Luxury fashion and gender inclusivity, Case study on Acne Studios

Abstract

This paper investigates how luxury fashion brands approach the topic of gender inclusivity through their online consumer communication. In order to study this topic, the Swedish luxury fashion house Acne Studios was chosen as an appropriate case with which an intensive case study was conducted. Within the qualitative research analysis, the authors make use of a semiotic analysis of visual stimuli in order to explore the Instagram and TikTok accounts of the brand as well as fashion magazine articles where the brand is mentioned. The main findings are divided into four themes: relevance, integrity, provocativeness, and openness, which all represent the characteristics of Acne Studios that help them promote a more gender-inclusive agenda. Moreover, the study recognizes certain clashes in the brand’s activities, which include celebrity partnerships that could damage the gender-inclusive image, as these personas may promote values that do not align with Acne Studios and the lack of menswear collections on their TikTok account. Lastly, possible theoretical, managerial, and societal implications of the study are discussed in more detail, including the need for other luxury brands to implement strategies to achieve a more gender-inclusive agenda so that everyone feels included and has the ability to dress according to their gender identity.