The internationalization of retail distribution constitutes one of the most significant phenomenon in the world economy today. The clothing and fashion sector certainly provides a concrete example that is emblematic of this trend. The products in this sector are the best example of the post-modern concept of goods, because internationalisation is inherent in these products and because fashion, as an aspect of cultural, is a force to be reckoned with in understanding globalisation. In fact the clothes are the material basis of fashion, while fashion itself is a cultural system of meanings. From the earliest days of industrial production there has been an increasingly widening gap between the market value of a product and its use value and perhaps the product which is most emblematic of this gap is the ‘fashion’ product. For this reason fashion meets the prerequisites for being studied as a symbolic cultural product and can be considered as the non-material emblem of modern commodity science. The factors which have encouraged the internationalisation of clothing products are: the existence of a trans-national segment of consumers who have similar characteristics; the homogeneity of models of acquisition and consumption on the global level; the need to enlarge national markets towards similar external markets in order to guarantee Mario Giaccio1 THE INTERNATIONALISATION OF RETAIL BUSINESSES: THE EMBLEMATIC FASHION CLOTHING SECTOR 50 an adequate sales potential; the opportunity to exploit the economy of replication. It is possible to distinguish four categories of international retailer of fashion products: Product Specialist Fashion Retailers; Fashion Design Retailers; General Merchandise Retailers; General Fashion Retailers. The various distribution chains for clothing are: the Continental Leaders; the World Wide Specialists; the Quasi-global Player and the Global Players. Some example of international companies in the clothing industry are taken in consideration: Benetton Group and Zara (Global players); Hennes & Mauritz (Nearly-global player); Brioni (World-wide specialist).
THE INTERNATIONALISATION OF RETAIL BUSINESSES: THE EMBLEMATIC FASHION CLOTHING SECTOR
GIACCIO, Mario
2010-01-01
Abstract
The internationalization of retail distribution constitutes one of the most significant phenomenon in the world economy today. The clothing and fashion sector certainly provides a concrete example that is emblematic of this trend. The products in this sector are the best example of the post-modern concept of goods, because internationalisation is inherent in these products and because fashion, as an aspect of cultural, is a force to be reckoned with in understanding globalisation. In fact the clothes are the material basis of fashion, while fashion itself is a cultural system of meanings. From the earliest days of industrial production there has been an increasingly widening gap between the market value of a product and its use value and perhaps the product which is most emblematic of this gap is the ‘fashion’ product. For this reason fashion meets the prerequisites for being studied as a symbolic cultural product and can be considered as the non-material emblem of modern commodity science. The factors which have encouraged the internationalisation of clothing products are: the existence of a trans-national segment of consumers who have similar characteristics; the homogeneity of models of acquisition and consumption on the global level; the need to enlarge national markets towards similar external markets in order to guarantee Mario Giaccio1 THE INTERNATIONALISATION OF RETAIL BUSINESSES: THE EMBLEMATIC FASHION CLOTHING SECTOR 50 an adequate sales potential; the opportunity to exploit the economy of replication. It is possible to distinguish four categories of international retailer of fashion products: Product Specialist Fashion Retailers; Fashion Design Retailers; General Merchandise Retailers; General Fashion Retailers. The various distribution chains for clothing are: the Continental Leaders; the World Wide Specialists; the Quasi-global Player and the Global Players. Some example of international companies in the clothing industry are taken in consideration: Benetton Group and Zara (Global players); Hennes & Mauritz (Nearly-global player); Brioni (World-wide specialist).I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
