Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 49 (2019) 120–128

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Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jretconser

Investigating male consumers’ lifestyle of health and sustainability (LOHAS) T

and perception toward slow fashion
Jihyun Sunga, Hongjoo Woob,∗
a
Consumer and Design Sciences, College of Human Sciences, Auburn University, 368 Spidle Hall, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, 36849, USA
b
Clothing & Textiles, College of Human Ecology, Yonsei University, Samsung Hall 110, Seodaemun-gu, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seoul, 03722, South Korea

ABSTRACT

Slow fashion indicates the new paradigm of apparel that is made through environmentally, socially, and ethically responsible practices throughout the production
cycle. This study addresses three trends in the current apparel industry, slow fashion, consumer lifestyle of health and sustainability (LOHAS), and growing po-
pulation of fashion-conscious young (Gen-Y) male consumers. The online survey data collected from 306 Gen-Y males revealed the relationships between LOHAS,
decision-making styles, and perceived value toward slow fashion based upon TRA. The findings contribute to the literature by adding empirical evidence of the
emerging trends, as well as generating suggestions for fashion marketers.

1. Introduction
An increasing number of consumers are becoming conscious about
the environmental issues that may influence their lifestyles, including
their consumption behaviors (Howard, 2007). The fashion industry has
recently been paying significant attention to sustainability and ethical
issues, which has influenced fashion companies to be more aware of
these issues as well (Moisander and Pesonen, 2002). While the trend-
driven fashion industry is struggling to satisfy consumers’ growing need
for sustainable apparel (Moisander and Pesonen, 2002), the slow
fashion movement is obtaining increasing popularity as a potential al-
ternative to fast fashion. Slow fashion indicates apparel products that
are made through environmentally, socially, and ethically responsible
practices throughout the production cycle, which are typically made
with the aim of providing basic designs and more durable materials that
last longer at higher prices (Watson and Yan, 2013).
Concurrently, as another trend in the fashion industry, the men-
swear market is becoming one of the fastest growing sectors in the in-
dustry due to men's increasing involvement in fashion and clothing
consumption. Alvarado (2017) found that men's clothing consumption
has continuously increased both in stores and online in recent years,
and projected that consumer demand for men's fashion is expected to
reach $79.7 billion in 2018, which represents a 1.8% increase from the
current demand. Among consumer segments in the menswear market,
Generation Y ([Gen-Y] males born between 1977 and 1994; Bakewell
and Mitchell, 2003) are receiving growing attention from marketers as
they will soon become the major purchasing power in menswear. An
important characteristic distinguishing Gen-Y consumers from other
male consumer groups is that previous research has shown that Gen-Y
male consumers, similar to Gen-Y female consumers, are more con-
cerned about global, social, and environmental issues than their older
counterparts, as they have been exposed to these issues more than
previous generations (Nayyar, 2001).
To promote the new paradigm of fashion that considers social and
environmental concerns, slow fashion marketers and researchers seek
to identify appropriate target consumer segments and understand their
needs regarding slow fashion; however, research on consumers' per-
ceptions of slow fashion and thus how slow fashion could be integrated
into the mainstream market is still at the nascent stage. Particularly,
despite the growing potential of the menswear market described above,
virtually no researchers have looked into male consumers’ perceived
value toward slow fashion, although previous studies have shown that
men tend to prefer a narrow variety of high quality products that last
longer (Bakewell et al., 2006), which perfectly aligns with the concept
of slow fashion. The fact that the menswear market comprises a sig-
nificant portion of the industry (Smith, 2016), along with the fact that
Gen-Y male consumers are interested in pursuing sustainable con-
sumption alternatives (Alvarado, 2017), indicates the need for slow
fashion retailers to specifically target this consumer group.
Accordingly, Lifestyle of health and sustainability (LOHAS), which
describes individuals who value enhancing their lifestyle of health and
sustainability by purchasing local products and thus helping the en-
vironment (Chou et al., 2012), has been a popular consumer trend in
recent years. Consumers with LOHAS tend to value green living that
includes organic foods, local produce and healthier products, which
further influences their family and friends to also adopt sustainable

