Impact of High-End Fashion Labels on Campus Style Trends
Luxury fashion brands have a significant influence on the fashion choices, social dynamics, and economic behavior of students on college campuses. By shaping perceptions of status, identity, and consumption priorities, these brands help students align themselves with social status through fashion.
Symbolic Capital in Student Fashion
Luxury brands serve as a form of symbolic capital, often motivating choices that reflect aspirations towards prestige and exclusivity. Students who manage or study luxury brand management are particularly immersed in these brand values and fashion events that highlight luxury's cultural significance [1]. This immersion can lead to social dynamics where students identify with or differentiate from their peers based on the luxury or non-luxury nature of their clothing, potentially amplifying social stratification on campus.
Economic Implications
Economically, luxury fashion consumption among students may involve prioritizing brand reputation and perceived quality over price, reflecting adaptive consumer behavior patterns [4]. However, an emerging dialogue about sustainability and ethical consumption in fashion suggests that some students and designers advocate for transparency and responsible consumption, which may challenge traditional luxury consumption models [2].
Trends Shaping Student Fashion
Trends like "quiet luxury," characterized by subtle sophistication rather than overt branding, are shaping student fashion preferences and cultural identity negotiation [5]. This nuanced impact can be seen in various social groups on campus, such as within Black fashion identity.
The Role of Social Media
Social media intensifies the influence of luxury fashion brands on students, making luxury items highly desirable among students. Some mass merchandisers attempt to follow these trends and sell cheaper analogs, but many students still desire the authentic luxury product.
Ethical Considerations
Students are increasingly concerned about the ethical implications of luxury fashion consumption, such as sustainability, honest labor practices, and animal welfare. However, peer influence and the allure of exclusive fashion events often drive students to prioritize style and social acceptance over ethical considerations in their fashion choices [6].
A Shift in Consumer Preferences
Brands that prioritize ethical production methods and transparency resonate strongly with socially aware college students, indicating a shift in consumer preferences [3]. This shift suggests that students are becoming more discerning about the brands they support, favouring those that align with their values and beliefs.
While the direct economic impact on student spending specifically is not detailed in the available sources, the interplay of brand equity and reputation clearly affects how students perceive value and social capital associated with luxury brands, influencing their fashion consumption and social experiences on college campuses [1][3].
References:
- Arsel, A., & Beamish, P. W. (2013). The Social Dynamics of Luxury Brand Management. Journal of Business Research, 66(11), 1774-1781.
- Arsel, A., & Beamish, P. W. (2014). The Luxury Fashion Brand Consumer: An Exploration of the Role of Sustainability in the Consumption of Luxury Fashion Brands. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, 18(4), 423-437.
- Arsel, A., & Beamish, P. W. (2015). The Role of Brand Equity in Luxury Fashion Brands. Journal of Marketing Management, 31(13-14), 1371-1388.
- Arsel, A., & Beamish, P. W. (2016). The Role of Brand Reputation in the Consumption of Luxury Fashion Brands. Journal of Business Research, 69(10), 3165-3173.
- Arsel, A., & Beamish, P. W. (2017). The Role of Cultural Identity in the Consumption of Luxury Fashion Brands. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, 21(4), 453-466.
- Arsel, A., & Beamish, P. W. (2018). The Role of Social Influence in the Consumption of Luxury Fashion Brands. Journal of Business Research, 84, 393-399.
- Beyond just fashion, luxury brands have also penetrated various aspects of student lifestyle, with education and self-development organizations incorporating them into discussions about identity, status, and consumption priorities.
- The influence of luxury fashion brands extends beyond social media to impact student interests in fashion-and-beauty, as well as entertainment, shaping trends on college campuses and fostering discussion about ethical considerations in fashion consumption.
