Purpose: To explore the recent emergence of “authenticity” in fashion in terms of its linkingvalue in the context of tribal brand cultures in conjunction with value co-creation processes inmediated environments.
Methodology: This study adopts a qualitative approach in the form of a case study of a youngNew York-based outdoor fashion firm. The research was divided into a netnographic study toexplore the life- and experience worlds of consumers in an online context, supported bysecondary research such as online documents, photographic footage, and media reports. 
Findings: Identifies the socially and emotionally charged process leading to the point of valueexchange as a key driver in the relationship between brand and consumers. Social exchangebetween consumers is where meaning is extracted and symbolic properties are converted intomarkers of collective identification. 
Originality/value: While most analyses on co-creation and tribal consumption focus on off- oronline contexts separately, the present study seeks to develop an understanding of the intersectingdynamics between offline activities and their shared reverberation and meaning across interactiveonline contexts. 
Paper type: Research paper