∗
Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: jihyun.sung@auburn.edu (J. Sung), h_woo@yonsei.ac.kr (H. Woo).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2019.03.018
Received 18 September 2018; Received in revised form 7 February 2019; Accepted 22 March 2019
Available online 29 March 2019
0969-6989/ © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
J. Sung and H. Woo
living and healthier lifestyle choices (Howard, 2007), which is a similar
concept with slow fashion.
As one of the first studies to address this need, our study investigates
Gen-Y male consumers' perceptions of slow fashion. Specifically, this
study examines how Gen-Y males' LOHAS and various decision-making
styles influence their perceived value toward slow fashion.
Furthermore, based on the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), this study
examines whether such perceptions consequently influence Gen-Y
males' attitude and purchase intention toward slow fashion. This
finding will provide practical implications for slow fashion marketers in
understanding this consumer segment as potential consumers of slow
fashion. The results of this study will reveal Gen-Y males' current per-
ceptions and future purchase intention toward slow fashion, and slow
fashion researchers and marketers will then understand the influence of
this particular consumer group's LOHAS and characteristic decision-
making styles.
2. Literature review
2.1. Lifestyle of health and sustainability (LOHAS) and slow fashion
As an increasing number of consumers become interested in social
and environmental issues related to what they eat and what they wear,
a new trend describing such conscious lifestyle choices was introduced:
lifestyle of health and sustainability (LOHAS). Consumers with LOHAS
are characterized as valuing quality of life by caring about health and
sustainability, and as a result these consumers prefer environmentally-
friendly locally-made products that can help sustain their communities
(Chou et al., 2012). More specifically, LOHAS consumers are inclined to
make purchasing decisions which meet their standards for social and
environmental responsibility (Urh, 2015). According to Rudell (2006),
over 30% of the adult population in the United States were considered
to be LOHAS consumers, as they considered environmental and social
issues when they made purchases.
As this trend has continued to grow, today one in four adults in the
United States are LOHAS consumers (i.e., approximately 41 million
people) and they spend $290 billion annually on goods and services,
which shows how much LOHAS consumers contribute to the market
(“The era of ethical consumerism”, 2017). Accordingly, companies have
created new market strategies in order to meet LOHAS consumers'
needs and expectations (Urh, 2015). For instance, companies such as
Nike, Coca-Cola, and Starbucks, have begun to emphasize “green
living” to serve LOHAS consumers’ demand for sustainability-related
products and services (Urh, 2015). As the population of LOHAS con-
sumers continues to increase, more and more studies have been pub-
lished aiming to understand the needs and characteristics of LOHAS
consumers (e.g., Kim et al., 2013a; Wan and Toppinen, 2016). Despite
this increase in attention, Gen-Y male consumers and their interest in
LOHAS were largely neglected in these studies.
The trends of sustainability and LOHAS have influenced the fashion
industry and consumers' criteria around fashion products. More and
more consumers have become tired of short-lived fast fashion products
made with low-quality materials by unsustainable production pro-
cesses. For a long period of time, fast fashion has exclusively taken
possession of the fashion industry by releasing new styles every week
based upon the latest trends, which satisfies consumers' tastes and
needs with relatively lower prices (Moisander and Pesonen, 2002).
However, fast fashion has caused serious problems in the environment
due to consumers’ over-consumption and waste of fashion apparel
(Fletcher, 2007). Thus, the concept of slow fashion has been introduced
as an alternative to fast fashion. The concept of slow fashion is inspired
by the slow food movement, which began in Italy in 1986 as a reaction
to the fast food culture. This movement encourages consumers to
choose local, healthier food made through slow, natural processing
methods, which help sustain both local economies and the environment
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Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 49 (2019) 120–128
(e.g., Slowfood.com). Similar to the slow food movement, slow fashion
emphasizes the importance of the quality of fashion apparel products
which is made with natural, durable materials, thus enabling consumers
to wear clothes for a longer period of time and minimizing the en-
vironmental and social impact of apparel production (Fletcher, 2007).
For example, Alternative Apparel, an online multi-brand retailer, sells
fashion apparel and accessories that are produced by meeting the slow
fashion criteria, and provides an outsourcing service connecting en-
vironmental-friendly local garment factories with small retailers
(alternativeapparel.com). Everlane, a U.S.-based startup fashion com-
pany, aims to provide slow fashion products that are made with long-
lasting designs and eco-friendly materials, thus ultimately minimizing
the waste from fast fashion consumption (everlane.com).
Based on the above, LOHAS and slow fashion both aim to decrease
the social and environmental impact of consumption by supporting
products that are consciously and locally made and contribute to the
sustainability of the environment and local communicates. This con-
nection implies that consumers’ LOHAS, particularly that of Gen-Y
males, would be positively related to their perceptions of slow fashion,
as consumers with LOHAS are likely to perceive more value in slow
fashion as it addresses their concerns about the environment and so-
ciety. Thus, H1 was developed as:
H1. Gen-Y males' lifestyle of health and sustainability (LOHAS)
positively influences their perceived value toward slow fashion.
2.2. Consumers’ decision-making style
Consumers confront the reality that they need to make decisions
every day from what to wear, what to eat, and what to buy. Consumers
either consciously or unconsciously make daily purchasing decisions,
and these decisions are informed by decision-making styles, which re-
fers to “a patterned, mental, cognitive orientation towards shopping
and purchasing, which consistently dominates the consumer's choices”
(Sproles, 1985, p. 79). According to Sproles and Kendall (1986), the
diversity in consumer decision-making styles could be explained by the
following eight domains: recreational shopping consciousness, perfec-
tionism, brand consciousness, confused by overchoice, fashion con-
sciousness, price consciousness, impulsive/careless, and habitual/brand
loyal. Specifically, 1) recreational shopping consciousness explains con-
sumers' orientation toward the enjoyable feeling that they can gain
from shopping, which represents consumers' need for adventure and
leisure while shopping (Sproles and Kendall, 1986). 2) perfectionism, on
the other hand, explains consumers' orientation toward making the best
choice, by making decisions based on finding the products with the best
quality and value (Sproles and Kendall, 1986). Third, brand conscious-
