White paper on creativity - ebla center

Chapter 5Chapter 5Fashion True excellence and great international visibilityItalian fashion is a remarkably successful sector which has attracted a huge variety ofstakeholders – stylists, creators, dressmakers, couturiers, entrepreneurs, the businessworld, journalists, image makers, advertisers, semiologists, sociologists of dress andbehaviour, economists of culture and industry – and consumers in search of dreams,quality and distinction. The explanation for all this interest lies in the complexity offashion goods and their all-pervasive social presence. We have just outlined a theory ofmaterial culture goods and we can argue that all the models mentioned in that case canalso be applied to the world of fashion and its products. We only have to look at dailylife to grasp how much social anchoring there is in the phenomenon of fashion.Fashion is developing so fast and internationally that it no longer goes on a linearsequence in which one trend follows another, but many styles simultaneously crowdonto a very lively scene. Illustrating the main features of this world in a relatively shortchapter is an impossible undertaking. We will thus mention the most significant aspectsfor the purposes of this <strong>White</strong> Paper5.1 Fashion as a system ofsystemsFashion is a phenomenon whichoccurs at the crossroads of twosystems: a system of material needs,consumption and production (Barrèreand Santagata, 2005) and a symbolicintangible system of creativity, signs(Barthes, 1967) and identity.The fashion system must relate toboth the production system and thecreative symbolic system present in agiven local region and consequentlyhas a twofold mission:• Supply a service to industry interms of style, the creation ofcollective images and internationalreputation, archive assistance,experimentation with lowentrepreneurial risks and training ofspecialised professional figures.Fashion is a symbolic image of thetextile industry, clothes making andaccessories. Fashion shapes the marketof supply and demand and drives theproduct renewal.• Offer an input of creativity andcollective identity to a local area witheconomic spin-offs in terms ofpromotion and cultural developmentWHITE PAPER ON CREATIVITY 114