Emma Watson’s sustainable fashion campaign generates attention for herself whilst failing to cause real change
From the article:
Taking sustainable fashion mainstream: Social media and the institutional celebrity entrepreneur, Journal of Consumer Behaviour 18(3), DOI: 10.1002/cb.1780, Carolyn McKeown and Linda Shearer
Abstract
There is a growing imperative to address the negative environmental impact of fashion and an increased awareness of sustainability issues: the sustainable fashion concept (SFC). However, while consumers are becoming more aware and concerned about sustainability, this is not resulting in the purchase of sustainable fashion products in preference to “mainstream” goods. This so‐called attitude–behaviour gap is well documented in academic literature, and yet there is a lack of research into potential methods of disrupting this phenomenon. This study seeks to redress this by examining the potential influence of celebrity institutional entrepreneurs (CIEs) to raise awareness of the SFC and to therefore guide and change consumer behaviour towards more sustainable practice. CIEs are celebrities who use their social position to espouse their values with the intention of influencing institutional habits and behaviours.