ness explains consumers' tendency to make purchasing decisions based
on well-known brand names and higher prices (Sproles and Kendall,
1986), while 4) confused by overchoice represents consumers' needs for
avoiding an overabundance of options in brands/stores that can cause
confusion, thus hindering decision-making (Sproles and Kendall, 1986).
5) fashion consciousness explains consumers' orientation toward the
latest fashion trends and new styles in decision-making, whereas, 6)
price consciousness refers to their sensitivity toward the price of products
(Sproles and Kendall, 1986). Lastly, 7) impulsive/careless explains con-
sumers' propensity for making spontaneous decisions without much
consideration, while 8) habitual/brand loyal represents consumers' ten-
dency toward inertia, preferring to shop at the same brands/stores ra-
ther than try new places, thus they tended to make repeated purchases
from those specific brands/stores (Sproles and Kendall, 1986). Based
upon Sproles and Kendall (1986), we distinguished brand loyalty and
brand consciousness that brand loyalty is loyalty toward those parti-
cular favorite brands, while brand consciousness is sensitivity toward
all well-known brand names. For example, with brand loyalty con-
sumers make repeated purchases from the same brand. However, brand
J. Sung and H. Woo
consciousness does not necessarily force them to shop only from the
loyal brand but describes their overall high interest in best-selling
brand names.
Previous research on consumer decision-making styles has mostly
investigated female consumers by still treating purchase activity as a
feminine activity (Bakewell and Mitchell, 2004). However, Bakewell
and Mitchell (2004) found that a considerable number of male con-
sumers are highly involved in purchase activities and exhibited a
variety of decision-making styles that could be further explored. In
general, researchers found that similar to female consumers, men were
often price conscious and they tend to expect higher quality from
products with higher prices (Bakewell and Mitchell, 2004). However,
even though male consumers’ various decision-making styles guide
their consumption behavior, very little is known about these styles and
how they influence their perceptions of a particular type of consump-
tion trend, such as slow fashion.
As consumer decision-making styles largely guides their perceptions
of particular products, it is expected that the various dimensions of
decision-making styles of Gen-Y males' would influence their perceived
value toward slow fashion. However, given the scarcity of relevant
literature on Gen-Y males’ decision-making styles, it is difficult to de-
termine what dimension(s) of decision-making style(s) will be influ-
ential and how (positively or negatively) these characteristics will in-
fluence their perceived value toward slow fashion. Thus, H2 was
developed in an exploratory form as:
H2. Gen-Y males' decision-making styles significantly (either positively
or negatively) influence their perceived value toward slow fashion.
2.3. Consumers’ perceived value toward slow fashion
In studying consumers' perceived value toward slow fashion, the
concept of perceived value is applied as the dependent variable in the
above hypotheses. Consumers' perceived value has been considered as a
significant variable influencing consumers' overall thoughts and atti-
tude toward a particular product. Consumers' perceived value refers to
“the consumer's overall assessment of the utility of a product based on
perceptions of what is received and what is given” (Zeithaml, 1988, p.
14). Consumers' perceived value toward a product mainly consists of
four value dimensions: emotional, social, price, and quality value
(Sweeney and Soutar, 2001). Specifically, 1) emotional value explains
consumers' affective feelings that they have toward certain products
(Sweeney and Soutar, 2001), and 2) social value explains the self-con-
cept that individuals generate through the products they use to make a
favorable impression on other individuals (Sweeney and Soutar, 2001).
3) price value explains the perceived costs and value of products, such as
whether the price of the product is reasonable and provides an appro-
priate value for its cost (Sweeney and Soutar, 2001), while 4) quality
value explains consumers' perceived quality of products, and whether or
not the quality of the product is satisfactory (Sweeney and Soutar,
2001).
Understanding consumers' perceived value toward a product is im-
portant because consumers' perceived value forms their attitude and, in
turn, purchase intention toward the product (Chi and Kilduff, 2011).
That is, if consumers value the alignment of price and quality of certain
products along with their social and emotional value, they are more
likely to have a favorable attitude toward those products and experi-
ence satisfaction with their purchasing decisions (Chi and Kilduff,
2011). Furthermore, when individuals are more concerned about en-
vironmental issues and have intentions to enhance green lifestyles, they
are more likely to value products (i.e., fashion apparel) that are pro-
duced in a way that is environmentally, socially and ethically re-
sponsible. This supports H1 and H2, which proposes that Gen-Y male
consumers’ LOHAS and decision-making styles will significantly influ-
ence their perceived value toward slow fashion.
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Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 49 (2019) 120–128
2.4. Consumers’ attitude, subjective norm, and purchase intention toward
slow fashion: Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA)
The Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) is a theoretical framework
that has been widely utilized in previous literature to investigate the
relationships among attitude, subjective norm, and purchase intention,
especially in consumer research (Ajzen and Fishbein, 1977). TRA ex-
plains that each individual tends to act in certain ways that generate
favorable feelings and meet other people's expectations simultaneously,
which eventually influences their purchase intention (Ajzen and
Fishbein, 1980; Park, 2000). According to Ajzen and Madden (1986),
TRA includes two specific independent factors influencing purchase
intention: attitude toward a behavior and the normative factor. Speci-
fically, attitude toward a behavior refers to the extent to which an in-
dividual has a favorable or unfavorable evaluation of certain behaviors,
while subjective norm determined by an individual's normative beliefs,
such as perceptions of normative actions and pressures from society or
other individuals (e.g., family and friends).
TRA has been utilized in numerous studies investigating apparel
products and how individuals' attitude and subjective norm influence
their purchase intention toward those products (i.e., Belleau et al.,
2007; Marcketti and Shelley, 2009; Yan et al., 2010; Yoh et al., 2003).
Previous researchers have recognized that TRA provides a good ex-
planation of how consumers' attitude, subjective norm, and purchase
intention are interrelated in the context of introducing a relatively new
product into the fashion market (i.e., slow fashion). Among the limited
research on green purchasing behavior using TRA as a framework (i.e.,
Ha and Janda, 2012; Minton and Rose, 1997; Paul et al., 2016; Sparks
and Shepherd, 1992), Minton and Rose (1997) found that consumers
who are more involved in environmental-friendly activities avoided
