Drivers of sustainable fashion purchase in India: a moderated value framework

Purpose Although sustainable fashion research has extensively examined either consumer attitudes or purchase intentions, limited studies have explicitly distinguished between the cognitive foundation of attitude and the situationally driven nature of intention within the eco-fashion context. Furthermore, the interactive role of psychological traits such as altruism and mindfulness, along with economic considerations like willingness to pay a premium, in moderating the attitude–intention relationship remains underexplored, particularly in emerging markets such as India. This study aims to address these gaps by developing and empirically validating an integrated framework that captures both individual and contextual drivers of eco-fashion purchase intention. Design/methodology/approach Adopting a comprehensive mixed-methods design informed by grounded theory principles, this study explores the underlying factors that shape the phenomenon. Qualitative data from interviews and FGD enabled themes to emerge inductively, while quantitative survey data validated and extended these insights. Statistical analyses examined relationships among variables, and hypotheses were tested using SEM to ensure robustness of the conceptual model. Findings Environmental consciousness, social influence and marketing stimuli considerably shape eco-fashion attitude and purchase intention, while attitude mediates these relationships. Altruism, mindfulness and willingness to pay strengthen the relationship between attitude and purchase intention. Originality/value The study proposes a moderated value framework that explains sustainable fashion purchase more dynamically by treating altruism, mindfulness and willingness to pay as moderators in the Indian context.