Self-Image Enhancement through Branded Accessories among Youths: A Phenomenological Study in India

Authors

Anitha Acharya, IBS Hyderabad, Icfai Foundation for Higher Education UniversityFollow
Manish Gupta, IBS Hyderabad, Icfai Foundation for Higher Education UniversityFollow

Abstract

Fashion not only forms an important part of everyday consumption decisions, but also plays an important role in all daily events such as, the clothing we wear, how we think and also what we eat and where we eat. In realism, fashion is an outcome of a dynamic culture and common shifts in the tastes and style of individuals. The center of the debate appears to be that branded fashion accessories involvement is likely to be associated with differences in sensitivity to one’s social surroundings (Auty & Elliott, 1998). The question is: “Whether involvement in fashion accessories with its strong brand image and sensory components, has similar capabilities to be seen as a significant possession creating a fulfilling life, because of the happiness, success, and central position it may occupy in the lives of some?” Branded fashion accessories are increasingly becoming popular among India’s youth population. However, less attention has been given to understand the reasons behind this changing consumer behaviour in India. Thus, this study aims to understand the role of branded fashion accessories in self-image enhancement of India’s youth. For this purpose, semi structured in-depth interviews were conducted using college students who wear and who do not wear branded fashion accessories. Interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) of the data revealed that “social belongingness,” “sense of completeness,” “self-confidence,” and “style and price” are the important factors that play a vital role in affecting youth’s self-image. These findings may encourage retailers to focus their product and sales strategies on consumers’ positive emotions and promote their products among non-consumers by explaining how these products can benefit them.

Keywords

Branded Fashion Accessories, India, Phenomenological Analysis, Self-Image Enhancement, Youth

Author Bio(s)

Anitha Acharya is a full time PhD student in Marketing at IFHE University, India. She has a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management. She has publications in reputed international journal. Her research interests include brand experience and brand personality. Correspondence regarding this article can be addressed directly to: anitha_a_2000@yahoo.com.

Manish Gupta is a full time PhD student in Human Resource Management at IFHE University, India. He has a Master of Business Administration in Human Resource Management, and is also a recipient of Junior Research Fellowship awarded by University Grants Commission of India. He has publications in reputed national and international journals. Correspondence regarding this article can be addressed directly to: manish.gupta.research@gmail.com.

Publication Date

7-4-2016

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2016.2432

Recommended APA Citation

Acharya, A., & Gupta, M. (2016). Self-Image Enhancement through Branded Accessories among Youths: A Phenomenological Study in India. The Qualitative Report, 21(7), 1203-1215. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2016.2432