The impact of ethical fashion on consumer purchase behavior

TLDR

This study examines how ethical fashion influences consumer purchase behavior, focusing on consumers’ beliefs, concerns, and knowledge, and proposes an approach to understand these impacts. A self‑completion questionnaire was administered to 109 respondents, and factor analysis along with other statistical tests were used to evaluate the hypotheses. Results show that consumers’ beliefs, shaped by a company’s reputation, drive support for socially and environmentally responsible businesses, and that consumer education is essential to counter throwaway culture and promote ethical fashion. The study’s findings are limited by a small sample size and the fact that data were collected only in Hong Kong.

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between ethical fashion and consumer purchase behavior (their willingness to pay a premium for ethical fashion), with the focus on consumers’ concerns and beliefs about, and knowledge of, ethical fashion. Design/methodology/approach A self‐completion questionnaire was administered to 109 respondents. Factor analysis and other statistical analyses were applied to test hypotheses. Findings The findings suggest that consumer beliefs about ethical fashion, which are based on their perceptions of a company in terms of its reputation in the fashion industry, influence their support for what they perceive as socially and environmentally responsible businesses. Research limitations/implications The sample size, which is relatively small, is a limitation for this research. The data were collected in Hong Kong, limiting findings to that geographic region. Practical implications An important implication is that consumer education is essential to mitigate the prevailing throwaway culture and raise consumer awareness of ethical issues facing the fashion industry. Thus, retailers should take initiatives to educate consumers so as to ensure the success of their newly‐launched ethical fashion products. Originality/value The paper proposes an approach to clearly understand the impacts of ethical fashion on consumer purchase behavior.