Balancing Exclusivity and Openness: How John Hardy Integrates Sustainability Communication into Luxury Branding
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54259/mukasi.v4i3.5385Keywords:
Sustainable Luxury, Sustainability Communication, Cultural Integration, Heritage BrandsAbstract
Authentically integrating sustainable communication within the luxury industry requires more than mere polished words and certificates. The instance of John Hardy, a heritage jewelry firm based in Bali, exemplifies how legacy, location, and cultural continuity can transform sustainability from a mere marketing assertion into a tangible narrative. Internal reflections and narrative analysis indicate that selective transparency, nuanced multi-channel storytelling, and observable cultural norms enable the brand to reconcile the dichotomy of openness and exclusivity while maintaining its prestige. Daily rituals, traditional craftsmanship, and local community connections serve as evidence that enhances confidence, mitigates skepticism, and captivates varied audiences beyond superficial environmental assertions. Alignment among brand history, operational capacity, and cultural foundation is essential for credibility in sustainability communication. This study illustrates how sustainability can be seamlessly integrated into brand identity, legacy storytelling, and daily experiences, contributing to the ongoing discourse on how luxury companies should convey sustainability as an expression of continuity, locality, and engagement.
Downloads
References
Achabou, M. A., & Dekhili, S. (2013). Luxury and sustainable development: Is there a match? Journal of Business Research, 66(10), 1896–1903. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2013.02.011
Adil, M., Singh, Y., & Ansari, Mohd. S. (2022). How financial literacy moderate the association between behaviour biases and investment decision? Asian Journal of Accounting Research, 7(1), 17–30. https://doi.org/10.1108/AJAR-09-2020-0086
Alexander, B., & Rose Thompson, H. (2024, June 23). Customer-Centric Luxury Fashion Store Experiences: A Case Study Approach. DRS2024: Boston. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2024.237
Alghanim, S., & Ndubisi, N. O. (2022). The Paradox of Sustainability and Luxury Consumption: The Role of Value Perceptions and Consumer Income. Sustainability, 14(22), 14694. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142214694
Amatulli, C., De Angelis, M., & Donato, C. (2021). The atypicality of sustainable luxury products. Psychology & Marketing, 38(11), 1990–2005. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21559
Bilancia, A., Costa, F., & Staudacher, A. P. (2025). Achieving sustainability and circular economy in the luxury fashion industry through lean practices: A systematic literature review. Computers & Industrial Engineering, 206, 111107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cie.2025.111107
Campos Franco, J., Hussain, D., & McColl, R. (2019). Luxury fashion and sustainability: Looking good together. Journal of Business Strategy, 41(4), 55–61. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBS-05-2019-0089
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (Fifth edition). SAGE.
Debenedetti, A., Philippe, D., & Dion, D. (2025). Balancing exclusivity and inclusivity through the strategic domestication of the luxury retail experience. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 42(1), 32–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2024.05.001
Edinger-Schons, L. M., Lengler-Graiff, L., Scheidler, S., & Wieseke, J. (2019). Frontline Employees as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Ambassadors: A Quasi-Field Experiment. Journal of Business Ethics, 157(2), 359–373. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-018-3790-9
Fertik, M. (2019, January 14). As Trust Among Consumers Wavers, Authenticity is Critical. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelfertik/2019/01/14/as-trust-among-consumers-wavers-authenticity-is-critical/
Franco, S., Presenza, A., Messeni Petruzzelli, A., & Peruffo, E. (2022). Tradition-driven business models at luxury companies: Revealing value-creation and value-capture activities. Journal of Knowledge Management, 26(11), 486–506. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-05-2021-0356
Gardetti, M. A. (Ed.). (2017). Sustainable Management of Luxury. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-2917-2
Godemann, J., & Michelsen, G. (Eds.). (2011). Sustainability Communication: Interdisciplinary perspectives and theoretical foundation (Online-Ausg). Springer.
Golob, U., Podnar, K., & Zabkar, V. (2023). Sustainability communication. International Journal of Advertising, 42(1), 42–51. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2022.2144035
Gondowardojo, B. G. (2025). John Hardy Interview [Personal communication].
