Skip to main content

The Face of Culturally Sustainable Luxury: Some Emerging Traits from a Case Study

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Sustainable Luxury, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation

Abstract

This chapter investigates cultural sustainability in luxury. Seen as a path followed by luxury brands to increase the perception of sustainable luxury, the authors have identified its drivers, prerequisites and managerial implications. In doing so, they have studied the integration of cultural heritage and luxury through the representative case of a luxury company which produces fabrics expressing local traditions and uses them in its collections. The study demonstrates that culture combines in luxury in terms of symbols, knowledge sets, natural resources, behaviours and community spirit. These can be considered potentially determining factors in the fostering of uniqueness in sustainable luxury.

Silvia Ranfagni and Simone Guercini share the final responsibility for this chapter. However, Silvia Ranfagni wrote the Sects. 1, 2, 4 and 5; Simone Guercini wrote the Sect. 3. Silvia Ranfagni and Simone Guercini composed together the Sect. 6.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 69.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 89.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Aaker DA (2004) Leveraging the corporate brand. Calif Manag Rev 46(3):6–18

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aguilera RV, Rupp DE, Williams CA, Ganapathi J (2007) Putting the S back in corporate social responsibility: a multilevel theory of social change in organizations. Acad Manag Rev 32(3):836–863

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arantes AA (2007) Diversity, heritage and cultural politics. Theor Cult Soc 24(7–8):290–296

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berger C, Blauth R, Boger D, Bolster C, Burchill G, DuMouchel W, … and Timko M (1993) Kano’s methods for understanding customer-defined quality. Center Qual Manage J 2(4):3–35

    Google Scholar 

  • Berry CJ (1994) The idea of luxury: a conceptual and historical investigation, vol 30. Cambridge University Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Chattaraman V, Lennon SJ (2008) Ethnic identity, consumption of cultural apparel, and self-perceptions of ethnic consumers. J Fashion Mark Manage: An Int J 12(4):518–531

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Closs DJ, Speier C, Meacham N (2011) Sustainability to support end-to-end value chains: the role of supply chain management. J Acad Mark Sci 39(1):101–116

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Corbellini E, Saviolo S (2014) Managing fashion and luxury companies. Etas

    Google Scholar 

  • Crane A, Matten D (2016) Business ethics: managing corporate citizenship and sustainability in the age of globalization. Oxford University Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Davies IA, Lee Z, Ahonkhai I (2012) Do consumers care about ethical-luxury? J Bus Ethics 106(1):37–51

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Barnier V, Falcy S, Valette-Florence P (2012) Do consumers perceive three levels of luxury? a comparison of accessible, intermediate and inaccessible luxury brands. J Brand Manage 19(7):623–636

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dekhili S, Achabou MA (2013) Price fairness in the case of green products: enterprises’ policies and consumers’ perceptions. Bus Strategy Environ 22(8):547–560

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Douglas M, Isherwood B (1996) The world of goods. Routledge, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Ehrich KR, Irwin JR (2005) Willful ignorance in the request for product attribute information. J Mark Res 42(3):266–277

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eisenhardt KM, Graebner ME (2007) Theory building from cases: opportunities and challenges. Acad Manage J 50(1):25–32

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fionda AM, Moore CM (2009) The anatomy of the luxury fashion brand. J Brand Manage 16(5–6):347–363

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Firat AF, Venkatesh A (1995) Liberatory postmodernism and the reenchantment of consumption. J Consum Res 22(3):239–267

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gardetti MA, Torres AL (eds) (2014) Sustainable luxury: managing social and environmental performance in Iconic brands. Greenleaf Publishing

    Google Scholar 

  • Gordon DK (2007) Using lean to meet quality objectives. Qual Progress 40(4):55

    Google Scholar 

  • Grayson K, Martinec R (2004) Consumer perceptions of iconicity and indexicality and their influence on assessments of authentic market offerings. J Consum Res 31(2):296–312

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guercini S, Ranfagni S (2016) Conviviality behavior in entrepreneurial communities and business networks. J Bus Res 69(2):770–776

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hakala U, Lätti S, Sandberg B (2011) Operationalising brand heritage and cultural heritage. J Prod Brand Manage 20(6):447–456

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heine K (2012) The concept of luxury brands. Luxury Brand Management, no. 1, 2edn, ISSN: 2193–1208. http://www.conceptofluxurybrands.com

    Google Scholar 

  • Joy A, Sherry JF Jr, Venkatesh A, Wang J, Chan R (2012) Fast fashion, sustainability, and the ethical appeal of luxury brands. Fashion Theor 16(3):273–295

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kapferer JN (2010) All that glitters is not green: the challenge of sustainable luxury. Eur Bus Rev (November–December), 40–45

    Google Scholar 

  • Kapferer JN, Michaut-Denizeau A (2014) Is luxury compatible with sustainability? luxury consumers’ viewpoint. J Brand Manage 21(1):1–22

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kapferer JN, Michaut A (2015) Luxury and sustainability: a common future? The match depends on how consumers define luxury. Luxury Res J 1(1):3–17

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kozinets RV, Handelman JM (2004) Adversaries of consumption: consumer movements, activism, and ideology. J Consum Res 31(3):691–704

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krippendorff K (2004) Content analysis: an introduction to its methodology. Sage

    Google Scholar 

  • Montiel I (2008) Corporate social responsibility and corporate sustainability separate pasts, common futures. Organ Environ 21(3):245–269

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nuryanti W (1996) Heritage and postmodern tourism. Ann Tourism Res 23(2):249–260

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peñaloza L (2000) The commodification of the American west: marketers’ production of cultural meanings at the trade show. J Mark 64(4):82–109

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peterson RA (2005) In search of authenticity. J Manage Stud 42(5):1083–1098

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Postrel V (2003) The substance of style: how the rise of aesthetic value is remaking culture, commerce, and consciousness

    Google Scholar 

  • Pullman ME, Maloni MJ, Carter CR (2009) Food for thought: social versus environmental sustainability practices and performance outcomes. J Supply Chain Manage 45(4):38–54

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ranfagni S, Guercini S (2014) On the trail of supply side authenticity: paradoxes and compromises emerging from an action research. J Consum Behav 13(3):176–187

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seidman D (2007) How: why how we do anything means everything … in business (and in life). Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Urde M, Greyser SA, Balmer JM (2007) Corporate brands with a heritage. J Brand Manage 15(1):4–19

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yin RK (1989) Case study research: design and methods (Rev. ed). Newbury Parks

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Silvia Ranfagni .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Ranfagni, S., Guercini, S. (2018). The Face of Culturally Sustainable Luxury: Some Emerging Traits from a Case Study. In: Gardetti, M., Muthu, S. (eds) Sustainable Luxury, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation. Environmental Footprints and Eco-design of Products and Processes. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-6716-7_1

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics