Zara

Research Policy 35 (2006) 1273–1290

Convergent designs in fine fashion: An evolutionary model for stylistic innovation

Rossella Cappetta a,∗ , Paola Cillo b,1 , Anna Ponti a,2

a

Institute of Organization and Information Systems, Bocconi University, SDA Bocconi School of Management, Viale Isonzo, 23, 20135 Milan, Italy b Institute of Management and Business Economics, Bocconi University, SDA Bocconi School of Management, Via Bocconi, 8, 20136 Milan, Italy Received 1 April 2005; received in revised form 1 November 2005; accepted 1 February 2006 Available online 20 September 2006

Abstract In this paper we propose and test an evolutionary model of stylistic innovation, that is the change in the aesthetic and symbolic elements of products and services. Style is an increasingly relevant phenomenon in many industries and our goal is to develop a model of how styles get introduced and adopted. We build on existent literature on technological change to frame the dynamics of how style changes across time. In the model we propose, companies face periods of ferment with relevant stylistic variations and periods of convergence on a single trend—that is the stylistic convergent design versus the technologic dominant design. We identify the drivers of convergence in stylistic innovation. We test the model with a longitudinal empirical study (1984–2002) in the fine fashion industry, explaining the main differences between a stylistic and a technological evolutionary model. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Evolutionary change; Innovation; Stylistic innovation; Symbolic industries

1. Introduction An abundance of innovations are constantly struggling for market acceptance in different industrial contexts. As a consequence, a large amount of researchers’ efforts has been devoted to the understanding of the sequencing of different designs (Abernathy and Utterback, 1978; Tushman and Anderson, 1986) and of the factors affecting the dominance of one specific...