Luxury fashion consumption: a review, synthesis and research agenda

Aihoor Aleem,Ricardo Godinho Bilro,Sandra Maria Correia Loureiro

doi:10.1108/sjme-06-2021-0105

Aihoor Aleem, Ricardo Godinho Bilro + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.1108/sjme-06-2021-0105

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Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to review the topic of “luxury fashion consumption”, a field of recent interest for academics and practitioners. However, a literature review that can map the existing knowledge and aggregate it into relevant topics and offers a research agenda for future research is still lacking. Methodology This paper uses a systematic review and a text mining approach to analyse 73 articles on luxury fashion consumption aiming to clarify, rationalise and critically interpret the literature on luxury fashion consumption; identify the core topic, create an integrative framework of core constructs; and offer research gaps and suggest a research agenda for future studies. Findings From this analysis, eight major research topics are found and analysed (brand desire, authenticity, luxury markets, value perceptions, luxury retail experience, luxury brands communication, responsible consumption and sustainability and status signalling). Based on these topics and following the TCM framework, this review offers directions for future research. Value This research offers a text-mining review of luxury fashion consumption to help scholars and managers further develop this field, as there is no comprehensive review on the topic exploring the themes, theories, constructs and methods used in prior studies.

Highlights

Luxury fashion consumption is the object of increasing research because of the hedonic benefits it provides, its consequences on consumer buying behaviour (Bilro et al, 2021; Loureiro et al, 2020a) and because it is frequently associated with status and admiration, covered in the conspicuous consumption literature (Amatulli et al, 2020)
Research still lacks offering a comprehensive review about the luxury fashion consumption that can map the existing knowledge, aggregate it into relevant topics and offer a research agenda for future research, in spite of the academic and practical relevance of luxury fashion consumption and its influences on consumption behaviours (Mostafa and Arnaout, 2020)
The systematic literature approaches with text mining are still rare in literature reviews, in the marketing and luxury fashion fields

Summary

Introduction

Luxury fashion consumption is the object of increasing research because of the hedonic benefits it provides, its consequences on consumer buying behaviour (Bilro et al, 2021; Loureiro et al, 2020a) and because it is frequently associated with status and admiration, covered in the conspicuous consumption literature (Amatulli et al, 2020). Luxury brands are recognised to be high quality, offer authentic value, have a prestigious image, be worthy of a premium price and be capable of inspiring a deep connection with the consumer (Ko et al, 2019). Recent literature offers an overview of how luxury fashion is becoming relevant in marketing (Bazi et al, 2020; Kessous and Valette-Florence, 2019; Loureiro et al, 2020a). What is the knowledge offered by the state-of-the-art literature addressing luxury fashion consumption, and what is still to be researched/discovered?

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