Abstract

Previous studies offer conflicting evidence on whether face consciousness, which is a Confucian cultural value, promotes (or inhibits) the ethical aspects of fashion consumption. Building on the theory of regulatory focus and Confucian virtue ethics, we reconcile this discrepancy by conceptualising face consciousness as two distinct face regulatory foci in Confucian culture, namely, gaining mianzi and avoiding losing lian. We argue that in Confucian society, the ethics of fashion consumption are delineated by the Confucian virtues of rén, yì and lǐ. However, the two face regulatory foci have a dual moderating effect on individuals’ manifestation of these virtues. On the one hand, individuals who seek to gain mianzi desire a consistent social self-image; therefore, they will proactively follow Confucian virtues to adopt ethical fashion. In contrast, individuals who primarily seek to avoid losing lian are less interested in ethical fashion. On the other hand, when the unethical consumption of fashion goods is a group norm, the mianzi-oriented group members would behave less ethically and prefer a non-ethical fashion option, but the members who intend to avoid losing lian would be more likely to support ethical fashion. Our findings reveal how traditional Confucian virtues are linked to the ethics of fashion consumption. We discuss the implications of our findings for ethical fashion production, marketing and consumption practice in a Confucian society.