2.1. Conceptual Framework
The fast fashion industry produces massive amounts of clothing in different styles that can be worn in different seasons. People buy fast fashion due to its lookalike luxury fashion style that can be bought at a lower price [
12]. Because of this, manufacturers produce a high volume of clothing that causes harm to the environment. Due to the cheap cost of materials used to produce fast fashion, the final product is not durable enough to use in the long term, and consumers usually change fashion styles and trends [
12,
13]. According to a study conducted on global sustainability, the climate impact of clothing and footwear consumption increases carbon dioxide equivalent over the 15 years up to 2015 [
14].
In general, purchase intention is used to predict consumer purchases [
15] and it differs from one person to another. Different views and perspectives of people for a particular product vary from time to time depending on the situation, location, and circumstances. Based on previous studies, consumers’ view on sustainability in the fashion industry is relatively low compared to other industries [
16,
17]. A study argued that the awareness and knowledge of consumers about the product may significantly affect purchase intention [
18]. Consumers are more willing to buy sustainable fashion if customers have a better knowledge and understanding of sustainability and eco-friendly products [
19]. However, in another study on sustainable practices in slow and fast fashion stores, consumers in Brazil are not willing to pay more for a greener product even if they care about the environment [
20].
The theory of planned behavior (TPB) is a theory developed by Ajzen (1985) stating that a person’s behavior is influenced by intentions, which are affected by attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control [
21,
22]. The behavior of human beings is predicted and analyzed using the TPB. The variables attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control are all included in this study. Attitude (ATT) refers to the favorable or unfavorable disposition of a person, institution, object, or event [
23]. Subjective norm (SN) is the perceived social pressure to perform or not perform and perceived behavioral control (PBC) refers to the perceived difficulty or ease of performing the behavior [
21].
The elaboration likelihood model (ELM), developed by John Cacioppo and Richard Petty, uses central route processing and peripheral route processing. Central route processing or high involvement refers to a person’s attitude to diligently consider the information on product-relevant attributes [
24]. In this study, high involvement includes product quality (PP) and product price (PP). Peripheral route processing or low involvement uses peripheral cues to associate positively or negatively with the message, such as marketing or advertising [
25]. Social media (SM) and sustainability advocacy (SA) are the factors used to analyze the peripheral route in this study. The framework of ELM in this study is designed similarly to the previous study combining TPB and ELM theory, where the latent constructs used are central and peripheral routes only [
26].
The general principle of hedonic motivation (HM) is to initiate behavior that leads to rewards or away from with punishment [
27]. Some researchers claimed that the ultimate motive behind hedonism is pleasure, positive affection, and positive emotion [
28]. Positive feelings and good experiences towards a particular product or event will lead to satisfaction and behavioral purchase intention.
A combination of these three theories provides a broader scope, and significant latent constructs are then included to make the analysis more substantial to the study. The ELM theory describes the change in attitude that includes low involvement, such as product quality and price, and high involvement, such as social media and sustainability advocacy. TPB provides psychological analysis which includes perceived behavioral control, subjective norms, and attitude. Hedonic motivation is included to understand the emotional involvement of pleasure or experience of Filipino consumers in fast fashion.
Sustainability advocacies are projects or movements of people, organizations, and government institutions to encourage citizens in adopting and implementing sustainability practices. Sustainability advocacy is added as one of the latent constructs to determine the significance of sustainability awareness of consumers buying fast fashion brands. It will serve as a key indicator of the importance of promoting sustainable fashion.
Based on a previous study conducted in Ho Chi Minh City, the findings suggest that companies or establishments need to use strategies that promote sustainable fashion consumption [
29]. In another study in Taiwan, environmental awareness is one of the key indicators of consumers’ purchase intention on sustainable apparel [
30]. In this study, sustainability advocacy refers to the knowledge or awareness of consumers towards the environmental impact of fast fashion. The awareness of consumers of sustainability may affect purchase intention. Therefore, the first hypothesis is formulated as follows:
Hypothesis 1 (H1): Sustainability advocacy significantly influences behavioral intention on fast fashion.
Consumers are now becoming more aware of the unethical and negative environmental impact of fast fashion. Because of this, consumers are now moving towards slow fashion with quality, rather than buying low-quality fashions every week [
31]. Education campaigns and promotions that contribute to an increase in consumers’ sensitivity to quality brings positive benefit to the environment in the long run [
32]. Therefore, the second hypothesis is formulated as follows:
Hypothesis 2 (H2): Sustainability advocacy significantly influences perceived product quality.
