434 research outputs found
Rethinking Fashion Brands in The Era of Digital Media
No full textIssue 11.1 of ZMJ is dedicated to the relationship between fashion and digital, in particular to the process of mediatization, that is to the cultural and social transformations induced by the media. A topic that is, it would not even be necessary to underline it, of crucial importance in this historical period in which all forms of digital have become accentuated or even have taken new directions — from magazines, to fashion presentations, to the ways of communicating. The fashion system, as it is well known, has often been accused of being late with regard to digital issues, almost guilty of a fatal error capable of compromising its established leadership as a trend setter in the world of consumption and communication. On the contrary, this issue offers a formidable reflection on the many ways in which digital is present in an innovative way in the fashion marketing and in the construction of the identity of fashion brands — from the relationship with the audience, to the organization of fashion shows, to the relationship with bloggers and influencers up to the challenge of sustainability. The editors, Mariachiara Colucci and Marco Pedroni, thanks to their complementary experiences, economics and business management on the one hand — sociology of communication on the other, propose for this issue of ZMJ a careful selection of essays aimed at representing the quality, the variety and the global perspectives of fashion branding in the digital age
Rethinking Fashion Brands in The Era of Digital Media
No full textIssue 11.1 of ZMJ is dedicated to the relationship between fashion and digital, in particular to the process of mediatization, that is to the cultural and social transformations induced by the media. A topic that is, it would not even be necessary to underline it, of crucial importance in this historical period in which all forms of digital have become accentuated or even have taken new directions — from magazines, to fashion presentations, to the ways of communicating. The fashion system, as it is well known, has often been accused of being late with regard to digital issues, almost guilty of a fatal error capable of compromising its established leadership as a trend setter in the world of consumption and communication. On the contrary, this issue offers a formidable reflection on the many ways in which digital is present in an innovative way in the fashion marketing and in the construction of the identity of fashion brands — from the relationship with the audience, to the organization of fashion shows, to the relationship with bloggers and influencers up to the challenge of sustainability. The editors, Mariachiara Colucci and Marco Pedroni, thanks to their complementary experiences, economics and business management on the one hand — sociology of communication on the other, propose for this issue of ZMJ a careful selection of essays aimed at representing the quality, the variety and the global perspectives of fashion branding in the digital age
Mediatized Fashion: State of the art and beyond
No full textThe concept of mediatization concerns the role and influence of the media in both society and the fields of cultural production. Fashion has witnessed several processes of mediatization, exemplified by the rise of fashion bloggers and influencers and the emergence of several online activities — e.g., broadcasting fashion shows — alongside or in place of those that previously took the form of face-to-face interaction. Such a mediatization has then accelerated rhythms of fashion communication imposed by the new digital environment. Moreover, thanks to the role of legacy and digital media, fashion as a cultural industry has been increasingly able to fuel global social imaginaries. This article briefly reviews the state of the art of studies on mediatization in the field of fashion, with a focus on the role of fashion brands. The essay also considers the Covid-19 pandemic as an accelerator of digitization processes, and proposes a number of valuable questions to investigate the future of mediatization in fashion. First, how do fashion brands, whether mass-market or high-end, interface with their audience, advertise their products, reach their targets, finalize the sale, and retain consumers? Second, how has digital technology changed the format and meaning of fashion shows and catwalks? Thirdly, how do fashion brands cooperate with, defend themselves against or exploit new digital intermediaries such as bloggers, influencers and content creators? Finally, how do brands pursue the quest for authenticity, as a value and a rhetoric construction, through digital channels? The contributions of this special issue provide, through the study of empirical cases, elements to answer these questions
Style and substance: a case study of the expansion of mature business-to-business relationships in the Italian clothing industry
No full textPurpose – This paper aims to propose a model of the determinants of the expansion of mature business-to-business relationships in the downstream channel of the Italian clothing industry. The authors investigate the role of both economic and social determinants of retail buyers’ intentions to expand their relationships with a seller.
Design/methodology/approach – The empirical analysis is based on surveys of more than 150 retail buyers in mature relationships with a major clothing company. This context offers a unique opportunity to explore the interplay between the need for stable relationships and the need to continuously innovate to satisfy consumer demand, given rapidly changing tastes and styles, which can inhibit relationship expansion.
Findings – Buyers’ intentions to expand relationships are primarily determined by the absence of a formal agreement with the seller. Perceptions of a seller’s goodwill seem to overshadow the detrimental effects of two likely sources of opportunism in the clothing industry: demand uncertainty and the availability of alternative suppliers. Findings also provide evidence of a substitutive effect of formal control and trust in mature business relationships.
