Consumer behavioral intention for sustainable garments: do materials used and the level of garment's visibility and skin contact matter?

Sustainable fashion consumption can be promoted only by understanding the motivation behind consumers’ decision to purchase sustainable clothing. This study explores the determinants of consumers’ purchasing intentions for two clothing items with different functions, characterized by different levels of visibility and skin contact (underwear and jacket) made with two sustainable materials (biobased and recycled). A conceptual framework was tested using the SEM technique on data collected through a questionnaire administered to 768 Italian consumers. Sustainable fashion knowledge, availability of sustainable garments, influence of celebrities and influencers, and environmental concerns significantly affected purchase intentions for the four product categories investigated. Moreover, gender and age significantly influenced purchase intention. The findings highlighted that purchase intentions and their determinants vary based on the levels of visibility and skin contact associated with the products and the type of sustainable materials used. Several contributions to the theory and managerial implications are provided.