Affordable Luxury from the Global South: Monastery’s Path to Internationalization

This study examines how an emerging-market luxury brand from the Global South achieves international legitimacy in highly competitive foreign markets. Drawing on a qualitative case study of Monastery, a Colombian luxury streetwear brand expanding into the United States, Mexico, and Spain, the article explores the role of diaspora networks, symbolic legitimacy, and culturally embedded branding in internationalization. Findings reveal that diaspora communities act as legitimacy accelerators by providing cultural validation, emotional endorsement, and early market acceptance. The study introduces the concept of diaspora-accelerated legitimacy and explains how emerging-market luxury brands overcome liabilities of origin in identity-intensive industries.