Social self

However, the data shows evidence that CE with LFBs not only influences the actual- and ideal self, but further it also influences the third dimension of the SC, namely the social self. In comparison to the previously discussed dimensions, the social self focuses on the perception of others, thus also considers a social context by referring to how the individual believes his image is perceived by others.

Therefore, this category is based on influences by which participants think they are perceived differ-ently when engaging with LFBs. Derived from the data at hand, five different ways in which the CE influences the social self, emerge (see figure 12).

Figure 12: Detailed view on the social self

First, one of the most prominent influences on the social self is that it provides differentiation for participants carrying out such engagement. Generally, the participants state to be perceived and looked at differently when engaging with LFBs, which in some cases appears to be actively targeted.

Yeah, people will already look at you a different way if you’re wearing you know… a Hermès bag. (Int. 3)

People are using these things to say something, or to, like, distinguish themselves. (Int. 5) However, in this context, the participants state, that this different perception often does not take place within the own social environment, but with (rather) unknown people.

(Interviewer: And how does such an engagement contribute to how you might be perceived by others?) Sometimes in certain circles you already have the feeling that you are perceived differently. But nothing has changed in my immediate environment. This is rather a perception of strangers. (Int. 4)

ACTUAL SELF

IDEAL SELF

SOCIAL SELF

IDEAL SOCIAL SELF

SELF-CONCEPT

CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT WITH LUXURY FASHION BRANDS

CE TYPES

• Provides differentiation

• Puts label on one

• Communicates professional appearance

• Communicates success

• Communicates sense of fashion

Such differentiation is particularly about positively differentiating oneself from others through en-gagement, thus standing out from the crowd and being perceived as unique.

Yes, and otherwise, I think it’s just a way to stand out from the crowd. Not only by the price, but also by the individuality, because some pieces are a bit [freakier] than others. (Int. 14) I think it makes me feel a little bit more unique. Like it distinguishes me from other people as well. This is like what’s… I wouldn’t say the main reason, but it’s also not as far apart as a side effect. So, it’s somewhere in between. (Int. 7)

Sometimes, I buy myself like luxury or designer brands. It also, like, I mean, it also distin-guishes you apart from other people, right? And it makes you more incentive and more unique than others. (Int. 7)

Similarly, CE with LFBs puts a certain label on the interviewees doing the engagement. According to the participants, the person is given a label in the sense that certain attitudes and lifestyles are displayed through symbols associated with different fashion pieces/ styles. Thereby, the association with the LFB is traced back to the wearer, enabling conclusions to be drawn about their interests and attitudes from the perspective of others. Resultantly, the participants perceive that they are catego-rized by others solely due to their engagement with the respective brands.

There are a lot of symbols when it comes to fashion and how you express. It’s kind of easy to express, like a certain interest whereas, like subculture even though it’s not that obvious, of course, not everyone goes around like, like a punker or like, emo. But it’s still like, kind of easy to possess these small symbols and by doing that, like communicates that you’re inter-ested maybe in, I don’t know, a certain lifestyle or an attitude. (Int. 5)

I don’t know if you know this, but my friends called me Bougie. They call me Bougie Bumatay.

Because I engage with brands like Cartiers and Tissots of the world. Yeah, it’s great. Yeah, it totally does to be honest with you because I have very diverse friends and I have very diverse like group of people around me at all times. (Int. 3)

To a certain extent… Yes, like from other’s people’s eyes I am pretty Bougie because I drive a luxury car, I have luxury things. So, they do call me Bougie Bumatay for a reason. So, I think yes, for sure, like people definitely look at you a certain way when you wear or own things of luxury. Hundred percent. (Int. 3)

Furthermore, the influence of engaging with LFBs on the social self can be identified as communi-cating a professional appearance of the respective participant. In this regard, the participants empha-size the importance of such professional appearance particularly in the business context as it com-municates the aspired values and demonstrates authority and competence to a certain extent. Further-more, the participants, again, oftentimes link this kind of influence to wearing an LFB item.

Partly, it’s always prestige, partly I think it is a success factor that you show through the purchase. So, especially in the self-employed sector, it is a kind of professionalism that you radiate, because it shows that you value high quality and professional success. (Int. 4) If you show up, let’s say to clients, okay? This is where you have to… this is where you have to depict yourself competent. And this is why I like to dress with a good suit, with a better suit, with good shoes, with, you know, this kind of stuff, paying attention to detail and because I think this is what you reflect on someone who in this situation has to paint a portrait of yourself and if he sees that you have, I don’t know, a nice tie, then he knows that you pay attention to this kind of stuff. So, I was always caring about that because I thought, that it causes a better bond between me and the other person. Because of, I don’t know, more things in common or because there’s more trust. (Int. 7)

Closely interrelated with communicating professionalism, the CE with LFBs influences the social self in the way that it communicates success. Such success is demonstrated in the sense that the en-gagement acts as a proof that one successfully masters the own life.

Because it is like a statement. And I also think, sometimes, it can be a statement that you are like doing good in life, if that makes sense. (Int. 12)

But I also think that you can show your personality with for example a more delicate design, or you can be more casual or… yeah, I don’t know. But you can also focus on quality and show that you’re successful. (Int. 12)

With regard to the social self, it becomes further apparent that the communication of a certain sense of fashion is one of the most prominent perceived influences amongst the participants. Participants generally enjoy being recognized as fashionable and as experts on this field and like that those char-acteristics are connected to their person by their social environment when engaging with LFBs.

Like if people hear about that, that I am engaging, or if people knew it, I think that this changes the perception of course, people will say like, (name) is interested in fashion. (Int. 7)

It also reflects your behavior, right? It reflects if you are interested in fashion and whatever I want to depict that the world around me or some sort of deliver a message. (Int. 7)

People around me know that I really like fashion. So of course, if they send me a piece of luxury fashion brand, they usually ask me like ‘what do you think of that’ and I give always very like specific and concrete opinions on the product itself. So yeah, people… I do love talking about fashion. I like wearing nice clothes and being noticed by my fashion sense. So of course, my friends usually when they ask me, they just know that behind there is my knowledge as well. (Int. 9)

Um, I guess, why I like it so much is and also why I buy it, it’s a way of showing, I guess that you are successful at that, you know what’s like ‘in’ at the moment. Um but, yeah, I also think it is the people, I know it’s not when I was younger, but now the people that I work with or socialize with, they are also really interested in fashion and luxury and so I guess that just, you’re really much influenced by others. (Int. 12)

Some of the participants even state, that they do not just want to be connected to being fashionable but further stress to enjoy being linked to a specific brand and the respective style by their personal surrounding.

I think it attaches a certain element of style, like a certain style that you want to express your-self with. So, if you wear these kinds of like expensive bags or clothes, I think that people might think that you pay a lot of attention to fashion, or to a certain kind of brand or style.

(Int. 8)

More precisely, the participants link such sense of fashion to knowing the different designs that the different LFBs and design houses stand for and the knowledge on how to combine those. They em-phasize that they want their fashion taste to be perceived as well thought through by their social environment.

I definitely like it if it is noticeable that I am dealing with the subject and that I am familiar with certain designers or certain design houses and that I am wearing the brands for a specific reason, it should seem reflected. (Int. 4)

In this respect, trends are assigned a crucial role. it is pointed out that communicating a certain sense of fashion is particularly carried out by following the current fashion trends and being up to date with the different items being worn and talked about.

(Interviewer: And the items that you are actually wearing, what exactly do you want to express with that?) I think mostly like that you…, or for me, in my case, that I pay attention to what I buy, or to what I wear and that I am not kind of reluctant to trends, that I care about trends, mostly. (Int. 6)