Mainstream consumer attraction to ethnic-inspired apparel: Exploring the role of ethnic-embeddedness and regulatory focus

Abstract

This study explores how ethnic-embeddedness and regulatory focus influence mainstream consumers’ purchase of ethnic-inspired apparel. Using data from 203 participants, the study employs the PROCESS model 4 and 7 to examine the relationships between ethnic-embeddedness, perceived aesthetics, regulatory focus, and purchase intention. The results show that ethnic-embeddedness positively affects the perceived aesthetics of ethnic-inspired apparel, which in turn enhances purchase intention. Moreover, consumers who are promotion-focused exhibit stronger associations between ethnic-embeddedness and perceived aesthetics, while prevention-focused consumers show weaker associations. This study contributes to ethnic-inspired apparel research by shifting focus from personal characteristics to product-specific factors, highlighting the critical role of ethnic-embeddedness and regulatory focus in consumer behavior. Practical implications for retailers are discussed as well.