A History of the Italian Fashion Industry

This book presents an original economic history of the Italian fashion industry, exploring its rise, development, and international achievement from the 1950s to 2019. Moving beyond the celebrated glamour of Italian designers and the conventional stereotypes of Made in Italy, it investigates the economic and institutional framework, manufacturing structure, and trade dynamics that established Italy as a leading fashion country. The author provides an in-depth analysis of the Italian fashion industry, examining its structural changes and industrial organisation within the global fashion business. Drawing on archival sources, original quantitative series, and company case studies, it reconstructs the interaction between trade fairs, export markets, manufacturing systems, and firm strategies over the long term. By placing the Italian case within an international and comparative perspective, especially in relation to France, the volume reassesses the relationship between international standing, productive specialisation, family control, and fragmented governance under the pressures of global competition and the emergence of fast fashion and luxury conglomerates as dominant business models. This interdisciplinary book will appeal to scholars of economic and business history, fashion studies, economics, and management, offering a fresh, critical perspective on one of Italy’s most important industries.