The Luxury-Sustainability Paradox: How Brand Legitimacy is Integrated and Negotiated in Luxury Fashion

Sammanfattning

While prior research has examined sustainability and luxury largely from brand or consumerperspectives separately, there remains limited understanding of how legitimacy is shapedbetween multiple actors online. The purpose of this study is to examine howsustainability-related legitimacy is integrated and negotiated around luxury fashion brands ondigital platforms. To address this purpose, the study adopts a multi-level perspective ofbrands, influencers and consumers in which sustainability-related legitimacy is examinedthrough the following research questions: (1) how luxury fashion brands communicatesustainability in relation to their luxury positioning, (2) how influencers interpretsustainability narratives associated with luxury brands, and (3) how consumers respond tosustainability claims made by luxury brands across digital platforms.Using a qualitative multi-level approach grounded in legitimacy theory, empirical materialwas collected from Instagram, TikTok, fashion blogs and online discussion forums relating toLouis Vuitton, Gucci and Stella McCartney between January 2024 and January 2026. Theempirical material consisted of brand posts and videos from Instagram and TikTok, influencercontent from fashion blogs, and consumer discussions from comment sections and onlineforums. In total, the dataset included 90 brand posts, 44 influencer posts/articles and 50consumer discussion threads.The findings demonstrate that sustainability legitimacy is continuously negotiated betweenbrands, influencers and consumers rather than established solely through brandcommunication. While Louis Vuitton and Gucci primarily maintain traditional luxurynarratives, Stella McCartney integrates sustainability more directly into its brand identity.The findings indicate that sustainability legitimacy becomes stronger when sustainability isintegrated into the symbolic core of the brand rather than positioned as a supplementaryattribute. Furthermore, the study highlights the co-creation of legitimacy across digital actorsand demonstrates how conscious and conspicuous consumption logics coexists withincontemporary luxury discussions, suggesting that tensions between luxury and sustainabilityare not necessarily resolved but continuously negotiated.