purchasing products from companies that did not sell environmental-
friendly products. Furthermore, consumers who have a positive attitude
toward green consumption and pursue LOHAS aspects in their lives
frequently consumed green products, which further shows the influence
of consumers’ general lifestyle choices on their consumption behaviors
(Paul et al., 2016).
Previous researchers have found that all dimensions (i.e., emotional,
social, price, and quality) of consumers' perceived value toward fashion
products significantly influence their attitude toward the products in
question (Chi and Kilduff, 2011). Furthermore, Chi and Kilduff (2011)
suggest that when consumers perceive value in certain products, they
are more willing to choose those products, which demonstrates a po-
sitive relationship between consumers' perceived value and attitude
toward the products. By applying TRA and these findings, this study
speculates that Gen-Y males' perceived value toward slow fashion
would likely enhance their attitude toward slow fashion. According to
TRA, such attitude will eventually enhance their purchase intention
toward slow fashion, as recent research investigating the relationship
between concern for the environment and green purchase intention has
found (Chekima et al., 2016). Following TRA, subjective norm is in-
cluded, representing how other people's opinions influence Gen-Y
males' purchase intention and attitude toward slow fashion. Subjective
norm regarding slow fashion is expected to enhance purchase intention,
as the more consumers believe that their role models have a positive
perception of slow fashion, the more likely they would be to purchase
slow fashion products. Thus, H3–H5 were developed as:
H3. Gen-Y males' perceived value toward slow fashion positively
influences their attitude toward slow fashion.
H4. Gen-Y males' attitude toward slow fashion positively influences
their purchase intention toward slow fashion.
H5. Gen-Y males' subjective norm toward slow fashion positively
influences their purchase intention toward slow fashion.
Given these hypotheses developed, the conceptual framework of
this study is provided as Fig. 1.
J. Sung and H. Woo
Fig. 1. Research framework.
3. Methods
3.1. Sample and data collection
Upon receiving an Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval on
ethical research compliance for human subjects, a total of 330 males
born between 1977 and 1994 (i.e., Gen-Y group) and currently living in
the United States participated in the survey (Bakewell and Mitchell,
2003). An online survey questionnaire was created in Qualtrics and
distributed through the Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) platform to
recruit a diverse male population from the United States. Only the
participants who met the age (i.e., born between 1977 and 1994) and
gender (i.e., male) criteria were able to participate in the online survey,
and there was a $.50 incentive for each person who completed the
survey questionnaire after receiving the approval of the researcher.
3.2. Measures
The measures of lifestyle of health and sustainability (LOHAS), the
Gen-Y male participants' decision-making styles, their perceived value
toward slow fashion, attitude toward slow fashion, subjective norm,
and purchase intention toward slow fashion were all included in the
survey questionnaire, followed by demographic information (i.e.,
gender, birth year, ethnicity, education level, annual income, and state
of residence). The measurement scales were adapted from previous
research. The LOHAS scale was adapted from Kim et al. (2013b), the
measurement for consumer decision-making styles was adapted from
Sproles and Kendall (1986), and consumers’ perceived value toward
slow fashion was measured with the perceived value scale modified
from Sweeney and Soutar (2001). The scales were measured according
to a seven-point Likert-type scale, ranging from “1 = strongly disagree”
to “7 = strongly agree.” To measure attitude toward slow fashion, a
seven-point semantic differential scale was adapted from Han et al.
(2010), anchored by “1 = extremely bad” to “7 = extremely good.”
Subjective norm was measured with three items adopted from Yoh et al.
(2003), anchored by “1 = highly unlikely” to “7 = highly likely,” while
purchase intention toward slow fashion clothing was measured with
three items, ranging from “1 = not at all” to “7 = very much” (Kim
et al., 2013b).
Prior to testing our hypotheses, exploratory factor analyses (EFA)
was conducted using principal component analysis and varimax rota-
tion to confirm the dimensionality of each scale measurement followed
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Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 49 (2019) 120–128
by reliability tests. Factor loadings lower than 0.50 and eigen values
lower than 1.00 were eliminated from further analysis. The results of
the EFAs showed that LOHAS, attitude toward slow fashion, subjective
norm, and purchase intention toward slow fashion were unidimen-
sional. Gen-Y male participants' decision-making styles were revealed
as having eight factors (i.e., recreational shopping consciousness, per-
fectionism, brand consciousness, confused by overchoice, fashion con-
sciousness, price consciousness, impulsive/careless, and habitual/brand
loyal decision-making style), after excluding five items that had factor
loadings lower than 0.50 (see Table 1). As quality value and emotional
value were merged into one factor through EFA, perceived value to-
ward slow fashion ultimately consisted of three factors (i.e., quality/
emotional, social, and price) (see Table 2). The reliability of the mea-
sures was all acceptable, with Cronbach's α values ranging from 0.63 to
0.94 (see Tables 1 and 2).
4. Results
After eliminating unusable data, 306 responses were utilized for
further analysis. Descriptive statistics showed that the respondents' age
ranged from 24 to 41 (i.e., born between 1977 and 1994). The ethnicity
of the participants was varied, showing that majority of them were
Caucasian (nearly 70%), followed by Asian American, Hispanic, African
American, Mixed Race and Other. In terms of their education level,
approximately 57% of the participants reported that they had a ba-
chelor's degree, 30% had high school or less, 9% had a professional
degree, 6% had a master's degree, and only 3% had a doctorate degree.
The participants' income level was also varied from $19,999 or less to
$100,000 or above (see Table 3).
The results of the simple regression analysis, testing the relationship
between LOHAS and each of the three dimensions of Gen-Y males'
perceived value toward slow fashion (H1), showed that LOHAS sig-
nificantly influenced all dimensions of Gen-Y males’ perceived value
toward slow fashion. Specifically, LOHAS positively influenced the
perceived quality/emotional value of slow fashion (β = 0.30, t = 5.56,
p < .001), perceived price value of slow fashion (β = 0.31, t = 5.60,
p < .001), and perceived social value of slow fashion (β = 0.21,
t = 3.66, p < .001). In terms of relative prediction power (β coefficient
values), LOHAS showed a similar prediction power across the three
value dimensions ranging from 0.21 to 0.31 (see Table 4).
The results of a series of multiple regression analyses testing the
relationship between Gen-Y males' eight decision-making styles and
J. Sung and H. Woo Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 49 (2019) 120–128

Table 1
Results of the EFA on Gen-Y males’ decision-making styles.
Items Item Loading Cronbach's α

Factor 1: Recreational Shopping Consciousness .88

Shopping is not a pleasant activity. .82
Shopping in different stores is a waste of time. .77
Shopping is very enjoyable to me. .75
I enjoy shopping just for fun. .73
It's fun to buy something new and exciting. .56
Factor 2: Perfectionism .88
I make a special effort to choose the very best quality products. .83
In general, I usually try to buy the best overall quality. .82
Getting good quality is very important to me. .82
I have very high standards and expectations for the products I buy. .80
Factor 3: Brand Consciousness .82
The most advertised brands are usually good choices. .76
The higher the price of the product, the better the quality. .74
I prefer buying the best-selling brands. .73
I usually buy well-known brands. .72
Good quality department stores and specialty stores offer the best. .71
Factor 4: Confused by Overchoice .89
I am confused by all the information on different products. .85
The more I learn about products, the harder it seems to choose the best. .85
There are so many brands to choose from that I often feel confused. .83
Sometimes it's hard to decide in which stores to shop. .76
Factor 5: Fashion Consciousness .88
I usually have at least one outfit of the newest style. .82
I keep my wardrobe up to date with the changing fashions. .79
Fashionable, attractive styling is very important to me. .75
For variety I shop in different stores and buy different brands. .57
Factor 6: Price Consciousness .63
I usually buy the lower priced products. .70
I buy as much as possible at sale price. .65
I look very carefully to find the best value for money. .48
Factor 7: Impulsive/Careless .73
I often make purchases I later wish I had not. .73
I frequently purchase on impulse. .71
I should spend more time deciding on the products I buy. .62
I carefully watch how much I spend. .58
Factor 8: Habitual/Brand Loyal .68
When I find a brand I like, I buy it regularly. .78
I have favorite brands I buy every time. .70
I go to the same store each time I shop. .56

Note. All numbers are rounded up to two decimal places.

Table 2
Results of the EFA on Gen-Y males’ perceived value toward slow fashion.
Items Item Loading Cronbach's α

Factor 1: Quality/Emotional Value .91

Slow fashion clothing has consistent quality. .78
Slow fashion clothing is well made. .75
Slow fashion clothing would not last a long time. .75
Slow fashion clothing has poor workmanship. .73
Slow fashion clothing has an acceptable standard of quality. .69
Slow fashion clothing is one that I would feel relaxed about using. .66
Slow fashion clothing would perform consistently. .65
Slow fashion clothing is one that I would enjoy. .65
Slow fashion clothing would make me want to use it. .63
Slow fashion clothing would make me feel good. .59
Factor 2: Social Value .91
Slow fashion clothing would improve the way I am perceived. .90
Slow fashion clothing would make a good impression on other people. .87
Slow fashion clothing would give its owner social approval. .86
Slow fashion clothing would help me to feel acceptable. .80
Factor 3: Price Value .88
Slow fashion clothing is reasonably priced. .83
Slow fashion clothing would be economical. .82
Slow fashion clothing is a good product for the price. .80
Slow fashion clothing offers value for money. .79

Note. All numbers are rounded up to two decimal places.

