The rising of the Chinese regional cluster specializing on fashion in Lombardy : an evolutionary analysis

Purpose: We investigate the rise of a Chinese fashion cluster in Lombardy. Design/methodology/approach: Three approaches and descending levels of analysis are integrated: a quantitative analysis based on demographic data to highlight the evolution of the regional distribution of Chinese and Chinese entrepreneurship in Lombardy; literature review to reconstruct the historical development of Chinatown in Milan; few in depth interviews and a survey to represent how Chinese leaving in Chinatown perceive the changing role of the enclave. Findings: Chinese in Lombardy are rising a regional ethnic fashion cluster. This cluster is rising out of three major drivers: ethnic social capital as source of community based entrepreneurship; the crises of traditional industrials districts in the 90s as trigger opportunity; the trans-regionalization of the fashion industry as main driver of its current development. The rising of this cluster is bottom-up. Research limitations/implications: Our findings are based on a single case study. However, there are evidences showing that Chinese are rising regional and or inter-regional clusters in order institutional settings. However, this study may benefit from the comparison with other institutional and national contexts. Practical implications: Chinese entrepreneurship may foster regional grow as complementary source of cultural variety, internationalization, and multi-regional co-specialization. Originality/value: This paper contributes to exiting literature by proposing a would be theory of the evolution of regional ethnic clusters.