Female entrepreneur brand building: Leveraging gender in sustainable fashion

Prior literature on personal branding has substantially neglected the female entrepreneur brand, despite the need to frame gender in entrepreneurial self-identity narratives and female entrepreneur brand building. This study explores how gender shapes female entrepreneur brands, bridging marketing and entrepreneurship research agendas. Adopting an exploratory qualitative approach, this study examines three women entrepreneurs in the sustainable fashion industry. Through thematic analysis of in-depth interviews and Instagram posts, we identify key themes articulated across the individual/collective and the tangible/intangible dimensions. These themes delineate four archetypal narratives framing the female entrepreneur brand. We conceptualize the female entrepreneur brand as gender-centric. Gender manifests in brand narratives related to women’s strengths, achievements, and positive values, in contrast with the defensive narrative practices emerged in prior studies. A distinctive feature of the gender-centric entrepreneur brand is its significant reliance on the collective dimension of women’s self-identity, emphasizing the women’s networks surrounding the entrepreneur, including collaborators, partner entrepreneurs, and customers. Risks of “gender washing” perceptions, loss of authenticity, and managerial challenges regarding the corporate brand-entrepreneur brand relationship should be considered in gender-centric female entrepreneur brand building.