In search of the bricoleur consumer: Conceptualizing and measuring bricolage in fashion consumption
Abstract
We conceptualize consumer bricolage in fashion as everyday practices of assembling, adapting, and personalizing garments to express identity within resource-constrained contexts, and develop a validated, multidimensional scale to capture it. Across five studies, we specify the construct via qualitative inquiry, generate and screen items, and then use survey-based analyses to establish a reliable three-dimensional structure, along with convergent, discriminant, and predictive validity. The resulting scale is theoretically distinct from adjacent constructs (e.g., customization, need for uniqueness, co-creation, innovativeness) and exhibits the expected associations with fashion consciousness, as well as incremental links to fashion consciousness, identity distinctiveness, fashion innovativeness, and consumers' social media engagement. By clarifying the dimensions of consumer bricolage and providing a robust instrument, we advance research on consumer bricolage and self-expressive consumption, particularly in contexts where resourcefulness and identity signaling are intertwined. For managers, the scale supports segmentation and the design of personalization pathways (e.g., modular assortments, upcycling kits, community challenges) that cultivate brand-community engagement.
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
1-1-2026
Volume
50
Issue
1
Publication Title
International Journal of Consumer Studies
Publisher
Wiley
School
School of Business and Law
Copyright
subscription content
Comments
Abid, M., Siahtiri, V., Ahmadi, H., & O’Cass, A. (2026). In search of the bricoleur consumer: Conceptualizing and measuring bricolage in fashion consumption. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 50(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.70166