Redefining supply network strategies to face changing environments. A study from the fashion and luxury industry

This research intends to offer an original contribution by studying how fashion and luxury companies have redefined both their marketing (in terms of price, product, promotion and placement) and operations actions (in terms of the relationship between supply network partners, types of integration, location of production, outsourcing and network objectives) to challenge contextual dynamic changes. The study adopts the multiple case study method. Evidence from 11 Italian companies highlights different areas under exploration to better respond to dynamic business contexts. Findings show how contextual changes significantly compel a growing alignment between marketing and supply network activities. Case studies indicate that closer partnerships and collaborations among companies within the entire value chain are crucial to realizing new collections, with compressed lead times and improved quality content. Finally, this study identifies two new production strategies (pronto-programmato and focused-programmato) adopted by fashion and luxury companies to improve competitiveness in changing business conditions.