Internationalization of Luxury Fashion Firms

Internationalization is an essential component of the business model for luxury fashion companies. Hence, regardless of their size, luxury firms have to develop in foreign markets to seek global demand, build a global image, and manage distribution and communications effectively. Filling a gap in current literature, this book examines the motives, processes, and forms assumed for the internationalization of luxury fashion companies and the relationship between internationalization and business models, with a focus on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the specific challenges they face. The book proposes cases of Italian SMEs, being Italy a country that is globally recognized as a key player in the luxury fashion industry. Specifically, the authors link internationalization with business models and discuss the business model of luxury fashion SMEs, characterized by "genetic internationalization". Finally, the authors address the main theoretical and managerialimplications emerging from their empirical research and discuss the applicability of this model to luxury companies in general. Offering a comprehensive and in-depth view of luxury fashion SMEs, this book is targeted to students, scholars and practitioners interested in luxury firms, internationalization, and business models.

Discusses the internationalization strategies and business models of luxury fashion SMEs Provides numerous examples and six in-depth case studies of Italian luxury fashion SMEs Explores the motives for internationalization, entry modes, liabilities, and the implications for the business model

Auteur
Andrea Runfola is Associate Professor of Marketing and Management at the Department of Economics of the University of Perugia. His research interests include international business, international marketing, business networks, supply chains, business models and digitalization. He has been researching fashion and luxury for about twenty years. He is the author of book chapters and two books. He published numerous articles in leading national and international academic journals.
Matilde Milanesi is Assistant Professor at the Department of Economics and Management of the University of Florence. Her research interests lie in international business and international marketing, industrial marketing, buyer-supplier relationships, and luxury and fashion marketing. Her works are published in academic refereed journals. She is also the author of chapters in edited books and has recently published a book on liabilities and networks in the internationalization of fashion retailing.

Simone Guercini is Full Professor of Marketing and Management at the Department of Economics and Management of the University of Florence. His research interests include business marketing, international business, qualitative research, heuristics in behaviour and cognition. For over twenty years, he has investigated textile and leather goods companies. He held courses and invited talks at many universities. He authored books, chapters in books, and he was editor of edited books. He published more than 80 articles in academic journals.

Contenu
Chapter 1: Introduction.- Chapter 2: Luxury and internationalization: motives and features.- Chapter 3: The internationalization of luxury fashion.- Chapter 4: The international dimension of the luxury fashion business models.- Chapter 5: Methodology, empirical context, and two cases of internationalization of luxury artisans in local clusters.- Chapter 6: The internationalization of luxury fashion SMEs after a path of dimensional growth.- Chapter 7: Internationalization and business models of luxury fashion SMEs: some emerging issues.- Chapter 8: Conclusions.