Exploring Millennials' Purchase Intentions toward Sustainable Luxury Brands
Date
Authors
Major Professor
Advisor
Committee Member
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Due to the environmental damage caused by unsustainable fashion consumption, sustainability efforts should be employed. Previous research has shown that sustainable luxury products containing recycled materials formed a negative impression possibly due to the dissonance between luxury associated with prestige and recycled materials associated with waste. This study used Impression Formation Theory targeting a growing luxury consumer segment, sustainability-conscious millennials, to determine their impressions, brand attitude, and purchase intention towards sustainable luxury brands using recycled materials. An online survey with a sustainable luxury brand description scenario (e.g., luxury brand logo along with 100% recycled materials logo and sustainability rhetoric) was used to determine millennials' impressions. Millennials perceived sustainable luxury products to exude the impression of luxury despite using non-luxurious recycled materials. Therefore, luxury brands are encouraged to cater to this pro-social group of luxury consumers by offering products that help the environment through reuse of materials.