Fast fashion brands are known for their affordable prices to the market. On the other hand, sustainable or slow fashion price is high. Sustainability affects the price of fashion, and consumers tend to move towards natural and durable materials for sustainable fashion [
33]. One of the barriers to green consumerism is the high price [
34]. However, another study on luxury brands shows that price is not a major barrier [
12]. This study aims to identify the relationship between consumer awareness of environmental effects and the price of buying fast fashion. Therefore, the third hypothesis is formulated as follows:
Hypothesis 3 (H3): Sustainability advocacy significantly influences perceived product price.
Hedonic motivation refers to the positive feelings or emotions of consumers towards fast fashion. A study in the USA shows that hedonic motivation positively influences the intention of sustainable fashion [
35]. The study affirms the correlation between hedonic motivation with green purchase intention [
36]. Therefore, the fourth hypothesis is formulated as follows:
Hypothesis 4 (H4): Sustainability advocacy significantly influences hedonic motivation.
Consumers’ attitudes towards a product may change when adequate information on the positive and negative is given. A study conducted shows that consumers’ attitude toward fashion brands is affected by the perception of social responsibility [
37]. The awareness of consumers on sustainability activities plays a significant role in attitude [
38]. The attitude towards fast fashion may change when consumers are knowledgeable about its environmental impact. Therefore, the fifth hypothesis is formulated as follows:
Hypothesis 5 (H5): Sustainability advocacy significantly influences attitude.
Perceived behavioral control refers to the availability and ease or difficulty of acquiring fast fashion. A case study on fast fashion shows that consumers tend to show behaviors such as urgency to buy if there is a perceived scarcity [
39]. Another study in Vietnam shows that perceived behavioral control significantly affects purchase intention [
40]. One of the emphases of this study is to provide an assessment of the effect of sustainability awareness on the perceived behavioral control of individual consumers. Therefore, the sixth hypothesis is formulated as follows:
Hypothesis 6 (H6): Sustainability advocacy significantly influences perceived behavioral control.
In this study, subjective norm refers to the influence of family, friends, and colleagues on the consumption of fast fashion. In a study conducted on the purchase intention of luxury fashion products in India, it was clear that subjective norms have a positive influence on the consumer’s purchase intention [
41]. Young adults in China connect to more responses to the subjective norm when buying sustainable fast fashion [
42]. The focus of this study is to determine the connection between the knowledge of individuals and groups of people on fast fashion’s impact on the environment. Therefore, the seventh hypothesis is formulated as follows:
Hypothesis 7 (H7): Sustainability advocacy significantly influences subjective norm.
Subjective norm refers to the belief that a group of people or an important person will approve of a particular behavior [
43]. The people around a person have a great influence on the decision of buying a certain product. Several studies show that subjective norm often results in purchase intention [
44,
45]. The focus of this study is to identify the behavior of consumers toward buying fast fashion. Therefore, the eighth hypothesis is formulated as follows:
Hypothesis 8 (H8): Subjective norm significantly influences behavioral intention on fast fashion.
A study performed on the purchase intention of fast fashion in Indonesia shows that perceived behavioral control directly affects purchase intention [
46]. Perceived behavioral control (PBC) is assessed by the ease or difficulty of the behavior [
47]. In this study, PBC refers to the availability and accessibility of fast fashion. Consumers tend to buy often if there is an increase in the availability of resources. Therefore, the ninth hypothesis is formulated as follows:
Hypothesis 9 (H9): Perceived behavioral control significantly influences behavioral intention on fast fashion.
According to the result of a study regarding sustainable fashion in Turkey, the attitude construct shows the highest influence to purchase intention [
48]. Attitude refers to how positively or negatively a person evaluates the target behavior [
21]. In this study, attitude refers to how important fast fashion is. Therefore, the tenth hypothesis is formulated as follows:
Hypothesis 10 (H10): Attitude significantly influences behavioral intention on fast fashion.
A lot of people are now hooked up on social media. Consumers tend to buy a product based on social media marketing, influencers, reviews, and advertisements. Famous fast fashion brands have accounts on different social media platforms to promote and introduce new product lines and promotional events. Influencers online convince followers to purchase fast fashion by providing good feedback and by trying out the apparel themselves. The previous study shows that fashion consciousness is influenced by the reviews and opinions posted on social media platforms [
49].
The attitude toward a certain product differs from one person to another. Several factors can affect one’s attitude. In a study conducted on undergraduate students, social media affects their attitudes and impacts their daily life [
50]. Advertising and promotions using social media provide a positive attitude toward consumers [
51]. Therefore, the eleventh hypothesis is formulated as follows:
Hypothesis 11 (H11): Social media significantly influences attitude.
