Correspondence: Joshie Juggessur, Brunel Business School, Chadwick Building, Room 201, Brunel University Uxbridge, UB8 3PH, UK

¹is a PhD student at Brunel Business School, Brunel University. She holds an MA in Marketing Management from University of Westminster. Her current research interests are in the areas of: consumer behaviour, psychology of emotions, high-fashion brands and counterfeiting.

²is Senior Lecturer in Marketing at Brunel Business School, Brunel University. Geraldine has more than 25 years of international business and marketing experience acquired at Fairchild Semiconductors in Germany, Cummins Engine Company in the United States and Rank Xerox and ECI Ventures in the United Kingdom and through her own marketing consultancy advising industrial and commercial clients as well as non-profit organisations. Her academic research and consulting interests are in the areas of: perceptions and practice of marketing within professional service firms; organisation theories in the professional context; the emotional basis of brands and branding; talent management and the employer brand; learning and teaching in higher education.

Received 1 September 2008; Revised 1 September 2008.

Abstract

The aim of this conceptual paper is to address how the role of fashion and the public display of high fashion brands have contributed to the development of counterfeited brands. The fashion industry is a multimillion pound industry, and many consumers use branded commodities as a way of creating identity. The consumption of high-fashion brands can hold social meaning, allowing consumers to express to others and themselves their individual and social characteristics through material possessions. High-fashion brands have instant global recognition, although the desire for these brands has opened up a market for counterfeited versions. This paper focuses on the demand side of high-fashion brands. In order to fully understand the context of fashion, a review of the abstract symbolic appeals aims to provide insight into the role of fashion and the antecedents of consumers opting for high-fashion brands and high-fashion counterfeit brands. It concludes with new insights into consumer behaviour, and highlights managerial strategies for marketers of high-fashion brands.