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In the last decade, there has been a wider recognition of fashion as an integral part of cultural, prevalently intangible heritage and of creative industries. Creative Industries, according to the European Commission, form complex and interlinked value chains, from the design and manufacturing of goods (e.g., in the fashion sector: textiles, clothing, footwear, leather, fur products, jewelry and accessories) and high-end goods, to their distribution and retail. Fashion has long ago abandoned a marginalized position within culture and museums, taking center stage in exhibitions and collections. The case of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York provides a vivid image of this change in status: the most visited exhibition thus far has been “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination” in 2018, surpassing with its 1,659,647 visitors the prior number one, which had been “Treasures of Tutankhamun” in 1978. As we will see further down, such process has developed in parallel with a clear inclusion of fashion among the culture and creative industries, as proposed, by UNESCO in 2023, in a flagship report fully devoted to African fashion. While tourism and fashion have been seldom studied in conjunction, in 2023 the Tourism Social Science Series published Fashion and Tourism: Parallel Stories, exploring their interlinkages. Such interest, and relevant practices that have emerged, made UN Tourism join forces with the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) to produce a baseline tourism and fashion report. It fits the cultural tourism work streamline and builds, upon previous UN Tourism research focus on fashion without exploring its specificities. This sector is also reflected in a UN Tourism publication on shopping tourism, which has considered fashion from the trade viewpoint. In fact, buying fashion items (textile, accessories or other items) is not just a functional choice as they can be folded and well packed. The act of purchase implies a series of meanings; fashion related items represent a sense of place, lifestyle and often popular culture. The mementos of one’s trip might be linked to traditional designs, or contemporary artisanal and design practices.
Objectives, methodology and structure
The aim of this report is to research the relationship between fashion – as part of the creative economy – and cultural tourism. The research explores these phenomena in both directions: i) from tourism to fashion: highlighting how tourism impacts fashion, and ii) from fashion to tourism: exploring how fashion items, practices and events attract travelers to visit specific destinations. This publication is intended for policymakers and professionals engaged in both domains, interested in leveraging the many opportunities generated by the interactions between fashion and tourism. This baseline report aspires to:
The methodology involved developing a comprehensive questionnaire, along with in-depth interviews with selected participants. Collecting direct evidence provided additional details relevant to present the case studies. The report consists of various conceptual and theoretical chapters, a compendium of good practices, and a set of recommendations targeting governments and destinations.
In the last decade, there has been a wider recognition of fashion as an integral part of cultural, prevalently intangible heritage and of creative industries. Creative Industries, according to the European Commission, form complex and interlinked value chains, from the design and manufacturing of goods (e.g., in the fashion sector: textiles, clothing, footwear, leather, fur products, jewelry and accessories) and high-end goods, to their distribution and retail. Fashion has long ago abandoned a marginalized position within culture and museums, taking center stage in exhibitions and collections. The case of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York provides a vivid image of this change in status: the most visited exhibition thus far has been “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination” in 2018, surpassing with its 1,659,647 visitors the prior number one, which had been “Treasures of Tutankhamun” in 1978. As we will see further down, such process has developed in parallel with a clear inclusion of fashion among the culture and creative industries, as proposed, by UNESCO in 2023, in a flagship report fully devoted to African fashion. While tourism and fashion have been seldom studied in conjunction, in 2023 the Tourism Social Science Series published Fashion and Tourism: Parallel Stories, exploring their interlinkages. Such interest, and relevant practices that have emerged, made UN Tourism join forces with the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) to produce a baseline tourism and fashion report. It fits the cultural tourism work streamline and builds, upon previous UN Tourism research focus on fashion without exploring its specificities. This sector is also reflected in a UN Tourism publication on shopping tourism, which has considered fashion from the trade viewpoint. In fact, buying fashion items (textile, accessories or other items) is not just a functional choice as they can be folded and well packed. The act of purchase implies a series of meanings; fashion related items represent a sense of place, lifestyle and often popular culture. The mementos of one’s trip might be linked to traditional designs, or contemporary artisanal and design practices.
Objectives, methodology and structure
The aim of this report is to research the relationship between fashion – as part of the creative economy – and cultural tourism. The research explores these phenomena in both directions: i) from tourism to fashion: highlighting how tourism impacts fashion, and ii) from fashion to tourism: exploring how fashion items, practices and events attract travelers to visit specific destinations. This publication is intended for policymakers and professionals engaged in both domains, interested in leveraging the many opportunities generated by the interactions between fashion and tourism. This baseline report aspires to:
The methodology involved developing a comprehensive questionnaire, along with in-depth interviews with selected participants. Collecting direct evidence provided additional details relevant to present the case studies. The report consists of various conceptual and theoretical chapters, a compendium of good practices, and a set of recommendations targeting governments and destinations.
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