This study examined factors that influence purchase intention of ethically produced fashion products. Theory of Reasoned Action was used to understand consumer attitude formation and purchase intention of ethically produced fashion products. Two unique variables were studied (environmental awareness, environmental concern) with the consumer attitude toward the purchase intention of ethically produced products. The influence of subjective norms on purchase intention was also examined. The results showed the influence of environmental concern on both attitude and purchase intention along with the influence of attitude on purchase intention. The findings of this study contribute to the body of the existing knowledge in the area of ethical production by providing explanations and a broad understanding of the factors that influence purchase intention of ethically produced fashion products. The results will also provide insight to firms wanting to effectively convey pro-environmental efforts to consumers that will help branding, positioning, and potential sales increase.

Masstige collaborations, temporary collaborations among fast fashion and luxury brands, are becoming increasingly popular. Despite this, no research so far has analyzed consumers’ reactions towards this new fashion practice. The aim of this research is to investigate the emotions and relevant linguistic elements associated with consumers’ reactions to masstige collaborations.

The current paper examines how parasocial interaction (PSI), imaginary and illusory relationships with fashion designers, enhances luxury consumers’ social media contributions. SEM results (Mplus 7.4) from an online survey with visual stimuli (n = 555) show that PSI with fashion designers increases opinion leadership and content production. Specifically, opinion leadership mediates the impact of PSI on user-generated content (UGC) creation, but not electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM). Luxury consumers only produce UGC when their leadership abilities are emboldened through PSI with fashion designers. Overall, these findings contribute to a growing body of digital luxury studies while helping luxury firms to counterbalance their legacies and brand awareness through social media.

Digitalisation, increasing global competition, new relational approaches to communication and advertising by new generations of consumers (for example, the New Millennials) together with social issues such as sustainability and authenticity in branding definition, pose important challenges for companies operating in the luxury fashion industry. In facing them, these companies seem to re-elaborate meanings attributed to luxury rethinking their strategies and their interactive approaches to market. The specialized literature, from its part, shows that luxury is no longer only ostentation but it has evolved in something else; on the one hand luxury as a state of mind and mood, and on the other still a sort of heritage and authenticity. These two extremes tend increasingly to contaminate each other and to co-exist one in the other, albeit with different reciprocal influence. The aim of this paper is determine how this co-existence can occur. It involves two opposing aspects of luxury, that of owning and that of being. There are other facets of luxury that may occur between these extremes. Research has shown, in fact, that luxury is also experience, co-creation, sharing and even self-achievement. Rendering luxury status, but at the same time making it an instrument for individual evolution may determine an integration of its various faces paving the way for a re-conceptualization of fashion luxury in communication.

This research was conducted to explore how fashion exhibitions, in this case with a historical and cultural foundation, and big events can be an impactful channel of marketing communications with digitalization and social media. Exhibitions and events are featured as meaningful communications channels to diffuse the culture and businesses sectors.

With the consolidation of online shopping, there is a need to gain insight into consumer decision-making within the digital sphere. The purpose of this study was to investigate factors that influence online shopping intention of fashion products, among female Millennials. By means of a proposed conceptual model, seven hypotheses were tested and data was collected from three hundred young females in South Africa. The data analysis was conducted using SEM in SPSS 23 and AMOS 23, and the results indicated that four of the seven hypotheses were supported. The results from this study provide online fashion retailers with insight into how they can utilise online shopping platforms to reap the financial results from this concept.

The luxury market has become a prevalent global economic sector which is estimated to reach $442 billion by 2025 (Arienti, Levato, Kamel, & Montgolfier, 2018). Sales revenue in the luxury market has grown not only in the US and EU, but also in emerging economies with rapid economic expansion, such as China and India (Shukla, 2010; Tynan, McKechnie, & Chhuon, 2010). Young consumers (i.e., millennials and Gen Z) comprise the fastest growing group of purchasers of luxury goods (D’Arpizio, Levato, Prete, Del Fabbro, & de Montgolfier, 2019). Subsequently, marketers are interested in factors that affect young consumers’ decision-making process in luxury fashion goods consumption. It is a challenge for marketers to appeal to young consumers because abrand or brand name is less important to them than it has been for older generations (Forte, 2019). Country-of-origin (CoO) is relatively important for luxury purchase compared to non-luxury purchase (Godey et al., 2012). In the context of luxury brand consumption, research suggests that attitude functions (social-adjustive, value-expressive, hedonic, and utilitarian) also have an impact on luxury purchase intentions (Schade, Hegner, Horstmann, & Brinkmann, 2016). This study thus investigates significant factors influencing luxury brand purchase among young consumers. Specifically, we draw from “Functional Theories of Attitudes” (Grewal, Mehta, & Kardes, 2004) as a framework to investigate the effects of CoO on consumers’ attitude functions and luxury brand purchase intentions.

This paper discusses consumers’ use of fashion to promote various civic causes, such as political, social, and environmental issues. Fashion has become a civic act. The fashion industry is beginning to create items to suit this purpose. This paper reviews literature supporting fashion activism, identifying future research directions. This paper contributes both academically and practically. Academically, it identifies the gap in literature referring to the understanding of the use of fashion by youth as a means of civic engagement. Prior studies are limited in scope. Thus, we urge further research to investigate fashion activism. This study contributes practically by opening up the idea to practitioners about fashion as communication tools regarding political, social and environmental matters.

The goal of this study was to develop a haptic communication system that can convey the tactile sensation of fashion materials in a virtual environment. In addition, the effectiveness and how realistically the virtual fabric image of this system delivers the tactile sensation of actual fabric was verified. First, a literature review was conducted through which the tactile attributes of fashion materials were defined that would be implemented in the haptic communication system. Then, a questionnaire for evaluating the tactile attributes of fashion materials was developed. Next, a haptic communication system was designed to convey fashion image experiences in a virtual environment, from which a haptic rendering model was suggested. The effectiveness of the haptic communication system was evaluated by verifying user experiences with questions developed through a user evaluation experiment. The validity of the evaluation questions pertaining to the tactile attributes and the effects of the haptic communication system were verified. Factor analysis was conducted to verify the evaluation of the tactile sense attributes of the fashion material, which identified density, thickness, and elasticity of the material as key factors. As a result of comparisons between the tactile sense through haptic characteristics and through touching, it was observed that regarding density and thickness, tactile sense experience led to greater perceived reality, while this was not the case for elasticity.

The aim of this study is to select MLMA and Noen Eubanks as representatives of Gen Z’s unique subculture ‘E-girl’ and ‘E-boy’ to analyze fashion images and determine their meaning through the perspective of persona. To conduct this study, a literature review and case studies were combined and fashion images of E-girl and E-boy appearing on social media were analyzed to identify the personas they expressed. A case study of MLMA and Noen Eubanks’ Instagram and TikTok account posts showed that grotesque, kitsch, and gender-related images stand out. The digital personae demonstrated by E-girl and E-boy fashion images were demonstrated to be a strange persona that reject perfect beauty and a playful persona escaping from reality and anxiety. Lastly persona of individual identity was shown to be formed. This study provides a basis for understanding and interpreting Gen Z’s culture and aesthetics that will lead to future trends. Based on this study, I hope that various studies on E-girl and E-boy apparel will be conducted, and that by understanding the importance of E-girl and E-boy culture for Gen Z (which is paying attention to fashion trends), this can be used as a marketing strategy to consider their characteristics, with data used to inform design development.