The effects of consumers' cultural sensitivity, ethnocentrism and demographical characteristics on attitude toward luxury fashion brands in Trinidad and Tobago

Purpose Consumers' attitude toward luxury brands remains a crucial area for many researchers and marketers. But, attitude toward domestically-produced luxury fashion brands in developing countries have not been sufficiently examined. Drawing on the social identity theory (SIT), this study proposes that consumer ethnocentrism (CE) and cultural sensitivity (CS) will significantly influence attitudes toward luxury fashion brands produced in Trinidad and Tobago. Furthermore, the study suggests that consumer demographical characteristics of age, gender and income will moderate the influence. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 160 fashion consumers and analyzed using exploratory factor analysis and multiple regression analysis. Findings The findings confirm the positive impact of CE on consumers' attitude toward domestically produced luxury products, while CS has a significant but negative effect. Also, the results show that these effects are consistent across different levels of income, but vary by age and gender. Practical implications These findings provide a deeper understanding of consumers' perceptions and inherent biases toward luxury brands. It further explains how brands with ostentatious value, in particular fashion brands, produced in Trinidad and Tobago, can compete against larger international brands. Originality/value The study is one of the few that examines the effects of personal values on attitudes toward luxurious fashion brands produced in a developing country. It uniquely extends the SIT model by examining the influence of CE, CS and demographical characteristics on preferential attitudes toward locally produced luxury fashion brands.