Designing Loyalty
A strategic exploration of how brand heritage and innovation shape emotional brand loyalty among Generation Z in the UK luxury fashion sector — and what today’s brands must do to remain relevant in a culturally reflexive marketplace.
About this Research
As both a designer and strategic thinker, I wanted to explore one of the most urgent questions facing luxury fashion today:
How can heritage-rich brands maintain emotional relevant for a generation that values ethics, identity and innovation over tradition alone?
This research formed the basis of my global MBA dissertation focusing on Generation Z consumers in the UK and their evolving relationship with luxury fashion. Through in-depth interviews and thematic analysis, I explored how brand heritage and innovation converge to shape emotional brand loyalty — not as blind allegiance, but as a culturally negotiated, ethically continued, and symbolically driven process.
The findings challenge outdated assumptions about loyalty and legacy. They highlight a new loyalty logic — one grounded in transparency, inclusion, and shared values — offering strategic implications for brands that want to remain culturally credible in a reflective post-authentic market.
Below, I share a visual and conceptual summary of the research, along with key insights and my own reflections on what this means for the future of fashion branding.
Conceptual Framework
Illustrating how brand heritage and Innovation influences emotional loyalty among Generation Z through meaning-making and identity congruence.
This framework captures the emotional and symbolic logic behind how Generation Z engages with luxury fashion brands.
Rather than viewing brand heritage and innovation as opposing forces, this model shows how they work together to build emotional loyalty when aligned with the consumer’s self-image and cultural values. Heritage brings symbolic continuity and authenticity; innovation brings relevance and responsiveness. These elements are interpreted through a generational lens — shaped by lived identity, ethics, and meaning-making.
At the core is self-brand congruity: when Generation Z consumers see their values reflected in both a brand’s legacy and its evolution, they are more likely to form deep, lasting emotional bonds. This approach reframes loyalty not as habit, but as identity alignment.
The model guided my qualitative research and shaped how I analysed emotional loyalty as a cultural and strategic construct — not just a behavioural one.
Five Strategic Insights for Luxury Brands Navigating Gen Z Loyalty
Based on my Global MBA dissertation research, this section outlines five key takeaways for luxury fashion brands seeking to build emotional loyalty with Generation Z — the most culturally aware and values-driven generation to date.
Insight 1: Heritage Must Be a Dialogue, Not a Monologue
What it means:
Gen Z doesn’t passively accept brand history — they reinterpret it. Brands must shift from broadcasting prestige to inviting participation. Heritage needs to feel co-created, evolving, and inclusive.
Why it matters:
Emotional loyalty is built when consumers see their values and identities reflected in brand narratives — not just its past glories.
Insight 2: Inclusion Isn’t Optional — It Must Be Structural
What it means:
Surface-level diversity (in ads or influencer campaigns) isn't enough. Gen Z expects inclusion to show up in leadership, product design, and long-term brand ethos.
Why it matters:
Brands that fail to embed representation into their core will lose cultural credibility — and therefore emotional trust.
Insight 3: Authenticity = Ethical Coherence
What it means:
Gen Z scrutinises whether a brand’s ethics match its image. Empty sustainability claims or inconsistent messaging damage trust.
Why it matters:
Today’s emotional loyalty is fragile. For it to last, a brand’s heritage and innovation must align with real-world actions — not just branding.
Insight 4: Emotional Loyalty Is Performed — Especially Online
What it means:
Loyalty isn’t just repeat purchasing. Gen Z expresses affinity through social media, identity signalling, and cultural dialogue.
Why it matters:
Brands need to engage in real-time, platform-aware storytelling that invites participation, not just consumption.
Insight 5: Brand Identity Must Reflect Generational Identity
What it means:
Heritage and innovation only resonate when they align with how Gen Z sees themselves — fluid, reflexive, value-driven.
Why it matters:
Self-brand congruity is the psychological bridge to loyalty. Brands that reflect the personal values and social identities of Gen Z will earn deeper, longer-lasting emotional investment.