Skip to content
1981
  1. Home
  2. A-Z Publications
  3. Luxury Studies: The In Pursuit of Luxury Journal
  4. Volume 1, Issue 1
  5. Article
Volume 1, Issue 1
  • ISSN: 2635-1609
  • E-ISSN: 2635-1617
file format pdf download PDF

Abstract

Sustainability has become a pervasive issue for luxury businesses ever since the tendency towards mass luxury production. In this context, the emerging middle class from the Global South positions itself as the target consumers for the current landscape. The purpose of this article is to examine how luxury brand marketers can balance sustainability measures and communications while maintaining their exclusivity in this evolving market. Prior research suggests that consumers do not regard luxury and sustainability as compatible, whilst the concept of ‘sustainable luxury’ is gaining attention among researchers and businesses. This article explores how this apparent contradiction, or even paradox, can be negotiated to implement sustainable luxury in practice. Existing research has highlighted the growing yet fragmented evidence on the new wave of consumers from the Global South, in particular India and Latin America. Twenty-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with the Indian middle class followed by a thematic analysis. This article looked into three major aspects: (1) the existing knowledge on luxury–sustainability relationship, (2) the existence of an attitude–behaviour gap, and (3) the benefits of improved communication from businesses to consumers. A new consumer perspective emerged from the study, which can be added to existing literature, namely a positive correlation (rather than an inherent contradiction) between the two concepts of ‘luxury’ and ‘sustainability’. This can make the luxury industry a pioneer for sustainability through improved, nuanced communication. The positive correlation was based on consumers’ belief in buying a certain package when purchasing a luxury product that includes sustainability as a highly desirable inherent trait due to its high price and nature of the concept. The findings further highlight a shift in consumers’ mind that demands improved communication in the form of grounded measures and two-way dialogue to tackle lack of transparency and trust on the industry. Increased communication is identified to be a positive influence on consumer purchase decisions if convincing forms of communication are included. By adding a second viewpoint, this article is seen as bridging the gap between the scholarly perspective of convergence (sustainable luxury) and the consumer perspective of controversy (contradiction). The discussion elaborates on what it means for theory and practice, and some pragmatic recommendations are made in the conclusion. This future is mainly based on communication, which helps to break down the luxury–sustainability contradiction and the existing attitude–behaviour gap.

© 2022 Intellect Ltd
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1386/ipol_00004_1
2022-01-01
2025-01-21
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/deliver/fulltext/ipol/1/1/ipol.1.1.25.html?itemId=/content/journals/10.1386/ipol_00004_1&mimeType=html&fmt=ahah

