Preface - Product innovation in the global fashion industry

In mature industries, design or style often serves as the source of innovation. As seen the success of Apple’s iPhone, it was not a result of inferior technology that Nokia lost its market share but rather, aesthetics. Combining technologies to create aesthetically and symbolically appealing products—thus creating something drastically different from previous products in the market—was the key to success even in sectors that are traditionally driven by technological standards. In many industries—from automobiles to hotels, not to mention creative industries such as fashion and design—a growing portion of innovation is linked with aesthetic and symbolic elements of products or services (i.e. their style) (Cappeta et al., 2006).i While not systematically addressed, innovations in style or design are a critical agent of change in mature industries.