Abstract | This paper is an empirical study of the role of networks in fashion designing in London. There is evidence that the relationship between new, small, fashion design firms and apparel manufacturing is one of the weakest points in the fashion production chain. Analysis is based on our interview data as well as a critical review of the relevant literature. We propose that these problems have two main causes: a) designers are locked-in to the retail-led, London based networks, which are dominated by strong links with the design colleges and industry-related institutions; b) as a consequence of this, their relationships with manufacturers lack trust, reciprocity and knowledge exchange for successful prototyping and scaling up of production to be achieved. Negotiation of constraints and specificities of designs are made more difficult because of personal, cultural, linguistic, physical and organizational differences, which create cognitive distance and incompatibility between the fields of fashion design and apparel manufacturing. |
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