Between fragmentation and circularity: design directions for the transition of Italian fashion

Abstract

The transition to circular models in Italian fashion is not primarily a technical challenge, but
a systemic one. In the context of an industry characterised by fragmented production, local SMEs and distributed knowledge, circularity primarily emerges as a widespread capacity for coordination, resemantisation of value, and integration between technological innovation and local skills. Based on the analysis of three case studies (a community platform, an automatic classification technology system, and a material processing company) and ethnographic observations of creative micro-enterprises, this article analyses how services, organisational configurations and local infrastructures enable or hinder the circular transition in the Italian context. The study identifies four interconnected barriers (economic, technical, cultural, and regulatory) that require coordinated action. In response, it proposes three design directions: (1) enabling infrastructures that bring together fragmented actors without imposing centralisation, (2) re-semantisation of value through narrative and experiential design, (3) configuration of hybrid technological-artisan processes. This study highlights how integrated design approaches, rather than isolated technical innovation, are the critical lever for making circularity economically sustainable, culturally desirable, and operationally feasible in the context of Italian territorial SMEs.