Originality/value – The authors provide insights into the dynamics of mature business relationships with a focus on expansion, rather than just the propensity for relational continuity, and they show how the interplay of transaction costs and social dimensions leads to this expansion. The authors also provide empirical evidence of a context, the clothing industry, where downstream relationships represent an important source of competitive advantage
Flying Under the Radar vs. Walk or Talk: CSR Voluntary Disclosure in the Fashion Industry
No full textThe objective of this study is to evaluate the communication of fashion brands’ so-cial responsibility practices and the pervasiveness of the CSR logic in their operations. In contrast to existing speculations, in this paper we empirically support that compa-ny size acts as a switch leading small companies towards no CSR activity (they fly under the radar) and large companies towards a general commitment in CSR activi-ties. Moreover, we propose that the market served (as the combination of business and segment) explains the balance between a pure CSR disclosure (talk) or imple-mentation of CSR strategies and activities (walk)
Got to be real: An investigation into the co-fabrication of authenticity by fashion companies and digital influencers
No full textThis article investigates how fashion companies build their relationships with digital influencers (DIs), a new group of cultural intermediaries who are increasingly central to brand communication strategies. Scholars have mostly studied DIs’ role in influencing the market, but largely neglected the process through which they build their work. Through a qualitative inductive research directed at 21 Italian fashion companies, we describe the process through which companies fabricate the authenticity work, while collaborating with DIs. By taking the overlooked perspective of the company brand owner, we identify the underlying dynamics of achieving co-fabricated authenticity, unpacking the mechanisms through which companies select DIs, shape the connections and regulate the reciprocity with them. Our findings highlight how companies and DIs’ practices become intertwined, with the commodity of authenticity being constructed at the crossroads between the former’s commercial needs and the latter’s grassroots narratives and practices. ‘Co-fabricated authenticity’ ultimately emerges as the result of the work of those actors who are engaged in managing the authenticity or processes of authentication of marketable goods: the intangible and ephemeral value of authenticity is made tangible and co-produced through the collaboration between brands and cultural intermediaries such as DIs
Brevi riflessioni sulle “relazioni” dell’Ufficio del massimario: atti di mera ricognizione o soft law?
No full textIl contributo prende in esame le “relazioni” del Massimario, inquadrandole nel più ampio fenomeno della proliferazione di fonti non strettamente legali (anche) in materia penale. Dopo aver analizzato le tipologie di questi atti, vengono svolte brevi riflessioni sulla loro natura giuridica e sul loro impiego in sede processuale.
The paper examines the "reports" of the Italian Supreme Court, framing them within the spreading of sources not strictly legal also in criminal matters. The Authors analyze the types of these particular acts, and then they conduct brief considerations on the nature and the use of this acts in the proceedings
Paesaggio lunigiano
No full textPaesaggio lunigiano di Vincenzo Colucci ha preso parte all’Esposizione nazionale di Pittura contemporanea del 1953 e successivamente è stato acquisito dall’Ateneo triestino. Il dipinto, ora ospitato presso il Rettorato, si trovava precedentemente presso il Centro di Fisica Teorica di Trieste. Il quadro presenta una doppia firma, segnale che la tela risale ad un ventennio prima ed stata riutilizzata per questa esposizione. Conferma tale ipotesi la data affissa dietro la tela “1933”. Con pennellate fresche e vivaci, il paesaggista tratteggia il tratto di costa tutto giostrato tra i toni verdi, ocra, la delicatezza del rosa e sapienti colpi di bianco, gioca sulle morbidezze tonali e sulle variazioni di luce. Vincenzo Colucci è stato un eccentrico cosmopolita, un raffinato dandy napoletano disinvolto e soprattutto un instancabile girovago. Così viene descritto da Fernando Porfiri «passa indifferentemente dai marciapiedi di via del Babuino e dai cortili di via Margutta (sua caratteristica è sempre un fiore di piazza di Spagna o una foglia di malvasia dei paesi esotici all’occhiello) ai boulevards di Parigi o alle “stazze” del Tamigi. Sempre svagato e un po’ dinoccolato, arsiccio e magro con una colorazione di mattone bruciato sul volto» (F. Porfiri, Vincenzo Colucci, Roma, Edizioni Porfiri per gli artisti e scrittori del Babuino, s.d., p. 19). Nella sua villa ad Ischia, da lui ideata sfruttando i diversi livelli di una collina di tufo, si batteva bandiera (un Orsa Maggiore in campo rosso). La sua abitazione era un via vai di artisti, scrittori e uomini di cultura. La sua prima personale è stata organizzata a Napoli nel 1929. Agli inizi degli anni Trenta è stato inviato dal regime in Tripolitania insieme ad altri artisti per raffigurare quei luoghi e nel 1934 espose una quarantina di opere alla Seconda mostra internazionale d’arte coloniale a Napoli. Ha partecipato a numerose esposizioni nazionali e internazionali. Nel 1938 New York gli ha dedicato una personale alle Reinhardt Galleries, nella Fifth avenue. Il New York Times lo ricorda: “With the paintings of Vincenzo Colucci, native of Ischia and resident of Rome, the Reinhardt Galleries present the work of a highly effervescent impressionist. Colucci has a good feeling for the difficult art of keeping the whole picture of a single piece, whether he creates a light iridescent marine or an occasional solidly worked still life. He is nowhere more brilliant than in the sparkling sketches of the Piazza san Marco” (F. Porfiri, Vincenzo Colucci… cit., p. 21Olio su telaFirmato in basso a sinistra “Colucci”Edificio Centrale, Rettorat
- …
