Perceived Similarity as a Lever to Develop the Modest Fashion Market in France
(A2020-63176)

AUTHORS

Alice Audrezet, ISG International Business School; Béatrice Parguel, CNRS

KEYWORDS

Fashion; Similarity; Religion

ABSTRACT

Modest fashion, which has been defined as a fashion that “incorporates style considerations into the quotidian practices of everyday religion” has triggered numerous reactions from politics and intellectuals in France since 2015. Considering such an intense debate, fashion retailers have to face a dilemma: should they – and if so, how – offer modest fashion lines to seize the opportunity of an important demand, but at the risk of alienating nontargeted consumers? Building on an exploratory study and literature on nontargeted consumers’ response, we develop a conceptual model of the attitude towards modest fashion of French consumers of the majority group. We test this this model through a quantitative survey. The results highlight the influence of values, age and involvement in fashion on their attitude. More interestingly, this influence appears to be mediated by perceived similarity. We formulate managerial implications for fashion retailers established in France.