In spite of the growing interest in the behaviour of certain subgroups, little is known about the habits of the Brazilian male homosexual consumer. The present study attempts to fill this gap as regards the relationship between the concept of self and the behaviour of the male homosexual consumer in the luxury clothing market. A qualitative exploratory research with 12 homosexuals was conducted in order to understand their opinion about this matter. The conclusion drawn is that there is no unanimity as to the way luxury clothing may contribute to these consumers' self image: it varies according to personality, the moment in their lives, and even their present needs. On the other hand, it became clear that luxury clothing is very important for the self image building of male homosexuals - albeit to varying extents depending on each person - and we conclude that the concept of self directly influences the buying behaviour of the male homosexual.
Consumer behaviour; Concept of self; Male homosexual; Luxury market