Consuming capital, fashioning identity: an exploratory study of men's luxury fashion consumption

Men’s clothing consumption is an under-researched area. Assumptions about the “femininity” of being concerned with one’s clothing and appearance has prevented scholarship in this area. This study attempts to test a theory of identity based on Bourdieu’s cultural capital and Giddens’ narrative identity, asking: Do men who buy luxury fashion do so in order to support the story of their lives? This theoretical framework may also be applied to future research on identity. Interviews with adult male luxury consumers were conducted in order to test this theory and find information on the current purchasing habits of male consumers. Key themes that emerged from these interviews included a confirmation that clothing plays an important role in building men’s self-esteem, that interest in luxury clothing often coincides with a pivotal time in a man’s life course, and that class still plays an important role in style and purchasing choices.