References

  1. Achabou, M. A., and Dekhili, S.. ( 2013;), ‘ Luxury and sustainable development: Is there a match?. ’, Journal of Business Research, 66:10, pp. 1896–903.
     [Google Scholar]
  2. Ajzen, I.. ( 1991;), ‘ The theory of planned behaviour. ’, Organizational Behaviour and Human Decision Processes, 50:2, pp. 179–211.
     [Google Scholar]
  3. Albett, J.,, Baijal, A.,, Beinhocker, E.,, Bose, A.,, Farell, D.,, Gersch, U.,, Greenberg, E.,, Gupta, S., and Gupta, S.. ( 2007;), ‘ The “bird of gold”: The rise of India’s consumer market. ’, McKinsey & Company, 1 May, https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/asia-pacific/the-bird-of-gold. Accessed 22 June 2017.
     [Google Scholar]
  4. Arienti, P.,, Casale, M.,, Lee, V.,, Scaramuzzi, V.,, Sahu, P.,, Singh, A.,, Su, L.,, Trought, F., and Wallace, A.. ( 2019), Global Powers of Luxury Goods 2019: Bridging the Gap between the Old and the New, Athens:: Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited;, pp. 1–46.
     [Google Scholar]
  5. Athwal, N.,, Wells, V. K.,, Carrigan, M., and Henninger, C. E.. ( 2019;), ‘ Sustainable luxury marketing: A synthesis and research agenda. ’, International Journal of Management Reviews, 21:4, pp. 341–51.
     [Google Scholar]
  6. Banks, M., and Hesmondhalgh, D.. ( 2009;), ‘ Looking for work in creative industries policy. ’, International Journal of Cultural Policy, 15:4, pp. 415–30.
     [Google Scholar]
  7. Beckham, D., and Voyer, B. G.. ( 2014;), ‘ Can sustainability be luxurious? A mixed-method investigation of implicit and explicit attitudes towards sustainable luxury consumption. ’, Advances in Consumer Research, 42, pp. 245–50.
     [Google Scholar]
  8. Bose, R.. ( 2017;), ‘ Understanding middle class with reference to recent trends in India economy. ’, University of Calcutta;, https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.34418.91844. Accessed 10 December 2021.
     [Google Scholar]
  9. Braun, V., and Clarke, V.. ( 2012;), ‘ Thematic analysis. ’, in H. Cooper. (ed.), APA Handbook of Research Methods in Psychology, Vol. 2: Research Designs: Quantitative, Qualitative, Neuropsychological, and Biological, Washington, DC:: American Psychological Association;, pp. 57–71.
     [Google Scholar]
  10. Coombs, T. W., and Holladay, S. J.. ( 2006;), ‘ Unpacking the halo effect: Reputation and crisis management. ’, Journal of Communication Management, 10:2, pp. 123–37.
     [Google Scholar]
  11. Costa Pinto, D.,, Herter, M. M.,, Gonçalves, D., and Sayin, E.. ( 2019;), ‘ Can luxury brands be ethical? Reducing the sophistication liability of luxury brands. ’, Journal of Cleaner Production, 233, pp. 1366–76.
     [Google Scholar]
  12. Davies, I. A.,, Lee, Z., and Ahonkhai, I.. ( 2012;), ‘ Do consumers care about ethical-luxury?. ’, Journal of Business Ethics, 106:1, pp. 37–51.
     [Google Scholar]
  13. De Barnier, V.,, Rodina, I., and Valette-Florence, P.. ( 2006;), ‘ Which luxury perceptions affect most consumer purchase behaviour? A cross-cultural exploratory study in France, the United Kingdom and Russia. ’, Congrès Paris Venise des Tendences Marketing, Paris:, pp. 1–27.
     [Google Scholar]
  14. De Beers ( 2009), Operating and Financial Review, De Beers Group;, https://www.debeersgroup.com/~/media/Files/D/De-Beers-Group/documents/reports/library/ofr-de-beers-ofr-2009-feb-2010-pdf-downloadasset.PDF. Accessed 10 January 2020.
     [Google Scholar]
  15. De Beers Group ( 2020), Sustainability: Shaping the Future of the Diamond Sector, https://www.debeersgroup.com/~/media/Files/D/De-Beers-Group-V2/documents/reports/insights-the-diamond-insight-report.pdf. Accessed 9 December 2020.
     [Google Scholar]
  16. De-Miguel-Molina, B.,, De-Miguel-Molina, M., and Rumiche-Sosa, M.. ( 2011;), ‘ Does luxury indicate sustainability? An analysis of the Maldives. ’, Electronic Journal of Business Ethics and Organization Studies, 16:1, pp. 21–32.
     [Google Scholar]
  17. De Pierro Bruno, C. A., and Edgard, B.. ( 2015;), ‘ Luxury versus conscious consumption: Are they really paradoxical? A study of Brazilian and Portuguese luxury consumer behaviour. ’, in M. A. Gardetti, and A. L. Torres. (eds), Sustainable Luxury: Managing Social and Environmental Performance in Iconic Brands, Sheffield:: Greenleaf Publishing;, pp. 80–93.
     [Google Scholar]
  18. Gardetti, M. A., and Giron, E. M.. (eds) ( 2014), Sustainable Luxury and Social Entrepreneurship: Stories from the Pioneers, Sheffield:: Greenleaf Publishing;.
     [Google Scholar]
  19. Gardetti, M. A., and Torres, A. L.. (eds) ( 2015), Sustainable Luxury: Managing Social and Environmental Performance in Iconic Brands, Sheffield:: Greenleaf Publishing;.
     [Google Scholar]
  20. Gill, D. L.,, Dickinson, S. J., and Scharl, A.. ( 2008;), ‘ Communicating sustainability: A web content analysis of North American, Asian and European firms. ’, Journal of Communication Management, 12:3, pp. 243–62.
     [Google Scholar]
  21. Godart, F., and Seong, S.. ( 2015;), ‘ Is sustainable luxury fashion possible?. ’, in M. A. Gardetti, and A. L. Torres. (eds), Sustainable Luxury: Managing Social and Environmental Performance in Iconic Brands, Sheffield:: Greenleaf Publishing;, pp. 11–27.
     [Google Scholar]
  22. Han, J.,, Seo, Y., and Ko, E.. ( 2017;), ‘ Staging luxury experiences for understanding sustainable fashion consumption: A balance theory application. ’, Journal of Business Research, 74, pp. 162–67.
