New Territories of Sustainable Fashion Proposals for the Transition towards sustainability and circularity

The paper presents the results of a research carried out in the clothing, footwear and leather goods sectors referring to the Italian territory. The survey was carried out through the collection of data on the field, with questionnaires administered to companies in the area: structured analysis on the company profile and brand identity; focus on sustainability with reference to the measures adopted by the company; technological assessment; collection of new needs expressed by each company. The result of the on-field research suggests, on the one hand, theoretical reflections relating to new sustainable approaches for the fashion sector, and on the other, technological innovation to implement value and profit for each company according to a sustainable and circular economic model. In Italy the local manufacturing systems have had their fulcrum in the industrial districts, which present themselves as centres of relations between multiple stakeholders. Generally, the openness and inclusion of stakeholders and systemic organization are essential for the sustainable development of the sector.The cultural tradition and the organization of Made in Italy production, in parallel with the Portuguese textile production systems, seem better prepared for a real ecological transition (Ricchetti & Frisa, 2011). This research proposes a model that accompanies companies on a transition path towards sustainable production.The methodology investigated, which starts from the enhancement of operational tools, contributes to promoting the adoption of new production processes and therefore to a more conscious consumption.The results achieved by SMEs in recent years, in the areas of ecological and digital transition, promise interesting developments, formulating a starting point to be used as an organizational and productive support to definitively move towards the suggested model. The discussion proposes a series of recommendations that can contribute to adopting a change in the entrepreneurial system of SMEs, vice versa, where there are contradictions and persisting barriers, it will be necessary to consider concrete and unanimously shared measures.