Sustainability and Social Responsibility

Real Fur or Fake Fur? Animal Fur-Free Luxury Brands, Cognitive Dissonance, and Environmentally-Conscious Millennial Consumer Response

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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate pro-environmental Millennial consumers’ dissonance, brand attitude, and purchase intention of brands using animal fur compared to faux fur by testing Cognitive Dissonance Theory. This research used a 3 x 2 x 2 quasi-experimental design that examined consumer’s fur stance (animal fur vs. faux fur vs. neither) along with luxury brand’s fur stance (animal fur vs. faux fur) and the use case scenario for a fur jacket (utilitarian vs. hedonic). The results indicated that consumers with a pro-faux fur stance or neither stance have less emotional dissonance than those with a pro-animal fur stance. Luxury brands with a pro-animal fur stance create more dissonance than those with a pro-faux fur stance, which subsequently negatively impacts consumers’ brand attitudes and purchase intentions. Therefore, luxury brands should seek to incorporate sustainability into their business strategy by offering faux fur alternatives to animal fur.

Keywords: Millennials, Fur, Dissonance, Sustainable luxury

How to Cite:

Rolling, V., Seifert, C., Chattaraman, V. & Sadachar, A., (2019) “Real Fur or Fake Fur? Animal Fur-Free Luxury Brands, Cognitive Dissonance, and Environmentally-Conscious Millennial Consumer Response”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 76(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.8814