Halwani, L. (2019). Making sense of heritage luxury brands: Consumer perceptions across different age groups. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 22(3), 301–324. https://doi.org/10.1108/QMR-08-2017-0118
Henninger, C. E., Alevizou, P., Ryding, D., & Goworek, H. (Eds.). (2024). The Palgrave Handbook of Sustainability in Fashion. Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-69682-4
Hernandez-Fernandez, A., & Lewis, M. C. (2019). Brand authenticity leads to perceived value and brand trust. European Journal of Management and Business Economics, 28(3), 222–238. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJMBE-10-2017-0027
Huang, F., Wu, J., Wu, Z., Fu, W., Guo, P., Zhang, Z., & Khan, F. (2025). Unpacking greenwashing: The impact of environmental attitude, proactive strategies, and network embeddedness on corporate environmental performance. Journal of Environmental Management, 373, 123625. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.123625
Indriantoro, N., & Supomo, B. (2013). Metodologi Penelitian Bisnis Untuk Akuntansi & Manajemen. BPFE-Yogyakarta.
Jestratijevic, I., Uanhoro, J. O., & Rana, M. R. I. (2024). Transparency of sustainability disclosures among luxury and mass-market fashion brands: Longitudinal approach. Journal of Cleaner Production, 436, 140481. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.140481
John Hardy. (2025). Sustainable Luxury Since 1975 [Official Website]. https://johnhardy.com/en-id/pages/sustainable-luxury?srsltid=AfmBOoqc3EyxPuB09PZsm9JSb6gd95MgLjJwBe7k9UpWY2hwRerwjkWA&utm_source=chatgpt.com
Kalogiannidis, S., Kagioglou, F., Kalfas, D., & Kagioglou, A. (2025). Business communication strategies as an internal locus of sustainability in SMEs. A case study of Greece. Discover Sustainability, 6(1), 91. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-025-00894-7
Kapferer, J. N., & Michaut, A. (2015). Luxury and sustainability: A common future? The match depends on how consumers define luxury. Luxury Research J., 1(1), 3. https://doi.org/10.1504/lrj.2015.069828
Kapferer, J.-N. (2016). Kapferer on luxury: How luxury brands can grow yet remain rare. Kogan Page Stylus.
Kaur, H., Choudhary, S., Manoj, A., & Tyagi, M. (2024). Creating a sustainable future: Insights into brand marketing in the luxury fashion industry. Cogent Business & Management, 11(1), 2328391. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2024.2328391
Kristiana, A. (2025). John Hardy Interview [Personal communication].
Kriyantono, R. (2022). Teknik Praktis Riset Komunikasi Kuantitatif dan Kualitatif (Edisi Kedua). Prenada Media.
Kunz, J., May, S., & Schmidt, H. J. (2020). Sustainable luxury: Current status and perspectives for future research. Business Research, 13(2), 541–601. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40685-020-00111-3
Li, J., & Kang, J. (2024). Sustainable luxury brands: The moderating effects of salient identity-based goals. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 33(2), 273–286. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-04-2023-4452
Löwgren, A., Tange, L., & Post, T. J. (2018). Internal Corporate Communication: Aligning Employees for Strategic Sustainable Development. Blekinge Institute of Technology.
Luxury, I. (2024, January 22). Emerging Markets: What’s Next for Luxury Brands. https://medium.com/%40insideluxury/emerging-markets-whats-next-for-luxury-brands-f3a0da56f3e0
Mathew, M., & Spinelli, R. (2025). Decoding sustainable drivers: A systematic literature review on sustainability-induced consumer behaviour in the fast fashion industry. Sustainable Production and Consumption, 55, 132–145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spc.2025.02.011
Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldaña, J. (2014). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook (Edition 3). Sage.
