Textile and Apparel Industries

Entrepreneurial Apparel Design, Development and Production: An Embedded Socio-Economic Process

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Abstract

Individuals who launch entrepreneurial apparel design, development, and production businesses often experience start-up difficulties associated with resource availability and constraints, as well as incomplete knowledge and perceptions of opportunities in the apparel industry. We examine the concept of embeddedness as a mechanism for accessing resources and for addressing information gaps. This empirical research uses Giddens’ theory of structuration to investigate the conception of entrepreneurship, involved in regional apparel design, development, and production, as an embedded socio-economic process. Application of structuration enables exploration of the link between entrepreneurship (as agent) and the context (as structure); thus, allowing study of how social structures affect or encourage entrepreneurial activity. Qualitative methodology was employed as the objectives were to explore and understand the relationships acquired rather than to measure. Drawing evidence from a longitudinal study of three regional supporting structures and their impact ont hree entrepreneurial apparel design, development, and production businesses,this research presents an initial investigation into embeddedness over time.

Keywords: Keywords: apparel production, entrepreneurship

How to Cite:

Engel-Enright, C. & Miller, N. J., (2019) “Entrepreneurial Apparel Design, Development and Production: An Embedded Socio-Economic Process”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 76(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.8274