Drivers of stealth luxury: Fashion capital on inconspicuous luxury consumption

IF 13.1 1区管理学 Q1 BUSINESS

Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services Pub Date : 2025-07-01 DOI:10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104401

Jin Jeong , Yuri Lee

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The rise of stealth luxury consumption has reshaped consumer behavior in the luxury fashion market. This study introduces fashion capital as a novel predictor of stealth luxury consumption, distinguishing it from traditional economic and cultural capital influences. Drawing on Bourdieu's capital theory, we propose that fashion capital plays a crucial role in shaping consumers' preference for inconspicuous luxury. Following Churchill's scale development paradigm, we conducted interviews with eight fashion experts and two surveys of 300 luxury consumers each (totaling 600 respondents). Findings reveal that fashion capital significantly influences stealth luxury consumption, fully mediating the effects of economic and cultural capital. This study contributes to the literature by refining the concept of fashion capital, introducing a robust measurement scale, and demonstrating its theoretical and methodological relevance. Managerially, this study offers insights for luxury brands aiming to adapt their consumer segmentation strategies and marketing communications to align with evolving, taste-driven preferences associated with higher levels of fashion capital.

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隐形奢侈品的驱动因素：不显眼奢侈品消费的时尚资本

隐形奢侈品消费的兴起重塑了奢侈品时尚市场的消费者行为。本研究引入时尚资本作为隐形奢侈品消费的新预测因子，将其与传统经济和文化资本的影响区分开来。根据布迪厄的资本理论，我们提出时尚资本在塑造消费者对不显眼奢侈品的偏好方面起着至关重要的作用。按照丘吉尔的规模发展模式，我们对8位时尚专家进行了采访，对300名奢侈品消费者进行了两次调查（共600名受访者）。研究发现，时尚资本显著影响隐性奢侈品消费，充分中介了经济资本和文化资本的影响。本研究通过细化时尚资本的概念，引入稳健的测量量表，并证明其理论和方法上的相关性，为文献做出了贡献。在管理方面，这项研究为奢侈品牌提供了见解，旨在调整其消费者细分策略和营销传播，以适应与更高水平的时尚资本相关的不断变化的品味驱动偏好。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services BUSINESS-

CiteScore

20.40

自引率

14.40%

发文量

340

审稿时长

20 days

期刊介绍： The Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services is a prominent publication that serves as a platform for international and interdisciplinary research and discussions in the constantly evolving fields of retailing and services studies. With a specific emphasis on consumer behavior and policy and managerial decisions, the journal aims to foster contributions from academics encompassing diverse disciplines. The primary areas covered by the journal are: Retailing and the sale of goods The provision of consumer services, including transportation, tourism, and leisure.