Denim and the City

The role of the creative industries has been discussed as highly relevant in impacting cities’ development. Over the last years, cultural economists have become interested in examining the role of creativity in the urban economy while policy makers have started developing new models in which culture and creativity are seen as fundamental drivers of innovation. By analysing the role of stakeholders in the development of urban growth, this study focuses on examining the benefits of denim-related stakeholders to cluster in Amsterdam. In fact, Amsterdam has been developing as a ‘second tier’ fashion industry in which the denim industry plays an important scene in the sector’s economy while influencing the branding of the city as the ‘denim capital’. The thesis aims at analysing whether clustering in Amsterdam allows the development of fashion creative hubs related to denim production and distribution and how denim-related stakeholders, such as designers, brand owners and freelancers benefit from agglomerating in the Dutch capital. Additionally, policy making regarding circularity and sustainability of the sector is analysed, aiming at better understanding how governments can invest in creative industries to foster the city’s development and decrease the environmental impact of production and distribution of denim garments within society. Qualitative data are collected by conducting semi-structured interviews to a representative sample of entrepreneurs and workers within denim companies and organizations that can benefit from the clustering in Amsterdam. Findings show that stakeholders that cluster in Amsterdam greatly benefit for a variety of reasons, such as social circumstances, international settings and the access to events and initiatives that support the industry. Both cooperation between parties and the investment in infrastructures are proven to provide a competitive advantage for the development of the denim cluster.