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This paper deals with the role of brands in the emergence of the Italian fashion business. Starting from the mid-1950s, the main Italian clothing manufacturer Gruppo Finanziario Tessile (GFT) managed brands to build a domestic market for mass-produced clothing. In the 1970s increasing competition and changing consumption patterns pushed GFT towards partnerships with leading fashion designers for building new brands and entering international markets. The emergence of strong designers' brands determined major organisational challenges that resulted in opposite outcomes: the demise of GFT, which failed in its attempt to control the entire value chain, and designers' achievement of an international standing in the fashion industry thanks to improved brand management capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]