The importance of design in
product innovation has grown
dramatically during the last few years whole over the world in areas like
clothing, footwear and other accessories. Traditionally, design was considered an exception reserved for luxury segments and sophisticated niche markets that could appreciate a product’s aesthetic and artistic values. Now, design is becoming the synthetic expression of a range of managerial processes, including product innovation, communication, distribution channels, and renewed customer relations, that are innovating products by adding communicative value. Major opportunities are opening up to manufacturers in both mature and emerging sectors.