The role of design similarity in consumers’ evaluation of new green products: An investigation of luxury fashion brands

Abstract

Luxury companies and consumers' increasing attention and commitment toward environmental issues substantiate the notion that luxury and sustainability are compatible concepts. However, academic research suggests that sustainable luxury is still perceived by consumers as a contradiction. This article explores the role of sustainability in the design of luxury fashion products, investigating the type of environmental sustainability practices that luxury companies should adopt in order to galvanize consumers' interest in environmentally sustainable versions of their products. In particular, this research investigates the differential effectiveness of two strategies that luxury fashion companies might adopt when introducing new green products: First, the green new product might be similar in design to a luxury company's previous non-green products. Second, the green new product might be similar in design to models made by non-luxury companies specializing in green production. The results from three experiments show that the recommended strategy is to make the new green luxury product similar to the luxury company's previous models rather than to models made by green companies, especially for consumers who are knowledgeable about the brand and for products that are durable rather than ephemeral. This research contributes to extant research by investigating a previously overlooked driver of new green product acceptance, product design, and by empirically investigating the conditions that lead to the successful market introduction of new green luxury products.