Abstract: The clothing industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world, although manufacturers and retailers are trying to revert this tendency by applying ethical fashion principles. This study aims to predict Chinese consumers' purchase intention of ethical fashion by employing and extending the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Specifically, the extended TPB model incorporates knowledge of ethical fashion and trust in fashion industry, two critical variables in ethical fashion literature, to explain the purchase intention of ethical fashion. Primary data from 245 Chinese respondents were collected. Results of structural equation modelling (SEM) show that the extended TPB model has higher predictability than the original TPB model. Attitude towards ethical fashion and subjective norm significantly predicts purchase intention while perceived behavioral control (PBC) does not. In addition, trust of ethical fashion is positively related to attitude towards ethical fashion and purchase intention, whereas knowledge of ethical fashion plays significant role in predicting trust and the three TPB factors. Implications for future research and marketing strategies for ethical fashion are discussed.
