Merchandising/Marketing/Retailing: Branding

Easy to Follow a Fashion Trendsetter on Social Media but It’s Hard to Become One

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Abstract

This research intends to investigate what factors shape millennials’ social-media engagement and the extent to which social-media engagement affects an individual’s fashion trendsetting behavior. The theory of Social-Media Engagement was used as a theoretical framework, along with consumers’ involvement and social interaction. Empirical data (with 237 valid responses) were collected through a paper questionnaire at a major university in the US. Structural equation modeling and a moderation test with linear regression were used to estimate construct validity and test the proposed hypotheses and theoretical framework. Research findings supported the idea that millennials who need more variety and seek that variety by means of fashion are likely to be more involved in social-media platforms, and millennials who are more connected with the trendsetter that they are following are more likely to be involved in social-media behavior. Theoretical and practical implications were presented.

Keywords: Millennials, Fashion influencer, Fashion trendsetting, Social Media Engagement

How to Cite:

Workman, J. E., Lee, S. & Liang, Y., (2019) “Easy to Follow a Fashion Trendsetter on Social Media but It’s Hard to Become One”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 76(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.8312