Collaborative mass customization of footwear: conceptualization of a three-stage holistic model

Abstract

Despite Mass Customization being already well known and quite studied in the literature, the interest in this productive approach has not been exhausted. This happens due to the continuous evolution of the paradigm based on technological evolution and on the increasing heterogeneity of the consumer profile. In fact, in the fashion industry and specifically in the footwear sector, there is a continuous interest in approaches that answer to commercial pretensions of the brands/industry, to consumers differentiation needs and to requirements of sustainability. Thus, Collaborative Mass Customization of Footwear (CMCF) is a solution to be considered by business strategy evaluators, such as managers, marketers and designers. The objective of the present study is to define the principles for a more holistic methodology to assist the development of CMCF, based on a literature review. As results, a proposal of a CMCF model and framework are presented. It is aimed to contribute to the theoretical reflection of the Co-design applied to the Mass Customization of footwear.