The Correlation Between the Sustainable Mindset and Buyin

Thought-provoking questions such as these have been raised recently. As one of the leading e-commerce platforms for the most coveted designer handbags, we have to ask ourselves, how much are we actually contributing to sustainability?

The appeal of luxury isn't just about quality materials and construction. We found that luxury handbag owners (aka “you”) are the driving force behind transforming luxury into a more sustainable concept.

First, what qualifies as luxury? For the purposes of this study, we define luxury goods as items with a suggested retail price of $500 and above. To better understand consumption patterns across the board, we randomly selected female shoppers aged 18 and above and studied their purchasing decision criteria, not only in the luxury sector but also in fast fashion (recommended retail prices below $100) and approachable consumers. Deluxe (MSRP $100-$499).

What are the findings?

In the luxury sector, we found that sustainability factors accounted for 21% of purchase motivations among luxury shoppers, 6% among affordable luxury buyers, and 3% among fast fashion buyers. What does this mean? Although not top movers, sustainability-minded shoppers are more likely to purchase luxury handbags rather than affordable luxury or fast fashion bags.

Having said that, we further analyze how purchasing quality handbags correlates with a positive sustainability mindset. For luxury handbag shoppers, 92% believe it is important to purchase fashion accessories that are long-lasting. As a result, 73% of luxury shoppers believe buying a durable, high-quality handbag is better for the environment. Over 50% of luxury consumers support brands that make efforts to source sustainable materials!

It goes without saying that luxury shoppers believe luxury goods are timeless. At FASHIONPHILE, we couldn't be happier because we believe ultra-luxury is a long-term investment. In fact, luxury handbag owners are more likely to keep their handbags longer (88% to be exact).

About 33% of luxury handbag owners anticipate keeping their handbag purchases for over 10 years. On the contrary, fast-fashion shoppers believe their handbags will end up in a landfill within 10 years. It’s crazy but true: the mindset behind the purchaser can very much impact what ends up in the landfills and what doesn’t.

While connecting these dots, we can also better understand why luxury shoppers agree that the more money spent on a handbag, the more care is likely to be put into it. There is a direct correlation between cost and care. Roughly 77% of luxury shoppers invest in professional repairs when their handbags need it.

What comes next?

Now, the real question we want the answer to is: what happens when luxury handbag owners are done using their bags? Well, the end of the luxury handbag lifecycle might not be as unfortunate as you think.

Our research reveals that buying a luxury handbag is the most sustainable choice. Proof? Luxury handbags are 200% less likely to end up in a landfill (and 260% less likely compared to fast fashion). Why? Because luxury shoppers are heavily driven by brand values and cost, so it makes sense that they’re also likely to invest in life-extending repairs and to seek end-of-use alternatives from the landfill, such as reselling, gifting, or donating.