Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate Generation Y consumers’ luxury fashion consumption. Generation Y is becoming a very important segment for the luxury market in the USA. Specifically, this study is designed to investigate Generation Y consumers’ consumption of luxury fashion products from the following perspectives: the influence of self-related personality traits on their brand consciousness; and the influence of brand consciousness on consumption behaviours in terms of consumption motivations, purchase intention, and brand loyalty. Design/methodology/approach – A conceptual model was developed to represent the proposed relationships among the related variables. An online survey was conducted and 305 valid surveys were collected. The proposed hypotheses were tested using structural equation modelling (SEM) analyses. Findings – From the perspective of self-concept, this research shed some light on the luxury fashion consumption behaviour of Generation Y consumers. Public self-consciousness and self-esteem were both found having significant influence on Generation Y consumers’ brand consciousness and in turn their luxury consumption motivations and brand loyalty. Research limitations/implications – Limitations for this study mainly come from the representativeness of the sample, which was recruited from a panel of a third party research group. Implications for luxury fashion brand managers and retailers focus on strategies that influence the social and self-motivation for luxury consumption and level of brand consciousness. Originality/value – This research is unique because it focuses on luxury fashion consumption of Generation Y consumers, an emerging segment in the luxury market. Generation Y consumers’ behaviour towards luxury fashion was examined in terms of their self-related personality traits, brand consciousness, motivation, and brand loyalty.

PurposeVirtual communities are increasing in popularity and changing the way apparel fashion information is learned and shared by consumers. According to Agins, consumers, as opposed to élite designers, are now dictating fashion trends and pinpointing the ideal places of distribution. The purpose of this exploratory study is to examine the fashion‐related discussion which is taking place on perhaps the best known of these communities, MySpace.com. The three research questions driving this study include: “What are consumers saying about fashion within this particular virtual community?”; “What commonalities exist among the plethora of fashion‐related information available in this context?”; and “What kinds of insights can marketers draw from the categories of fashion‐related information being presented in MySpace.com?”Design/methodology/approachContent analysis was selected as the method for investigation. Within the forum Fashion and Style, the subgroup FashionLOVERS was selected for investigation because it represented a general discussion of fashion. The first 200 forum topical areas with five or more posts were selected for analysis. A total of 6,623 individual posts were examined and each of the three authors independently reviewed the posts noting the general topical categories of content. Interrater reliability for the coders was computed.FindingsEight recurring categories of fashion related information were identified in the study. The four most popular discussion categories were personal style, brands and designers, tips and advice, and retailers. The prevalence of these four topics suggests that consumer driven marketing is a growing and influential component of fashion marketing.Research limitations/implicationsThis study makes an important contribution to the study of virtual communities. Results provide insight into the complex, multi‐layered, interactive fashion‐related communication that occurs within virtual communities.Practical implicationsFashion marketers and retailers are encountering an untapped resource with these virtual communities. Findings highlight the power of consumers in virtual communities and suggest a need for fashion marketers and retailers to closely monitor communication within virtual communities.Originality/valueThis research is particularly valuable because it provides insight into the popular virtual community, MySpace.com. Detailed investigation into types of fashion information that are shared with community members is presented and discussed.

Purpose -The purpose of the present study is to examine the connection between the self-concept and fashion consumer behaviors of senior females. Design/methodology/approach -Participants for the study (n ¼ 200) were recruited from 12 chapters of the Red Hat Society located in the Southeastern USA; they completed a self-administered survey. Relational, individual and collective identities were measured via well-established, pre-existing scales. Statistical findings were used to examine how senior females with unique identities (i.e. relational, individual, and collective self-concepts) differ in terms of their shopping behaviors and fashion orientation. Findings -Statistical results from this study indicate that apparel purchase decisions for senior females are complex and involve issues beyond style, fit, and price. Information on how the identity groups differed from one another in the various shopping behaviors and their interest in fashion is identified.Research limitations/implications -This study provides an examination into the complex self-concept of older females and its link to fashion-related consumer behaviors. Recommendations on how specific apparel retailers can better target senior females are presented. Originality/value -Research regarding the complex fashion needs, and purchase decisions of senior females, is sparse. This research contributes to the literature on fashion and apparel by examining how different identities relate to various fashion consumer behaviors for women over 50.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine consumers’ motivations to participate in voluntary simplicity in the current market environment.Design/methodology/approachUsing established qualitative research methods, 834 individual autobiographies and blog entries from The Great American Apparel Diet (GAAD) are examined.FindingsSix general categories of internal and external motivations to engage in voluntary simplicity are identified. Findings expand marketers’ understanding of voluntary simplicity and the role of virtual communities inspiring behavior in the contemporary marketplace.Originality/valueThis research is unique because it explores personal information shared in the blog entries of participants in the GAAD.

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