Mainstreaming Handloom as Sustainable Luxury Fashion: A Sequential Exploratory Mixed Method Study

ABSTRACT

Examining the consumption values associated with sustainable luxury, as also the personal values driving sustainable consumption among young luxury consumers, is critical for the future of sustainable luxury fashion. However, there is limited research examining the link between personal values and new luxury consumption values of young luxury consumers. Additionally, most of these luxury studies focus on Western luxury consumers with limited focus on the sustainable luxury consumption among young consumers in emerging economies. This study focuses on personal values (altruism, self‐direction, self‐esteem, ecocentrism) among young Indian consumers and how they drive new luxury consumption values (inconspicuous consumption, craftsmanship, self‐directed pleasure, intrinsic experiential value and sustainability) in the context of intention to engage with handloom as sustainable luxury fashion. The responses from the qualitative interviews with 28 participants and survey data from 212 respondents were analysed using the sequential exploratory method. The results indicate a link between the personal values, new luxury consumption values and intention to engage with handloom as luxury fashion. Self‐direction (personal value) has a significant influence on craftsmanship (new luxury consumption value) which in turn is the strongest predictor of intention to engage with luxury handloom. The study offers novel insights that facilitate mainstreaming of handloom as sustainable luxury.