From Trash to Treasure: How Exclusivity Framing Influences Quality Perception Across Different Recycled Materials in Luxury Fashion
(A2026-132332)

AUTHORS

Anqi Yu, Ghent University; Veroline Cauberghe, Ghent university; Shubin Yu, BI Norwegian Business School

ABSTRACT

Luxury fashion brands increasingly integrate recycled materials to meet corporate social responsibility expectations. Through two between-subjects experiments, this paper examines whether and how luxury fashion products crafted from recycled natural material vs. recycled synthetic material affect consumer product evaluation on social media, and whether exclusivity framing moderates this effect. Results show that products made from recycled synthetic material (vs. recycled natural material) receive lower evaluation. Study 1 reveals that perceived product quality fully mediates this effect. Study 2 shows that under exclusivity framing, products made from recycled synthetic material (vs. recycled natural material) reduce perceived product quality causing lower product evaluation. These findings contribute to sustainable luxury research and provide practical insights for luxury fashion brands on social media communication strategies for their products made from recycled materials.