Sergio Rossi and Its Magic Kingdom: Artistic Interventions, Brand Identity Renewal, and Stakeholder Awareness

Abstract

This chapter explores how artification achieved through artistic interventions can enhance brand identity renewal in an organization and, thereby, expand the CSR approach of luxury fashion companies. We conducted an exploratory study on Sergio Rossi, the iconic Italian luxury brand for leather shoes. Sergio Rossi launched a creative process to renew its brand and company identity by reemphasizing the role of the factory, its Magic Kingdom. This case integrates CSR literature with artification by moving beyond positioning art collections as a philanthropic CSR activity. It shows how involving artists at the workplace can affect how management and employees perceive and relate to their company, its product and production process, as well as to the local context in which the company is embedded. This chapter proposes a research agenda to study the dynamics and the outcomes of artistic interventions in different cultural settings and recommends enriching CSR research with notions from artification and aesthetic theory.