Visionary Leadership

Abstract

By nature, fashion is constantly metamorphosing, producing unstable environments for retail organizations. Rivalry has also increased in consolidated markets. In response, firms have adopted own-brand strategies and internalized design, providing levers to differentiate, control costs and quality. Leverage is manifest throughout these firms' propositions, yet little is known about how leaders steer these brands. This chapter offers rich insights from a 3-year empirical study of twenty design leaders in seven large exemplary UK-based fashion retailers: specifically, of what they ‘do' to navigate fashion retail markets. The results reveal that visionary design leaders are formally design-trained, enabling them to remain intensely ‘hands-on' through a wide portfolio of interconnected roles. This expertise, modus operandi and breadth of activity enable them to envision and deliver unique and compelling brand propositions to the exacting standards demanded by this volatile industry.