Ephemeral who? Evidence from the reconversion process implemented by Italian fashion companies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

The paper provides insights over the response of the Italian fashion companies to the pandemic between their willingness to help the country to face the emergency and their necessity to keep the business afloat. In an exploratory ethos and by relying on qualitative inductive research, the study investigates 11 fashion companies by also engaging in extensive secondary data collection at the industry level. By reconciling several theoretical lenses (i.e., strategic management, grand challenges and organizational ecology) into a systemic conceptual framework, the paper uncovers the underlying dynamics of the reconversion process by also unpacking the relevant dimensions that were leveraged by the companies to respond to the pandemic. Through the concept of adaptive resilience, the findings highlight how the Italian fashion companies were able to cope with the pandemic, with the reconversion process being implemented at the crossroads between exploring opportunities of a new (albeit often temporary) business and the exploitation of existing key resources and capabilities.