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J. Sung and H. Woo Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 49 (2019) 120–128

Table 3 supported. Furthermore, the results of H5, testing the relationship be-
Descriptive statistics of the Gen-Y male participants (N = 306). tween subjective norm and purchase intention toward slow fashion,
Variable Category Frequency Percentage (%) showed that Gen-Y males’ subjective norm toward slow fashion also
significantly enhanced their purchase intention toward slow fashion
Age 24–29 111 36.2 (β = .63, t = 14.12, p < .001), supporting H5 (see Table 6).
30–35 108 35.3
36–41 87 28.4
Ethnicity Caucasian 209 68.3 5. Discussion
Asian American 42 13.7
Hispanic 16 5.2 This study provides unique insight for both the academic literature
African American 15 4.9
and slow fashion marketers, by showing how Gen-Y male consumers'
Other 15 4.9
Mixed Race 9 2.9
LOHAS and various decision-making styles influence their perceived
Education High school or less 78 25.5 value toward slow fashion. For instance, the current study found that
Bachelor's degree 173 56.5 Gen-Y male consumers who pursue LOHAS perceive that slow fashion is
Master's degree 19 6.2 high quality, which makes them feel good about consuming these
Professional degree 28 9.2
products (i.e., quality/emotional value), provides economic merit by
Doctorate degree 8 2.6
Income $19,999 or less 51 16.7 purchasing a few items that last longer (i.e., price value), and helps
$20,000 to $39,999 66 21.6 them make a favorable impression on others (i.e., social value). This
$40,000 to $59,999 85 27.8 result corresponds to our assumption based on the common core values
$60,000 to $79,999 50 16.3
expressed by both LOHAS and slow fashion, as Gen-Y males’ concerns
$80,000 to $99,999 31 10.1
$100,000 or above 23 7.5
about the environment, sustainability, and local communities (LOHAS)
(Howard, 2007) supports the concept of slow fashion, thus enhancing
its value (Joergens, 2006).
In addition, the results of this study revealed which domains of Gen-
Y males' decision-making styles either positively or negatively related
their perceived value toward slow fashion (H2), showed that several with each dimension of perceived value toward slow fashion, and which
domains of Gen-Y male consumers’ decision-making styles significantly dimensions more or less strongly influenced their perceived value to-
influenced their perceived value toward slow fashion. Specifically, the ward slow fashion. For example, for the quality/emotional value of
quality and emotional value of slow fashion was positively influenced slow fashion, Gen-Y males' decision-making styles oriented toward
by perfectionism (β = 0.26, t = 4.49, p < .001) and price conscious- choosing higher quality products (i.e., perfectionism) and price con-
ness (β = 0.17, t = 2.90, p < .001), negatively influenced by impulsive sciousness drove them to perceive a higher quality/emotional value
style (β = −0.30, t = −4.95, p < .001), and positively influenced by from slow fashion: which is more durable and could last longer, thus
habitual style (β = 0.14, t = 2.27, p = .02). For the price value of slow possibly being more cost-saving in the long-term and giving them
fashion, only perfectionism was a significantly positive predictor contentment from making a wise decision. Also, Gen-Y males' habitual/
(β = 0.30, t = 4.84, p < .001). Both perfectionism (β = 0.19, t = 3.08, brand loyal tendencies enhanced their perceived quality/emotional
p < .001) and fashion consciousness (β = 0.17, t = 2.27, p = .02) value of slow fashion, because slow fashion can satisfy their need for
positively influenced the social value of slow fashion. There were no habitual/brand loyal in their product choices. For instance, as com-
multicollinearity issues throughout the analyses, as the variance infla- pared to fast fashion, slow fashion provides a relatively fixed selection
tion factor (VIF) indicated values greater than 1.00 (see Table 5). of products with consistent design and quality, and thus male con-
To test H3, H4, and H5, a set of multiple regression and simple sumers with habitual/brand loyal can repeatedly purchase quality
regression analyses were conducted. For H3, the results of the multiple products from the slow fashion brands that they like instead of being
regression analysis testing the relationships between Gen-Y males' overwhelmed by a variety of choices in quick rotation (e.g., fast
perceived value toward slow fashion and their attitude toward slow fashion). However, Gen-Y males’ impulsive/careless side of decision-
fashion, showed that all three dimensions of perceived value (i.e., making style decreased their perceived value toward slow fashion. The
quality/emotional, price, and social value) significantly increased Gen- result could be because the slow-moving cycle of slow fashion conflicts
Y males' attitude toward slow fashion, supporting H4. More specifically, with the impulsive side of their decision-making style; thus, the im-
comparing β coefficient values, the quality/emotional value of slow pulsive/careless dimension was negatively associated with the per-
fashion significantly enhanced Gen-Y males’ attitude toward slow ceived quality/emotional value of slow fashion.
fashion (β = 0.39, t = 9.28, p < .001) the most, followed by price In terms of the price value of slow fashion, Gen-Y males' perfec-
value (β = 0.35, t = 8.63, p < .001) and social value (β = 0.27, tionism had a noticeably positive influence on their perceived price
t = 6.83, p < .001). There was no multicollinearity issue detected in value toward slow fashion. Gen-Y male consumers who have a desire to
the analysis based on the VIF values being greater than 1.00. purchase the best quality of products that could be used for a long
For H4, the results of the simple regression analysis testing the re- period of time found higher value in the price value of slow fashion,
lationship between Gen-Y males' attitude toward slow fashion and because they are aware of the long-term cost benefits of consuming
purchase intention toward slow fashion, showed that their attitude slow fashion products. In terms of the social value of slow fashion,
toward slow fashion significantly increased their purchase intention again, perfectionism enhanced Gen-Y male consumers' perceived social
toward slow fashion (β = .77, t = 21.27, p < .001). Thus, H4 was value of slow fashion, which might be because males who pursue social

