Creative industry: Lacklustre business — Swedish fashion firms' combination of business and aesthetics as a competitive strategy

Abstract

The view that creativity and innovation is the key to survival and success in contemporary economy is widely accepted. In fact, creativity and innovation has become so omnipresent in the discourse that one can get the impression this is a goal in itself, not a means to stay competitive. However, ultimately, creative contributions have to be converted into sensible economic and commercial strategies if firms want to stay in business. Even the most imaginative idea has to be transferred into products to be sold in the marketplace. This article presents empirical evidence from the Swedish fashion industry that shows an emphasis among industry informants on the more everyday sides of running a business as an explanation to their success. Here, creative input in for example design is a relatively accessible resource, whereas the ‘tricks of the trade’, understood as a good business sense, is harder to come by. Fashion is one of the cultural industries, and this sector is often mentioned as the forerunner in the creatively driven economy. Hence, the notable focus on the more mundane aspects of how to run a business in a supposedly creative industry like fashion is a bit unanticipated. This does not suggest that creativity is irrelevant in fashion, but rather that there is an excess of aesthetic talent and that there is a need for a holistic business approach even in the creative economy. In this article we see how fashion firms combine a business focus with an important input of creativity.

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