My style is sustainability! Unveiling the predictors of sustainable clothing consumption: an empirical study in a developed economy

Purpose This study investigates the influence of theory of planned behavior (TPB) constructs on the intention to purchase sustainable clothing with the mediating role of attitude and the moderating role of materialism. Moreover, the serial mediation of sustainability as fashion (SF) and attitude has been examined between materialism and intention. Design/methodology/approach Data have been collected through the distribution of a structured questionnaire through mass emailing to the faculty, students and staff of a mid-sized university in the United States. Seven-point Likert-type items were adapted from established scales to measure the variables of the study. About 603 responses have been collected for further analysis. Structural equation modeling has been conducted to test the hypotheses of the study. Findings The components of the TPB framework have a significant effect on the intention to purchase sustainable clothing. The most significant predictor is perceived behavioral control (PBC), followed by attitude and subjective norm (SN). Materialism has no significant effect on the attitude toward sustainable clothing. SF has a significant effect on the attitude toward the purchase of sustainable clothing. The relationship between SF and intention has been partially mediated by attitude. Moreover, SF and attitude sequentially mediate the impact of materialism on the intention to purchase sustainable clothing. Originality/value The study extends the TPB model with a construct, which is SF. The mediating role of attitude between SF and intention to purchase sustainable clothing has been examined. Serial mediation has been applied to investigate the impact of materialism on intention to purchase sustainable clothing through SF and attitude.