The thousand faces of beauty: How credible storytelling unlocks disability representation in inclusive luxury fashion branding

Lee, Zoe ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5256-6100, Alwi, Sharifah Syed and Gambetti, Rossella 2024. The thousand faces of beauty: How credible storytelling unlocks disability representation in inclusive luxury fashion branding. Journal of Business Research 181 , 114744. 10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.114744 Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

The increasing popularity of inclusive marketing as part of the broader strategies of brand activism, linked to the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) movement, is creating new opportunities for luxury fashion brands to signal their responsibility and openness when it comes to these issues. However, such inclusivity initiatives can lead to consumer backlash when luxury brands rely on perfectionism and self-esteem to elicit admiration and desirability. We ask whether weaving models with disabilities into brand narratives contributes to positive consumer responses. Using signaling theory, our study employs a structural equation modeling approach to show that, despite the negative effect of perceived brand inclusivity on consumers’ willingness to buy, the serial mediation by transportation into brand stories and advertising credibility flips the effect to positive. By doing so, this study also extends extant literature on inclusive advertising in luxury fashion by going beyond dominant manifestations of inclusivity tackling feminism and LGBTQAI + rights.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Business (Including Economics)
Publisher:	Elsevier
ISSN:	0148-2963
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	25 May 2024
Date of Acceptance:	24 May 2024
Last Modified:	09 Nov 2024 23:00
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/169185

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