Patriotism and the search for the russian style as trends in the development of the russian fashion market

Abstract

The article examines the features of consumer behavior among Russian youth in the fashion market amidst the growing popularity of domestic brands and the spread of the "Russian style" aesthetics. The theoretical framework of the study is based on the concepts of consumer ethnocentrism, symbolic consumption, cultural capital, and national identity. The empirical basis of the research is the results of an online survey of 120 respondents aged 18 to 35. The study showed that despite the declared support for Russian manufacturers, actual consumer practices are determined primarily by pragmatic selection criteria: design, quality, and product price. A contradiction emerged between the symbolic support for domestic brands and consumers’ willingness to bear additional costs to purchase them. It was established that the modern "Russian style" is perceived by the youth mainly through a system of implicit cultural codes, including laconic references to national culture, minimalist elements of traditional costume, and modern interpretations of folk heritage. Based on the results of the factor analysis of the degree of support for evaluative judgments about the choice of domestic brands' clothing, two generalized consumer attitudes towards Russian clothing brands were identified: the first is the conscious, value-based preference for Russian brands; the second is the preference for Russian clothing brands because such a choice allows for the support of the domestic economy, and the quality of domestic and foreign-made products is considered comparable. A conclusion is drawn about the transformation of classic consumer patriotism into cultural localism, where the national affiliation of a brand acts as an additional symbolic advantage but does not replace the requirements for product quality and aesthetics.