This paper examines consumer intentions towards sustainable fashion in the Spanish fashion industry. It explores consumer knowledge, attitudes, and behavioral response to sustainable fashion. The research was conducted using a mixed-method strategy. The quantitative questionnaire examines consumer attitudes towards sustainable fashion, underpinned by the Theory of Planned Behavior. This was supported by a qualitative enquiry using semi-structured interviews to explore consumer knowledge of and attitudes towards sustainable fashion in Spain. Consumer familiarity with sustainable fashion was found to be high and broad in definition scope. Social aspects of sustainability were predominant tangents. A disjuncture between company’s sustainable communication and consumer perception was apparent as well as attitudes and actual purchase intentions towards sustainable fashion. Opportunities to foster further sustainable fashion business practices and communication were identified. The findings highlight that fashion retailers should clearly communicate the meaning of sustainability and their proactive response to sustainability. The development of effective communication strategies that clearly highlights retailer’s compliance with and efforts to becoming more sustainable is a prerequisite arising from the study. This study contributes to burgeoning research on sustainable fashion within mainstream marketing and management literature. By contextualizing it to the Spanish market, it provides a novel counter-point consumer perspective on attitudes and intentions towards sustainable fashion.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore Chinese consumers’ motivations to purchase luxury fashion products in the UK and how far sustainability plays a role in the decision-making process, by extending the consumer typology of translators, exceptors, selectors. The authors further add an additional dimension to defining “luxury”. Design/methodology/approach: An exploratory design utilising multiple qualitative research tools (semi-structured interviews, focus groups) provides the basis for this research. A grounded analysis was applied. Findings: Findings map motivational drivers to purchasing luxury products and establish a fourth consumer type “indulgers”. Well-being further emerged as a key characteristic that defines “luxury”. Research limitations/implications: The sample size is limited to Chinese consumers purchasing luxury fashion in the UK, and thus may not be generalised. Practical implications: This research helps managers to understand the consumer types and underlying motivations of Chinese consumers purchasing luxury fashion in the UK. As one of the largest target groups, this research informs managers on how to further capitalise on this market. Originality/value: This paper creates a new consumer typology that not only categorises consumers according to their consumption aspects, but further identifies their underlying motivations to do so.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused and still causes unprecedented disruptions in daily lives of billions of people globally. It affects practices and routines across all household consumption domains, including clothing consumption. Drawing on Social Practice Theory, this article explores and compares changes in clothing acquisition practices during COVID-19 across nine countries: the USA, the UK, Finland, Germany, Switzerland, Iran, Czech Republic, India, and Hong Kong SAR. Data was obtained through a standardized survey containing rated and open-ended questions, which were analyzed through descriptive quantitative analysis and inductive qualitative content analysis of open-ended questions. The results of this cross-country research indicate that all forms of fashion consumption, including more sustainable practices, have decreased during the pandemic. The most visible impacts have occurred in the material arrangements associated with fashion acquisition practices (e.g., closed physical shops, shipping disruptions, cancelled events, remote work, etc.). However, changes that result from these disruptions may be shorter-lived that changes that happened as a result of changing meanings associated with fashion consumption and its more sustainable forms and new competencies and skills acquired during the pandemic that could ensure more lasting practicing of more sustainable forms of fashion consumption.