     [Google Scholar]
  23. Isenmann, R.,, Gomez, M. J., and Supke, D.. ( 2011;), ‘ Making stakeholder dialogue for sustainability issues happen: Benefits, reference architecture and pilot implementation for automated sustainability reporting à la carte. ’, in Proceedings of the 44th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, Kauai, HI, 4–7 January, Institue of Electrical and Electronic Engineers;, pp. 1–11.
     [Google Scholar]
  24. Janssen, C.,, Vanhamme, J., and Leblanc, S.. ( 2017;), ‘ Should luxury brands say it out loud? Brand conspicuousness and consumer perceptions of responsible luxury. ’, Journal of Business Research, 77, pp. 167–74.
     [Google Scholar]
  25. Janssen, C.,, Vanhamme, J.,, Lindgreen, A., and Lefebvre, C.. ( 2014;), ‘ The catch-22 of responsible luxury: Effects of luxury product characteristics on consumers’ perception of fit with corporate social responsibility. ’, Journal of Business Ethics, 119:1, pp. 45–57.
     [Google Scholar]
  26. Jin, Y. J.,, Park, S. C., and Yoo, J. W.. ( 2017;), ‘ Effects of corporate social responsibility on consumer credibility perception and attitude toward luxury brands. ’, Social Behavior and Personality, 45, pp. 795–808.
     [Google Scholar]
  27. Kapferer, J.-N.. ( 2010;), ‘ Luxury after the crisis: Pro logo or no logo?. ’, European Business Review, October, pp. 42–46.
     [Google Scholar]
  28. Kapferer, J.-N., and Michaut, A.. ( 2014;), ‘ Is luxury compatible with sustainability? Luxury consumers’ viewpoint. ’, Journal of Brand Management, 21:1, pp. 1–22.
     [Google Scholar]
  29. Kapferer, J.-N., and Michaut, A.. ( 2015a;), ‘ Are luxury purchasers really insensitive to sustainable development? New insights from research. ’, in M. A. Gardetti, and A. L. Torres. (eds), Sustainable Luxury: Managing Social and Environmental Performance in Iconic Brands, Sheffield:: Greenleaf Publishing;, pp. 94–107.
     [Google Scholar]
  30. Kapferer, J.-N., and Michaut, A.. ( 2015b;), ‘ Luxury and sustainability: A common future? The match depends on how consumers define luxury. ’, Luxury Research Journal, 1:1, pp. 3–17.
     [Google Scholar]
  31. Kastanakis, M. N., and Balabanis, G.. ( 2012;), ‘ Between the mass and the class: Antecedents of the “bandwagon” luxury consumption behavior. ’, Journal of Business Research, 65:10, pp. 1399–407.
     [Google Scholar]
  32. Kunz, J.,, May, S., and Schmidt, H. J.. ( 2020;), ‘ Sustainable luxury: Current status and perspectives for future research. ’, Business Research, 13, pp. 541–601.
     [Google Scholar]
  33. McKinsey ( 2014;), ‘ Sustainability’s strategic worth: McKinsey global survey results. ’, McKinsey Global Survey Results, https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/sustainability/our-insights/sustainabilitys-strategic-worth-mckinsey-global-survey-results. Accessed 31 August 2018.
     [Google Scholar]
  34. Moraes, C.,, Carrigan, M.,, Bosangit, C.,, Ferreira, C., and McGrath, M.. ( 2017;), ‘ Understanding ethical luxury consumption through practice theories: A study of fine jewellery purchases. ’, Journal of Business Ethics, 145, pp. 525–43.
     [Google Scholar]
  35. Muratovski, G.. ( 2015;), ‘ Sustainable consumption: Luxury branding as a catalyst for social change. ’, in M. A. Gardetti, and A. L. Torres. (eds), Sustainable Luxury: Managing Social and Environmental Performance in Iconic Brands, Sheffield:: Greenleaf Publishing;, pp. 18–174.
     [Google Scholar]
  36. Osgood, C. E., and Tannenbaum, P. H.. ( 1955;), ‘ The principle of congruity in the prediction of attitude change. ’, Psychological Review, 62:1, pp. 42–55.
     [Google Scholar]
  37. Patton, M. Q.. ( 2002;), ‘ Qualitative research and evaluation methods. ’, Qualitative Inquiry, 3, p. 598.
     [Google Scholar]
  38. Silverstein, M. J., and Fiske, N.. ( 2003;), ‘ Luxury for the masses. ’, Harvard Business Review, 81, pp. 48–57.
     [Google Scholar]
  39. Sproles, G. B.,, Geistfeld, L. V., and Badenhop, S. B.. ( 1978;), ‘ Informational inputs as influences on efficient consumer decision-making. ’, Journal of Consumer Affairs, 12:1, pp. 88–103.
     [Google Scholar]
  40. Truong, Y., and McColl, R.. ( 2011;), ‘ Intrinsic motivations, self-esteem, and luxury goods consumption. ’, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 18:6, pp. 555–61.
     [Google Scholar]
  41. Rajaprakasam, Preethi. ( 2022;), ‘ Luxury industry as a pioneer for sustainability through improved communication: A consumer perspective. ’, Luxury Studies: The In Pursuit of Luxury Journal, 1:1, pp. 25–43, 10.1386/ipol_00004_1
     [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.1386/ipol_00004_1
Loading
Luxury industry as a pioneer for sustainability through improved communication: A consumer perspective
Luxury Studies: The In Pursuit of Luxury Journal 1, 25 (2022); https://doi.org/10.1386/ipol_00004_1
/content/journals/10.1386/ipol_00004_1
/content/journals/10.1386/ipol_00004_1
Loading

Data & Media loading...

  • Article Type: Article
Keyword(s): attitude–behaviour gap; convergence; corporate sustainability; Indian middle class; luxury fashion; paradox
This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a success
Invalid data
An error occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error
Please enter a valid_number test