Green, but still feeling guilty. The influence of anticipated emotions on sustainable fashion consumption

The purpose of this study is to shed light on the significance of perceived personal relevance, perceived consumer effectiveness, and emotional components in sustainable apparel purchasing to understand the purchase intentions of fashion consumers. The study intends to contribute to the current literature on sustainable decision-making in the context of sustainable garments by using an extended model of the Theory of Planned Behaviour. A total of 700 responses were collected from Italian consumers. Results revealed that perceived personal relevance and perceived consumer effectiveness are significant drivers of both attitude and subjective norms. These latter also exert a significant influence on anticipated guilt and pride, and purchase intentions. Perceived behavioural control was reported as an insignificant predictor of behavioural intention. The research findings will benefit both marketing professionals and companies, enabling them to formulate strategies to ensure better communication with consumers in promoting desirable consumption behaviour.