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The purpose of this paper is to show how it is possible to take into account the objectives that fashion-luxury companies pursue on the final market (i.e. critical success factors (CSF) – of luxury) and propagate them in the upstream steps of the supply chain (SC) in order to understand how the latter can be aligned to the market.

An extensive literature review allowed the identification of SC objectives. Case studies were used in order to asses choices and practices applied along the SC of luxury companies were assessed through in depth case studies; hence, the relationship between choices/practices, SC objectives and luxury CSF was explored.

The paper documents that success in the luxury market not only depends on branding and marketing but also on the choices made along the SC, to the point that it is possible to identify some SC choices and practices that support the achievement of luxury CSF.

The results presented represent a useful guideline and offer some methodological suggestions; however, the precise set of SC objectives have to be tailored on each specific brand, according to the uniqueness that characterizes luxury companies.

The paper suggests which areas of the SC should be mostly targeted in order to achieve success in the luxury market, also indicating some possible concrete choices.

The main value of this paper consists in shaping a first explicit connection among the world of luxury as it is perceived by the consumers and the world of the SC.

The term luxury and sustainability, within the fashion and textile industries are seldom seen as natural bedfellows. Recently however, the perception of luxury has begun to include a definition left behind in the twentieth century; beautifully hand crafted artefacts valued for the time, skill and design invested in them. It is possible though, for the concept of luxury textiles to embrace this definition and that of the sustainable credentials of a “Cradle to Cradle” (McDonough and Braungart, 2002) mindset (that of a life beyond original creation) and be fashionable. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Utilising a variety of methodologies including case studies, reflective practice and a practice-based approach; this paper examines the use of pre-consumer waste in the creation of new luxury textiles. Several projects are cited, offering examples of collaboration between textile mills and designers in the creation of new fabrics made from luxury by-products. This luxury waste is routinely shredded for automobile seat filling or landfill, however current sustainable thinking encourages a more creative solution to this circumstance. Designers have a crucial role to play in converting an unwanted by-product to one that is highly desirable.

Traditional values of what constitutes a luxury item include the concept of time invested in making a unique handmade artefact. More recently, this premise has been overlooked in favour of branded goods. The slow fashion movement advocates the inherent value of craftsmanship coupled with the ethical use of sustainable and or local materials and processes. The traditional techniques of felting, weave and stitch are utilised to create beautiful, original textiles from discarded waste. By collaborating with local mills, designers provide solutions to something that could be perceived as a problem.

The embedded narrative within these layered textiles provides an original quality and added value, building on their Scottish heritage. The resulting textiles reflect their provenance; the landscape they come from and the people who created them. As a result of purchase, the story continues with the new custodian, adding to the ongoing history of the textile. The design work and collaboration that this paper outlines embodies a transferable model for sustainable upcycled luxury textiles.

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the role that provenance holds within the luxury textiles market. It defines similarities and differences in the perception and acceptance of provenance as a key strategy for luxury textile brands in the USA and the UK. Its purpose is to establish a framework of identifiable communication strategies for future growth of the luxury brand sector.

The study consisted of adopting an ethnographic approach to define the role of provenance within luxury brands in the USA and the UK. Attention was focused on textile heritage labels in the USA and in Scotland, to gain insight into how historic artisanship impacts the perception of luxury and authenticity by the consumer. Interviews with key strategists were conducted, and a comparison of the discussions disseminated.

The narrative behind a product, its authenticity and provenance, are key drivers in luxury textile brands, with the perception of quality of utmost importance. Long-standing companies have interwoven provenances with their spiritual birthplaces, people and environment which can be leveraged in product introductions and branding.

The paper provides a framework of key features of provenance to inform practitioners on dilemmas such as de-localization, re-localization and transcendence within the luxury brand sector.

The paper furthers academic research by investigating contemporary issues in luxury consumer behaviour; specifically in relation to the perception of provenance. While research focuses on Western luxury textile brands and consumers, it provides reference criteria and recommendations to luxury brand strategists that can be adopted and adapted for different fields and geographic locations.

The purpose of this paper is to understand and compare Generation Y’s knowledge and perceptions of cashmere as a luxurious fibre.

Dual qualitative-quantitative approach, comprising interviews with cashmere farmers and suppliers plus a structured questionnaire completed by 334 young Italians and Americans. Data were analysed statistically for comparison and interpretation.

Interviews confirmed the literature and provided insights why cashmere is “branded” as luxurious; e.g. comes from combing the undercoat of cashmere goats thus it is rare, expensive, very warm, light, and soft. Quantitative analysis showed: the majority (+85 per cent) of the young Italians and Americans perceive cashmere fibre as luxurious and expensive, although statistically Americans participants perceive it as more luxurious and more expensive. For example, 75 per cent Italian, 85 per cent Americans think it is expensive, (µ=2.914/4 and µ=3.156/4, respectively). Americans do not perceive it as being as rare as the Italian group. Italians were more able to answer the question about richness of the fibre. Lastly and surprisingly both groups knew very little about the origin: 40 per cent of both groups thought it comes from sheep whereas 20 per cent from Alpaca.

While neither sample knew the source, they both mentioned they would like to know more about the origin, attributes, etc., opening the door to marketing experts.

This study complements and enhances the relatively limited body of knowledge in the academic and professional literature and provides useful information for producers, suppliers, retailers, and especially marketers of cashmere.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how luxury Italian fashion companies manage the replenishment process, and how they leverage supply chain (SC) to be able to match supply and demand of fashion products.

