Michael R. Solomon, Ph.D., is the Dirk Warren '50 Sesquicentennial Chair and Professor of Marketing in the Haub School of Business at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia, U.S.A. Professor Solomon's primary research interests include consumer behavior and lifestyle issues, branding strategy, the psychology of fashion, and marketing applications of virtual worlds and other new media. Professor Solomon is frequently quoted in magazines and newspapers, including Newsweek, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal, and he is a Contributor at Forbes.com. He has served as a consultant to numerous fashion marketers, including Calvin Klein, UnderArmour, Timberland, H&M, LUSH Cosmetics and Levi Strauss. In a 2022 ranking of contributions of top scientists in Business and Management, Prof. Solomon was rated #466 in the U.S.A. and #1032 in the world.

Mona Mrad is an Assistant Professor in Marketing at the American University of Sharjah. She holds a PhD in Marketing from the University of Manchester, UK. She has also obtained a degree in fashion design from ESMOD and attended fashion courses at the London College of Fashion in the UK. Mona's research interests fall in the general area of consumer behaviour, technology and innovation, and fashion/luxury marketing. She is particularly interested in researching the consumer-brand relationship, as well as the excessive buying behaviour phenomena toward brands and products, in particular toward fashion and luxury brands. Her research has appeared in academic journals such as the Journal of Business Research, European Journal of Marketing, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Journal of Brand Management, Technology Analysis & Strategic Management and Qualitative Market Research.