Legitimizing Luxury and Sustainability Employing the ‘Made in’ Label: An Exploratory Study with Italian Luxury Fashion B Corps Managers

Purpose: the study examines how managers in Italian luxury fashion B Corps interpret the “Made in Italy” label to support the legitimacy of their sustainability-related commitment. Design/methodology/approach: a qualitative, exploratory approach was adopted. Seven managers from six Italian luxury fashion B Corps were interviewed through semi-structured interviews. The transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings: the analysis suggests that managers view the “Made in” label as a resource that can align sustainability and luxury by reinforcing pragmatic, moral, and cognitive legitimacy. At the same time, the label’s legitimizing power is constrained by conflicting temporal and communicative logics, uneven stakeholder understandings of sustainability, and concerns about greenwashing and craftwashing, which weaken its symbolic coherence. Originality/value: the study advances understanding of how the “Made in” label is interpreted within hybrid luxury organizations, clarifying the boundary conditions under which it can support legitimacy work.