Title: The uniqueness of the Montreal fur industry in an apparel sector adrift: the role of proximity

Authors: Juan-Luis Klein, Diane-Gabrielle Tremblay, Jean-Marc Fontan, Nathalie Guay

Addresses: Centre de recherche sur les innovations sociales (CRISES), Universite de Quebec a Montreal, Case postale 8888, succursale Centre-ville, Montreal, Quebec H3C 3P8, Canada. ' Centre de recherche sur les innovations sociales (CRISES), Universite de Quebec a Montreal, Case postale 8888, succursale Centre-ville, Montreal, Quebec H3C 3P8, Canada. ' Centre de recherche sur les innovations sociales (CRISES), Universite de Quebec a Montreal, Case postale 8888, succursale Centre-ville, Montreal, Quebec H3C 3P8, Canada. ' Centre de recherche sur les innovations sociales (CRISES), Universite de Quebec a Montreal, Case postale 8888, succursale Centre-ville, Montreal, Quebec H3C 3P8, Canada

Abstract: In spite of a crisis in the Montreal apparel industry, the fur sector in the province of Quebec has remained very dynamic. Concentrated in Montreal, in a centrally located and well-defined area known as the |fur district|, it reorganised and was able to retain its market share, particularly its share of the international market, while remaining Montreal-based and without relocating to another district. How does one explain the uniqueness of Montreal|s fur industry – an industry whose innovative character is acknowledged by all the apparel stakeholders? The hypothesis of the present text is that the success of Montreal|s fur industry stems from the introduction of a flexible yet aggressive form of governance with sector-specific, social and territorial characteristics.

Keywords: apparel industry; garment industry; clothing industry; fur industry; governance; proximity; innovation management; Canada; Montreal.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEIM.2007.012886

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, 2007 Vol.7 No.2/3/4/5, pp.298 - 319

Published online: 21 Mar 2007 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article