves that the top players do not necessarily observe the appropriate laws in these areas. The reader will see examples of the flouting of basic legal constraints by big players, e.g., copyrights or property rights, including the monetisation of the creativity of others with the expectation of no legal challenge. Offenders capitalise on the likelihood that a legal suit is too demanding for smaller players, such as foundations or museums. Full article

There are long-standing arguments that challenge the resale business as a circular fashion model. Considering the whole fashion industry and market, luxury resale is still quite small. To scale the industry, it is critical to attract more consumers to embrace fashion resale and circular fashion. However, many of the customers most likely to embrace resale might have already opted into the market, indicating that online or in-store resale businesses are competing for a limited pool of customers. As a result, it is challenging for the industry to scale. Therefore, it is imperative to understand how consumers engage with luxury resale platforms, what value they are looking for, and to what degree resale customers’ desires for fashion clothing and sustainability can be met in a reconciling manner. Such understanding will facilitate luxury resale platforms to grow their customer base and scale up the industry. This exploratory study focuses on understanding online luxury platform customers and their consumption experience to determine what key attributes affect customer value and engagement. The research explores customer experience using a text-mining approach to provide answers to identified research questions: (1) How do online luxury resale platforms provide customer value to buyers and sellers? What are the driving values for consumers to buy or sell pre-owned products? (2) Are there any issues regarding buying and selling pre-owned products using online luxury resale platforms? (3) Does sustainability play a role in individuals’ consumption using online luxury resale platforms? The article discusses the implications of the study, its limitations, and future research directions. Full article

This study analyzed what design elements are attractive to consumers of denim fabric products. A questionnaire survey was used to investigate the brands and design elements that consumers prefer. Subsequently, the degree to which participating consumers liked the five design elements (traditional, transformative, pattern, multi-material, and decorative designs), fast fashion brands, and luxury brands were used as explanatory variables to determine the consumers’ willingness to pay. A multiple regression analysis was performed on these variables. The results indicated that consumers who preferred traditional and transformative designs showed a positive effect on their willingness to pay for denim fabric products. Therefore, these elements could be attractive design elements that may command a high price point in new product planning proposals. Moreover, depending on the type of brand preferred by consumers, the impact of design elements on their purchase intention of denim fabric products has different consequences. This study analyzes the design elements preferred by consumers and contributes to the creation of design proposals by designers and apparel firms. Full article

The rapid proliferation of social media has been redefining every facet of the old marketing and customer engagement tactics, not only for low-end and mass-market products but also for luxury brands. In this context, brands are dealing with the challenge of maintaining a balance between using mass marketing strategies concurrent with accentuating the exclusivity of their offerings. Social media can be considered beneficial if brands employ it to reach the right audience and use the right platform and incorporating the right content. In this work, we propose a sector-specific, integrated, and holistic investigation of the social media strategies of luxury brands together with the impact they generate in terms of the engagement level of the users as an indicator of their success. We provide empirical validation of the methods used in the Italian market of the luxury fashion sector, providing a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the content shared on social media, considering the type, timing, and modality of the sharing. We evaluate consumer-brand engagement in different contexts, including important live events in the field. Full article

The purpose of this research is to investigate consumer values of secondhand fashion (SHF) consumption from online platforms in both the mass market and luxury market. The luxury SHF business is closely related to the business of SHF mass market. A cross-market value analysis would provide better insights to understand consumers’ motivations to purchase secondhand fashion products. Three mass-market SHF companies and three luxury SHF companies were selected as sample companies based on their revenues in the U.S. market. Consumers’ comments and reviews from a third-party business review site, trustpilot.com, were collected using the web-scraping technique. Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) analysis, as part of a machine learning algorithm, was applied to detect the most co-occurring word combinations and underlying values discussed in the reviews. The findings identified major consumer-perceived ‘source of values’, i.e., ‘possession/ownership transfer’, and ‘interaction between consumer to business platform’, which might negatively impact the performance of the business of SHF mass market compared to the luxury SHF business. The ’possession/ownership transfer’ source-related values are the most ignored value in the SHF mass market. By adopting the product-oriented value strategy practiced in the luxury market, SHF mass market might improve the consumer perception of product-related value areas. Full article

The textile and apparel (fashion) industry has been influenced by developments in societal socio-cultural and economic structures. Due to a change in people’s preferences from economic functionality to supra-functionality beyond economic value, the fashion industry is at the forefront of digitalization. The growing digitalization in the fashion industry corresponds to digital fashion, which can satisfy the rapid shift in consumers’ preferences. This paper explores the evolving con-cept of innovations in digital fashion in the textile and apparel industry. Specifically, it centers on the evaluation of Amazon’s digital fashion initiatives, which have made the platform the United States’ top fashion retailer. An analysis of the business model of Amazon’s digital fashion business showed that with the advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) powered by advanced Amazon Web Services (AWS), Amazon has introduced novel digital solutions for the fashion industry, such as advanced digital fashions (ADFs), on-demand manufacturing, neo-luxury, and, ultimately, cloud-based digital fashion platforms, that is, a supra-omnichannel, where all stakeholders are integrated, and their activities are visible in real time. This can be attributed to the learning orchestration externality strategy. This study concludes that with the advancement of digital innovations, Amazon has fused a self-propagating function that advances digital solutions. This study shows that Amazon is the largest R&D company. Its R&D process is based on users’ knowledge gained by their participation through AWS-driven ICT tools. This promotes a culture of experimentation in the development of user-driven innovations. Such innovations have further advanced the functionality of AWS in data analysis and business solutions. This dynamism promotes the development of soft innovation resources and revenue streams. These endeavors are demonstrated in a model, and their reliability is validated through an empirical analysis focused on the emergence of ADF solutions. Therefore, based on an analysis of the development trajectories of Amazon’s digital fashion technologies, such as ADFs, on-demand manufacturing, and neo-luxury, insightful suggestions and a framework for solutions beyond e-commerce are provided. Full article