Table 4
Results of testing H1: Influence of LOHAS on perceived value toward slow fashion.
Independent Variable Dependent Variable R2 F β t p

LOHAS Quality/emotional value of slow fashion .09 30.96 .30 5.56 .00***
Price value of slow fashion .09 31.37 .31 5.60 .00***
Social value of slow fashion .04 13.40 .21 3.66 .00***

Note. ∗p < .05, ∗∗

p < .01, ∗∗∗
p < .001, all numbers are rounded up to two decimal places.

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J. Sung and H. Woo Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 49 (2019) 120–128

Table 5
Results of testing H2: The influence of Gen-Y males’ decision-making styles on their perceived value toward slow fashion.
Independent Variable Dependent Variable R2 F β t p VIF

Decision-Making Styles → Quality/Emotional Value of SlowFashion .24 11.46

Recreational Shopping Consciousness .03 .46 .65 1.67
Perfectionism .26 4.49 .00*** 1.29
Brand Consciousness .02 .35 .73 1.29
Confused by Overchoice -.03 -.48 .64 1.38
Fashion Consciousness -.03 -.37 .71 1.85
Price Consciousness .17 2.90 .00*** 1.27
Impulsive/Careless -.30 −4.95 .00*** 1.41
Habitual/Brand Loyal .14 2.27 .02* 1.47
Decision-Making Styles → Price Value of Slow Fashion .11 4.74
Recreational Shopping Consciousness -.09 −1.29 .20 1.67
Perfectionism .30 4.84 .00*** 1.29
Brand Consciousness .11 1.75 .08 1.29
Confused by Overchoice -.03 -.53 .59 1.38
Fashion Consciousness .09 1.27 .21 1.85
Price Consciousness .07 1.15 .25 1.27
Impulsive/Careless .02 .34 .73 1.41
Habitual/Brand Loyal -.06 -.90 .37 1.47
Decision-Making Styles → Social Value of Slow Fashion .15 6.68
Recreational Shopping Consciousness -.08 −1.22 .22 1.67
Perfectionism .19 3.08 .00*** 1.29
Brand Consciousness .10 1.65 .10 1.29
Confused by Overchoice .05 .81 .42 1.38
Fashion Consciousness .17 2.27 .02* 1.85
Price Consciousness .06 .93 .36 1.27
Impulsive/Careless .03 .40 .69 1.41
Habitual/Brand Loyal .11 1.69 .09 1.47

Note. ∗p < .05, ∗∗

p < .01, ∗∗∗
p < .001, all numbers are rounded up to two decimal places.

approval and self-enhancement from their peers perceived that slow
fashion could meet such needs by showing that they had made the right
decision in consuming socially desirable products. Additionally, Gen-Y
males' fashion conscious decision-making styles enhanced the social
value of slow fashion for them. This may be because slow fashion is a
recent trend, thus the subjects’ fashion consciousness increased the
social value of slow fashion, which could lead to them being perceived
as early adopters of this emerging trend.
Some domains of Gen-Y males’ decision-making styles (i.e., recrea-
tional shopping consciousness, brand consciousness, and confused by
overchoice) did not significantly influence any dimensions of perceived
value toward slow fashion in the current study. Considering the concept
of slow fashion (e.g., higher quality and price, and environmentally/
socially conscious products), males who view shopping as a fun activity
(recreational shopping consciousness) or seek popular brand names
(brand consciousness) might not have necessarily found value in slow
fashion. Males who are stressed out by an overchoice of brands or stores
(confused by overchoice) might have perceived slow fashion as another
new alternative that they need to consider, thus not finding it very
attractive. Overall, our findings show that Gen-Y males find different
value dimensions in slow fashion depending upon their various deci-
sion-making styles.
Supporting previous literature, which found a relationship among
consumers' attitude, subjective norm, and purchase intention (e.g., Ha
and Janda, 2012; Paul et al., 2016; Yan et al., 2010), the findings of this
current study confirmed that Gen-Y males' positive attitude toward slow
fashion, formed by their perceived value, eventually increased their
purchase intention toward slow fashion. Furthermore, Gen-Y male
consumers’ perceptions about how other individuals (e.g., friends and
family members) would support the idea of slow fashion (subjective
norm) enhanced their purchase intention toward slow fashion. This
shows that the perceived value of slow fashion can eventually cause
consumers to have a favorable attitude and purchase intention toward
slow fashion.
In conclusion, the findings of this study demonstrate that Gen-Y male
consumers’ LOHAS and decision-making styles can either enhance or de-
crease their perceived value in slow fashion, which eventually influences
their attitude and purchase intention toward slow fashion. Each individual
has different lifestyle considerations, including concerns about the en-
vironment and general decision-making styles, which are eventually
guided by the various perceptions toward slow fashion. Implications for
researchers and slow fashion retailers along with suggestions for future
research are discussed in the next section.
6. Implications, limitations, and suggestions for future studies
Academically, this study contributes to the slow fashion literature
by adding empirical evidence about the importance of consumers'

