This research investigates the impact the perceived popularity of an Instagram influencer and the presence of a sustainability narrative have on consumers perceptions of a fashion item featured on Instagram. Previous research has not explored this combination of variables. This study looks at the effect of the variables independently, and in combination.

Participants completed an online questionnaire after being exposed to one of four conditions, each representing a different mock Instagram post. These conditions varied influencer popularity (high, low) and the presence of a sustainability narrative (present, not present). Participants then answered questions regarding their perception of the dress featured in the Instagram post, alongside several covariates, including environmentalism, influencer influence, fashion consciousness, and social media usage. Demographic data was also collected.

Results indicated that the presence of a sustainability narrative had significant effects on the perceptions of aesthetics, quality, cost, and intention to purchase the dress. Influencer popularity however only affected the perceived cost of the dress. No significant interaction effects were found, but when the independent variables were tested simultaneously, some differences in effects were found. This demonstrates that the presence of a sustainability narrative tended to have a more substantial impact on perceptions than the popularity of the influencer. Significant covariate relationships were also identified. Specifically, environmentalism affects all measures of perception, influencer influence affects perceptions of aesthetics and purchase intention, and fashion consciousness affects perceptions of aesthetics. Social media usage did not have any affects, but time spent on social media affected how much participants thought the item retailed for.

These findings, their implications, and suggestions for future research are discussed.