Production networks in the cultural and creative sector: case studies from fashion design (CICERONE report D2.5)

This report aims to discuss the fashion industry as part of the design industry, with the perspective of the global production network to look beyond a single organisation, offering a complex picture of the whole network where different steps are needed in creating fashion goods. This novel approach considers all the elements implicated in the composite process of fashion, encompassing the realm of identity, behaviour and experiences, involving creativity, industrial processes, marketisation and distribution. The report does not focus on the fashion industry as a whole but on fashion design, the part of the industry where design plays a key role throughout the production network. Fashion design is a sub-field of the design industry where we find large vertically integrated companies and specialised small- and medium-sized organisations. Therefore, the complexity of the high degree of variation in terms of products, high-end or mass production and integrated or outsourced services demands an exploration in the analysis of this sector’s production cycle.