The Role of Social Media in the Fashion Industry: The Case of Eco Luxury in Today’s Consumption

Abstract

In the fashion and luxury sector, we are witnessing a period of change in which social networks play a leading role given their capacity to connect brands and consumers. The new trend of brands encourages sustainable marketing, in line with a more ethical and selective consumer. Eco-fashion processes are associated with fair working conditions, sustainable business models, organic and ecological materials, certifications and traceability (Henninger et al., 2016). In parallel, the fast fashion system coexists, as a different but not opposite model (Fletcher, 2010) that reaches maximum levels of consumption, in which the consumer’s interest in price, quality and appearance prevails over ethics (Kim, 2014). The paradox then arises in a scenario where consumers are in a constant state of psychological imbalance between their sustainability concerns and their own consumption of fashion products (Athwal & Carrigan in Int J Manag Rev 21, 2019; Han et al. in J Bus Res 74, 2017). The dilemma reinforces a plan of action focused on corporate social responsibility (Pookulangara & Shephard in J Retail Consum Serv 20, 2013) of fashion companies, supported by ecology as a sign of brand identity, the design of new digital content and the use of social networks as interactive platforms that implement a direct link with consumers.