Fashioning Intangible Cultural Heritage in Tourism

The fashion evolution of intangible cultural heritage in tourist destinations is vital for promoting intangible cultural heritage inheritance and innovation. However, there is limited literature on its specific manifestations and influencing factors. This study employed a mixed research design. Study 1, taking Xunpu head-pinned flowers decoration as a study case, and following grounded analysis, found that the fashion evolution of intangible cultural heritage in tourist destinations was manifested by the pattern of “traditional ontology evolving into fashion ontology, traditional representations evolving into fashion representations, and traditional constructions evolving into fashion constructions.” Study 2, based on a scenario-based experiment, found that celebrity endorsement and high fan herd mentality significantly influenced tourists’ fashion perceptions and sharing behaviors toward intangible cultural heritage in tourist destinations. Tourists’ fashion perception mediated the relationship between celebrity endorsement and high fan herd mentality on sharing behavior. Study 3 took the Tibetan dress as a study case and verified the validity of the influence mechanism through its analysis. This research highlights the specific manifestations of intangible cultural heritage fashion evolution and the impact of celebrity and fan dynamics, enriching the literature on cultural sustainability and offering strategic guidance for intangible cultural heritage innovation.