Morsing, M., & Schultz, M. (2006). Corporate social responsibility communication: Stakeholder information, response and involvement strategies. Business Ethics: A European Review, 15(4), 323–338. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8608.2006.00460.x
Offermann, J., Rohowsky, A., & Ziefle, M. (2024). Thinking Out Loud? Internal vs. External Communication of Sustainability in Companies. Sustainability, 16(13), 5416. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16135416
Palomo-Domínguez, I., Elías-Zambrano, R., & Álvarez-Rodríguez, V. (2023). Gen Z’s Motivations towards Sustainable Fashion and Eco-Friendly Brand Attributes: The Case of Vinted. Sustainability, 15(11), 8753. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15118753
Pencarelli, T., Ali Taha, V., Škerháková, V., Valentiny, T., & Fedorko, R. (2019). Luxury Products and Sustainability Issues from the Perspective of Young Italian Consumers. Sustainability, 12(1), 245. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12010245
Purser, P. (2025). John Hardy Interview [Personal communication].
Rangel, C., & López, B. (2022). Digital transformation in luxury brands. In A. Khare, A. Ojala, & W. W. Baber, Sustainable International Business Models in a Digitally Transforming World (1st ed., pp. 222–239). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003195986-17
Saulick, P., Bokhoree, C., & Bekaroo, G. (2023). Business sustainability performance: A systematic literature review on assessment approaches, tools and techniques. Journal of Cleaner Production, 408, 136837. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.136837
Schmitt, B. (2012). The consumer psychology of brands. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 22(1), 7–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcps.2011.09.005
Schulz, M. (2025, June 18). How craft became luxury’s most valuable currency. Vogue Business. https://www.voguebusiness.com/story/fashion/how-craft-became-luxurys-most-valuable-currency?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Senan, N. A. M., Al-Kahtani, S. M., Alanazi, I. D., AbdAlatti, A., Alshadadi, M. A., Alhebri, A., & Mohammad, R. A. (2025). Unveiling the linkages between greenwashing, brand hate, and negative consumer behavior: The moderating effect of environmental concern. Discover Sustainability, 6(1), 446. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-025-01179-9
Shu, E. (2023). Behind the runway: Managing paradoxical tensions on sustainable luxury. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 27(2), 5421–5433. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-023-04071-6
Sociallyin. (2025, January 12). Luxury Brand Social Media Strategy: Where Exclusivity Meets Digital. https://sociallyin.com/resources/social-media-strategy-for-luxury-brands/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Soni, P., Vohra, J., Ghuman, M. K., & Polsa, P. (2024). Sustainable development goals, culture and advertising: Tracing the roots to stride forward. Business Analyst Journal. https://doi.org/10.1108/BAJ-11-2023-0068
Srimarwati, E. (2025). John Hardy Interview [Personal communication].
Sugiyono. (2020). Metode penelitian kuantitatif, kualitatif dan R&D. Alfabeta.
Wagner, L. (2024). How can storytelling with sustainability claims benefits the luxury industry? Liège Université.
Wang, P., Kuah, A. T. H., Lu, Q., Wong, C., Thirumaran, K., Adegbite, E., & Kendall, W. (2021). The impact of value perceptions on purchase intention of sustainable luxury brands in China and the UK. Journal of Brand Management, 28(3), 325–346. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41262-020-00228-0
Warokka, V. S. M. (2025). John Hardy Interview [Personal communication].
Yan, Q., Shen James, H., Xin, W., & Ye Ben, H. (2024). Examining the ritualized experiences of intangible cultural heritage tourism. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 31, 100843. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2023.100843
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 I Ketut Adi Mariana, I Ketut Gede Satya Pradana, Muhamad Hidayat

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Hak cipta pada setiap artikel adalah milik penulis.
Penulis mengakui bahwa MUKASI (Jurnal Ilmu Komunikasi) sebagai publisher yang mempublikasikan pertama kali dengan lisensi Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Penulis dapat memasukan tulisan secara terpisah, mengatur distribusi non-ekskulif dari naskah yang telah terbit di jurnal ini kedalam versi yang lain, seperti: dikirim ke respository institusi penulis, publikasi kedalam buku, dan lain-lain. Dengan mengakui bahwa naskah telah terbit pertama kali pada MUKASI (Jurnal Ilmu Komunikasi).























