If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The paper aims to increase our understanding of an under-investigated research area of consumption, that is, cosmopolitanism as a consumer orientation. Design/methodology/approach -About 16 informants, either Australians who had worked or studied overseas, or expatriates residing in Australia, participated in a qualitative research study. Analysis was an iterative process involving textual interpretation of interview transcripts and photographs supplied by informants. Findings -Support is found for Thompson and Tambyah's idea that a cosmopolitan consumer orientation comprises dominant masculine and counter-veiling feminine traits. Contradicting Thompson and Tambyah, the study validates Cannon and Yaprak's idea that a cosmopolitan consumer orientation simultaneously embraces maintaining close ties to their cultural roots and seeking to consume products from other cultures. Additional aspects of cosmopolitanism are identified, including the benefits of expatriate enclaves and difficulties upon returning home. Research limitations/implications -Theory validation arises as a consequence of finding partial support for past findings. Theory generation manifests as suggested modifications to extant theory and identification of additional aspects of cosmopolitanism as a consumer orientation. Practical implications -Understanding cosmopolitanism as a consumer orientation has implications for understanding consumption of culturally distant products. Originality/value -The paper offers foundations for future research into an increasingly significant aspect of consumption.