Fast fashion shops are now available on different social media platforms. The ease of use and security in purchasing using social media stores for consumers who find it easier to obtain goods [
52]. People can view product details, reviews, and other valuable information online. Based on a previous study, the perceived behavioral control for online videos and blogs is highly reliable [
53]. This study will determine the positive correlation of social media on perceived behavioral control. Therefore, the twelfth hypothesis is formulated as follows:
Hypothesis 12 (H12): Social media significantly influences perceived behavioral control.
Social media influencers and bloggers have their own sites to surf. People can interact with the influencer, as well as the other viewers to get ideas on a particular product. Subjective norm has a significant impact on actual behavior as a result of social interactions [
54]. In purchasing sustainable fashion, the subjective norm is the pressure perceived by the social environment such as families and friends [
55]. Getting positive or negative comments from other people impacts the perception of fashion. Therefore, the thirteenth hypothesis is formulated as follows:
Hypothesis 13 (H13): Social media significantly influences subjective norm.
When a certain perceived product quality is advertised or criticized by an influencer, people will perceive and take the information positively or negatively. Consumers perceive quality based on product information [
56]. The mediation of social media over a product has a big impact on how the consumer makes the decision. Good presentation and interesting product variants can be a measurement of product quality [
57]. The product image is being affected by the comments and reviews seen online. Therefore, the fourteenth hypothesis is formulated as follows:
Hypothesis 14 (H14): social media significantly influences perceived product quality.
Social media advertises product promotions, discounts, and other sales strategies to promote a certain product. Advertisers reposition their strategies to market the product and companies can set their target price [
58]. Since many customers are surfing the internet, companies present marketing strategies through advertisements and social media influencers to attract people to buy their products. Previous study shows that when internet penetration increases, the average price decreases [
59]. Consumers will be more informed and aware of the prices of competitors; thus, companies tend to reduce the price and provide discounts and promotions. With this, the purpose of this study is to determine the effect of social media on the perceived product price of fast fashion. Therefore, the fifteenth hypothesis is formulated as follows:
Hypothesis 15 (H15): Social media significantly influences perceived product price.
A previous study shows that online advertisement affects hedonic motivation which resulted in actual purchasing [
60]. Social media brings different experiences and opportunities for users to explore and learn from people across the globe. Hedonic factors such as trend discovery and adventure are significantly associated with product browsing on the internet [
61]. The satisfaction of using social media may affect one’s behavioral intention of buying fashion. Therefore, the sixteenth hypothesis is formulated as follows:
Hypothesis 16 (H16): Social media significantly influences hedonic motivation.
Several studies show the correlation between behavioral intention with social media. According to Forbes, 80% of consumers are relying on and making purchase decisions based on social media posts [
62]. In a study conducted on Irish female millennials, participants admitted continuing to buy fast fashion despite knowing the damages and unethical consequences brought by fast fashion with the influence of social media influencer reviews [
63]. Therefore, the seventeenth hypothesis is formulated as follows:
Hypothesis 17 (H17): Social media significantly influences behavioral intention on fast fashion.
Hedonic motivation is the willingness to initiate actions to increase positive experiences and decrease negative experiences [
64]. The emotional attachment and attraction of fast fashion to consumers are conveyed through satisfaction and enjoyment of using the garments. The previous study shows that hedonic motivation is related to the impulse buying behavior of fast fashion [
65]. Therefore, the eighteenth hypothesis is formulated as follows:
Hypothesis 18 (H18): Hedonic motivation significantly influences behavioral intention on fast fashion.
Price, in general, influences the decision making of consumers to purchase an item [
66]. The fast fashion industry attracts consumers due to the cheap price offered with different styles to choose from. Consumers are most likely to come and buy fast fashion during a sales promotion or discounted prices [
67]. Fast fashion brands allure consumers to hoard good bargains and collect additional items from brands [
68]. Therefore, the nineteenth hypothesis is formulated as follows:
Hypothesis 19 (H19): Perceived product price significantly influences behavioral intention on fast fashion.
Fast fashion is known to be massively produced due to its cheap and low quality. Perceived quality mediates fashion involvement’s effect on purchase intentions [
69]. Quality and aesthetics play an important factor to consumers when purchasing clothing, including sustainable fashion [
70]. The focus of this study is to identify the perceived quality of consumers in purchasing fast fashion. Therefore, the twentieth hypothesis is formulated as follows:
Hypothesis 20 (H20): Perceived product quality significantly influences behavioral intention on fast fashion.
To summarize, the theoretical framework used in this study is shown in
Figure 1.