Made in Italy values “meet” sustainability: The E. Marinella case

The global fashion industry has been facing the challenge of sustainability for some time now. This issue is felt by practitioners even for Made in Italy (MdI) products, recognised worldwide for their unique values, such as design, quality excellence, and craftsmanship. However, the research stream on sustainable MdI fashion is still in its infancy. Studies have addressed the dimensions of sustainability separately, focusing on the environmental and/or social dimensions and devoting less attention to the economic one. Furthermore, there is a lack of a holistic vision of the possible synergies between the values of MdI and the three sustainability dimensions. Consequently, the study aims to provide an integrated reading of the MdI values with the environmental, social, and economic sustainability dimensions through an in-depth case study. The results showed how the four themes of Made in Italy values perceived by the firm could be combined with all three sustainability dimensions. Moreover, two different levels of sustainable approach emerged: the first one, almost related in a “spontaneous” manner to the MdI values, and the second level, characterised by a more aware sustainable orientation. The paper may contribute to the strand of studies on MdI by outlining the synergies between the values of fashion MdI and all three sustainability dimensions, delving into the economic dimension that seems to be neglected in the previous studies. Finally, it provides an example of how a company can leverage the MdI values by combining them with those of sustainability, thus strengthening its competitiveness.