Literature review was the first step performed; then, a case study research has been conducted in order to have a comprehensive view of the real context of luxury Italian fashion companies concerning merchandise planning and replenishment processes. After the sample was individuated, a questionnaire has guided the interviews and then data have been collected. Analysing data has concerned a primary case analysis and then cross-case patterns have been searched. Finally, several variables coherent to the aim of the study have been pinpointed and a framework has been designed.

The paper provides a characterization of the luxury Italian fashion industry concerning merchandise planning constraints and the replenishment processes. To guarantee the flexibility required to match supply and demand when there is a high percentage of seasonal products in the collection, companies leverage on both downstream and upstream SC alignment.

The enhancement of performance within the fashion SC is a topic not too much examined in depth, in particular referring to the luxury fashion companies and to the Italian context. Aligning upstream and downstream activities, information sharing between vendor and retailer and securing strategic alliances with the suppliers constitute important steps to reach flexibility and reactivity and to be in step with the market needs. The paper provides valuable insights to companies that are trying to decrease their lost sales and to increase their sell-out and customer service through a review of their SC processes.

The purpose of this paper is to assess the use of alignment practices between manufacturers and retailers; it focuses on the Italian fashion industry.

A qualitative approach is adopted (case studies of fashion retailers in Italy), involving both documentary analysis and structured interviews with retail and store managers, with the aim of assessing the level of channel alignment between manufacturer and retailer.

The paper gives an overview of the extent to which fashion retailers in Italy pursue channel alignment; it suggests a relationship between the degree of alignment and two relevant drivers (channel type and lifecycle phase).

A descriptive analysis with exploratory purpose is provided. The overall research plan includes expanding the analysis and final testing through quantitative methods.

The paper analyses the role of retail channel alignment in the fashion industry from an operational point of view; helps understanding the need for alignment with respect to channel type and lifecycle phase.

The capability to overcome tradeoffs among costs, quality and time has become a must in high-margin businesses too. Lean thinking may be a solution, but applications in the luxury-fashion market are still rare. In order to shed light on this apparent contradiction, the purpose of this paper is to identify the key features of the luxury-fashion market that may act as barriers for the adoption of lean principles. Next, based on the results of this preliminary analysis, the paper tries to verify, if and how, lean principles can be properly reinterpreted, so as to properly fit the requirements of this market.

Due to the operating nature of lean, an empiric approach was followed. From the evidences gathered during a lean project of a world-wide company, critical elements of the luxury-fashion market were identified and used as criteria to select, among lean tools, the most appropriate ones. Lastly, selected tools were integrated in a structured framework (for lean implementation) that was used to analyze and to improve many logistics and manufacturing processes.

Developed solutions were implemented as pilot projects, with outstanding preliminary result. Results are case specific and trying to infer general considerations may be hazardous. Nonetheless, due to the relevant dimension of the project, they can be considered more than a clue concerning the robustness of the framework and, most of all, concerning the real potentialities of lean in the luxury-fashion market.

The framework is extremely operational and, together with the proposed industrial cases, can be used as a guideline to support practitioners during the implementation of similar projects.

Lean thinking is relatively new in the luxury-fashion market, where the focus on operational costs has been traditionally considered as a marginal issue. Thus, the application of lean principles in this market is the innovative element of the paper.

Luxury goods manufacturers have long been hesitant to adopt the internet as a channel of distribution. A luxury brand’s concept of exclusiveness is seemingly incompatible with the ubiquitous accessibility provided by the mass medium internet. The purpose of this paper is to address the apparent contradiction by examining consumer responses to the online accessibility and price display of luxury goods.

Three studies are presented: first, a qualitative pre-study with luxury industry experts is conducted to identify the current managerial discussion on the online distribution of luxury goods. Second, an experiment with 183 high-income individuals is conducted to test the effects of online accessibility on consumer perceived scarcity and desirability. Third, a second experiment with 142 qualified luxury insiders is conducted to test consumer responses to the online accessibility and price display of luxury goods.

Results indicate that the online accessibility of luxury goods does not affect consumer perceived scarcity and, hence, does not dilute brand desirability. This “no-dilution” finding applies to both high- and low-involvement goods and persists independently of whether or not retail prices are explicitly displayed.

Whether or not to sell luxury goods online has been controversially discussed among both marketing scholars and executives. To the authors’ knowledge, the present paper is the first to empirically examine consumer responses to the online accessibility and price display of luxury goods.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a luxury brand management (LBM) framework that accounts for the changing luxury environment (i.e. heterogeneous consumer populations, operations within markets of varying maturity, need for seamless customer experiences, and Omni-channel retailing). Framework set within this new luxury business environment and environmental phenomena unique to the fashion industry (i.e. fashion adoption, zeitgeist).

Case study of leading luxury conglomerate, Louis Vuitton Möet Hennessy (LVMH), combined with in-depth historical review of luxury industry. Primary and secondary data sources yielded thick descriptions of brands in LVMH portfolio and larger luxury industry, in which conglomerate is the predominant organizational structure. Content analysis of data-tracked relationships and emergent patterns. Recontextualization techniques were employed to identify key dimensions of brand management operations for sample company and further explicated indicators, sub-variables, and measurements. Macro and micro dimensions were combined for the final framework.

Findings revealed a LBM framework with specific dimensions at the micro or company level that are combined with variables and indicators in the macro-business environment. Strategic management response was also identified as a tool companies can use to synthesize brand management strategies throughout company and remain adaptive to environment.

Contributes to company-based luxury research. Holistic findings; framework was constructed from the micro-company level within a macro-environmental context, increasing its relevancy for firms. Potential to be employed in strategic brand management decisions of luxury companies, regardless of their corporate structure, size, or age.