An analysis of the changes in the knitwear/clothing district of Carpi during the 1980s

Abstract

Abstract The aim of this paper is to describe how the knitwear/clothing industry in Carpi works and the changes that have occurred during the 1980s. During the past decade, strong competition from countries with lower labour costs and changes in the Italian consumers' tastes have forced Carpi firms to change their ways of marketing and production in order to maintain, the level of competitiveness. The changes affecting Carpi's district, analysed in this paper, refer to organization of production, diversification of production, economic relationships with firms outside the Carpi area and the local industrial policy in respect to Carpi firms. Thus, the Carpi district has been able not only to maintain the level of employment seen towards the end of the 1970s, but also to increase its production output. Keywords: knitwearclothingindependent firmssubcontractorsspecialization