Abstract
Innovation is the development of new products, production processes, business practices or forms of organization. It is key to the creation of competitive advantages in organizations and increasingly at the center of long-term strategy. Innovations can be largely classified in three ways: product innovations, production process innovations and business model innovations. Among these, this volume focuses on product innovations and discusses the comprehensive picture of product innovations occurring in the global fashion industry on three levels—material, style and product development—with examples and references from global fashion brands. Innovations in materials driven largely by technology may not tell the complete story of the industry. The authors alert readers to pay attention to innovations in style, which may provide core competitive advantages for fashion brands and other mature industries where functionality or technology are less critical. This chapter concludes that the global fashion industry is truly the sector where diverse technologies found in many different sectors are merged, synthesized and utilized to address needs and concerns of end-users.
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Notes
- 1.
Rapanui is an eco-fashion company from the Isle of Wight (UK) that produces clothes using the most sustainable materials. The brand also develops technology to make a truly connected, traceable supply chain. Customers can trace the Rapanui clothing from seed to shop, and at the end of their life, send it back and cash in the material value as store credit (Rapanui website, 2016).
- 2.
Emma Watson is using social media to spotlight sustainable fashion. For more information, see http://people.com/style/emma-watson-sustainable-fashion-instagram/
- 3.
According to the official definition of BNITH (Office of Standardization of Textile and Clothing Industries), a cosmetotextile is a textile product containing a substance or preparation intended to be released regularly on the various superficial parts of the skin that they claim to have properties such as cleaning, perfume, changing appearance, protection, keeping in good condition or correcting body odors (Umbria Innovation, 2013).
- 4.
Herno is a family-run business . Its turnover has almost doubled in the last two years, and the Herno brand is now an ambassador for luxury Italian goods in the world’s leading stores, with 70% of revenue coming from exports.
- 5.
The Greeks colonized Magna Graecia many centuries ago and in doing so left an indelible imprint of Greek culture and tradition , much of which endures to this day.
- 6.
Medusa was one of the three Gorgons in classical Greek mythology, and the only one who was mortal. The most familiar rendition of her story is this: the young, golden-haired and beautiful Medusa caught the eye of the god Poseidon who, on impulse, decided to ravish the maiden in the temple of another god, Athena. Unfortunately for Medusa, Athena caught them in the act. In a fit of rage and jealousy, Athena turned Medusa into a hideous monster with serpent hair. So ghastly was Medusa that anyone who looked upon her face turned to stone.
- 7.
The industrial district concept describes some aspects of the industrial organization of nations. It is a geographic area where workers and firms, specialized in a main industry and auxiliary industries, live and work (Pyke, Becattini, & Sengenberger, 1990). That specialization is part of the local culture.
- 8.
Its production requires a long manufacturing effort that engages two artisans for at least two days, for two basic operations: cutting of the raw material and braiding. The skins, before being cut and polished, are subjected to repeated tests of resistance, elasticity, reaction to light and color retention. After passing the preliminary checks the leather must be “split”, that is, it must be reduced to a uniform thickness, to avoid defects in workmanship: this phase sees the use of computer support, which by analyzing the leather, tells the crafter the best way to cut it. The process cannot be implemented mechanically.
- 9.
She is Anna Fendi’s daughter. Anna Fendi is an Italian fashion designer and entrepreneur; along with her sisters Alda, Carla, Franca and Paola she has made the Fendi brand famous across the world.
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Jin, B., Cedrola, E. (2018). Product Innovation: Core to Continued Success. In: Jin, B., Cedrola, E. (eds) Product Innovation in the Global Fashion Industry. Palgrave Studies in Practice: Global Fashion Brand Management . Palgrave Pivot, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-52349-5_1
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