Table 6
Results of testing H3, H4, and H5.
Independent Variable Dependent Variable R2 F β t p VIF

Perceived value toward slow fashion → Attitude toward Slow Fashion .63 171.18
Quality/emotional value .39 9.28 .00*** 1.44
Price value .35 8.63 .00*** 1.28
Social value .27 6.83 .00*** 1.32
Attitude toward slow fashion → Purchase intention toward Slow Fashion .60 452.44 .77 21.27 .00***
Subjective Norm → Purchase intention toward Slow Fashion .40 199.26 .63 14.12 .00***

Note. ∗p < .05, ∗∗

p < .01, ∗∗∗
p < .001, all numbers are rounded up to two decimal places.

126
J. Sung and H. Woo
lifestyles (e.g., LOHAS) and decision-making styles in understanding
their perceived value, attitude, and purchase intention toward slow
fashion, which we found to be particularly true for Gen-Y male con-
sumers. As the current study is nearly the first and only study to analyze
Gen-Y male consumers' multi-dimensional decision-making styles in
depth, and which examined this particular group's perceptions toward
slow fashion, the findings of this study provide a deeper body of
knowledge for the literature on decision-making styles, and niche in-
formation about male consumers for the slow fashion literature.
As our findings showed that several characteristic dimensions of
Gen-Y males’ decision-making styles are positively related to their
perceptions toward slow fashion and, further, increase their positive
attitude and purchase intention toward slow fashion, this study high-
lights that Gen-Y male consumers could be one of the potential target
markets for the slow fashion industry. Specifically, fashion marketers
and retailers could utilize the findings of this study to identify which
types of consumers (based on their decision-making styles) perceive
more positive value in slow fashion. As the findings have revealed that
Gen-Y male consumers who are concerned about the environment more
positively value slow fashion, slow fashion marketers could target Gen-
Y male consumers who are interested in environmental and social is-
sues.
In addition, as Gen-Y males’ perfectionism, price consciousness, and
habitual/brand loyal sides of their decision-making styles enhanced
their perceived value toward slow fashion, slow fashion marketers
could focus on communicating the merits of slow fashion as a wise
decision, saving money in the long-term, and offering consistent quality
to meet this need. The findings that showed the positive influence of the
perceived value of slow fashion on attitude toward slow fashion, and
eventually, on purchase intention, further confirm that it is crucial for
slow fashion marketers to expose Gen-Y male consumers to slow fashion
products and realize the positive value of slow fashion in order for them
to develop favorable attitude and purchase intention toward slow
fashion products. Therefore, overall, slow fashion marketers and re-
tailers should provide comprehensive information on the positive sides
of slow fashion products (i.e., longer lasting quality, and environ-
mental/social/ethical aspects of products) for those who are interested
in buying these products, which will possibly result in an increase in the
sale of slow fashion products among young male consumers.
Although the findings of this study contribute to the slow fashion
literature and help fashion marketers and retailers develop effective
marketing strategies for Gen-Y male consumers, there are several lim-
itations to this study and suggestions for future research. First, this
study only investigated the Gen-Y cohort of male consumers, which
consists of males who were born between 1977 and 1994. Although this
decision was made based on the recent growth of the Gen-Y men's
fashion market, to better represent male consumers in the market, fu-
ture studies may look into older male consumers who may have dif-
ferent decision-making styles and degrees of interest in social and en-
vironmental issues. In addition, this study examined male individuals
who were recruited using the MTurk system. However, these findings
might have been more intriguing if the study recruited men who are
highly interested in and familiar with fashion products, because these
consumers might already be exposed to the concept of slow fashion and
aware of its pros and cons, which might have resulted in different in-
sights about males' thoughts toward slow fashion. Also, although a set
of regression analysis was used in the current study, future studies may
consider testing the model across diverse consumer markets, such as
through structural equation modeling (SEM), to increase the general-
izability of the model. Taken together, it is suggested that future re-
search expand the scope of the current study to include a variety of
male consumer groups using this study as a steppingstone, to bring in
wider practical implications for fashion retailers who are attempting to
promote slow fashion in the United States and beyond. Furthermore,
future research could be expanded toward a wider scope of anti-con-
sumerism, not only including the current trend of LOHAS but also
127
Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 49 (2019) 120–128
encompassing the other types of consumer behaviors against over-
consumption.
Financial Disclosure
Not Applicable.
Declaration
• This manuscript is not submitted to anywhere else.
• This research did not receive any external funding.
• This research does not involve any conflict of interest.
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Jihyun Sung is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Consumer and Design Sciences at
Auburn University. Her current research interest includes the area of appearance man-
agement behavior and clothing-related behavior based on consumer theories.
Hongjoo Woo is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Clothing & Textiles at Yonsei
University, South Korea. Her research interest lies in fashion retailing, retail business
management, and innovative fashion business/startup models.