Abstract
Little is presently known about customers’ expectations and the unspoken relevant factors which lead them to prefer or not sustainable luxury products. This study aimed to deepen the understanding of luxury consumers’ implicit intentions towards sustainability by using, for the first time, a neuroscientific approach applied to the luxury fashion domain. A greater cortical activity related to cognitive and emotional aspects was hypothesized for luxury sustainability-oriented consumers than for non-sustainability-oriented subjects when presented with sustainability-related cues. Sixteen luxury consumers were divided into two groups according to their sensitivity towards sustainability issues. They were asked to observe a set of 10 stimuli depicting sustainability issues and then to interact with a salesperson while their cortical activity was recorded by an electroencephalogram (EEG). Frequency band analysis revealed higher levels of beta, delta, and theta band EEG activity in temporoparietal than frontocentral areas when observing pictures related to sustainability and a specific right temporoparietal theta band activation for the Nonsustainable Group. An increased level of knowledge of sustainability themes was confirmed by the correct detection of stimuli valence and a significant presence of delta power when the salesperson explained the brand’s sustainable policy. The specific brain responses related to sensitivity towards sustainability and the different effect of knowledge on sustainability topics based on group differences are discussed here in light of emotional behavior.
Highlights
Sustainability in the Fashion IndustryThe fashion industry is presently growing day-by-day due to the increasingly frequent demands of the population, gaining success and popularity and generating new social, environmental, and economic issues which need to be solved through global solutions [1]
We focused our attention on a well-known British fashion brand which has sustainability and eco-luxury products at the core of its business
All participants had a strong interest in the luxury fashion field and were divided into two different groups according to their sensitivity towards sustainable issues: a group of eight females (M = 28.87; SD = 9.12) focused on sustainability issues (Sustainable Group, SG), and a group of eight (M = 30; SD = 1.19) not oriented towards sustainability issues (Nonsustainable Group, NSG)
Summary
The fashion industry is presently growing day-by-day due to the increasingly frequent demands of the population, gaining success and popularity and generating new social, environmental, and economic issues which need to be solved through global solutions [1]. The entire life cycle of a garment in the clothing supply chain (i.e., from the materials to the disposal, going through fabric and garment production, distribution, retail, and use) faces several sustainability challenges These issues can be social (e.g., working conditions, sweatshops, child labor, workers’ rights, different types of risks, and animal welfare) or environmental (e.g., greenhouse gas emissions, water use, toxicity, and energy use) [4]. Consumers no longer perceive sustainability as being opposed to beauty and elegance; instead, they look for products that are both of high quality and good for society [3]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
