From prestige to protest: The role of social media in amplifying luxury fashion brand hate among Malaysian millennials

Abstract

This study examines the formation and amplification of luxury fashion brand hate among Malaysian millennials in the Klang Valley. It specifically investigates how social media transforms individual negative sentiment into collective reputational pressure. Adopting a qualitative interpretive design, the research draws on semi-structured in-depth interviews with 15 Malaysian women aged 30 to 50 who reported negative encounters with luxury brands and subsequently expressed hostility online. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis to identify the communicative and value-based mechanisms that shape the escalation of brand hate. The findings reveal that hostility in this context is driven by perceived corporate arrogance and elitism, where traditional luxury positioning is interpreted as socially exclusionary. Furthermore, distinct value incongruence regarding sustainability and authenticity generates significant evaluative tension. These interpretations are catalysed by high-intensity negative emotional encounters, such as perceived disrespect in retail settings, which motivate retaliatory communication. Crucially, the study identifies social media as an amplification infrastructure. Through mechanisms such as algorithmic visibility, peer validation, and identity signalling, digital platforms enable private grievances to escalate into performative outrage and public condemnation. The study contributes to strategic communication scholarship by clarifying how value-based dissonance translates into online escalation pathways. Practically, the results highlight the necessity for luxury brands to move beyond traditional prestige cues and adopt culturally attuned, verifiable ethical practices to maintain legitimacy among socially conscious millennial cohorts. © 2026, Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. All rights reserved.