In recent years, increasing stress on socio-ecological systems has highlighted the limits of traditional sustainability approaches, fostering growing interest in regenerative perspectives aimed at restoring natural assets and supporting long-term resilience. These approaches may be particularly relevant for the fashion industry, given the environmental pressures associated with production activities and the complexity of global supply chains. However, regenerative approaches are still nascent in the fashion industry, and the literature offers limited insight into how such models emerge and consolidate over time. To address this gap, this study analyses the development of a regenerative initiative in the fashion industry through the lens of Institutional Theory. This perspective is particularly suitable to examine how coercive, normative, and mimetic pressures affect the different actors involved and how these pressures are interpreted and translated into practices over time, contributing to the institutionalization of new business models based on regenerative approaches.
From a methodological perspective, the study builds on a longitudinal single embedded case study of the Apulian Regenerative Cotton Project promoted by Armani, a leading luxury fashion brand. The analysis considers the key actors involved in the initiative, including the focal firm, scientific partners, and local agricultural firms across the supply chain, following the project from its inception to garment production. The findings suggest that normative pressures play a central role in orienting actors’ behaviours and in defining appropriate practices throughout the initiative. Mimetic pressures emerge as the initiative gains visibility, while coercive pressures remain relatively limited, although potentially evolving in connection with emerging regulatory frameworks. Overall, the institutionalization process appears as gradual and non-linear, shaped by the continuous interpretation and translation of multiple pressures into concrete practices through the interaction among actors. Overall, this study contributes to the literature by providing an empirical analysis of a regenerative initiative in the fashion industry through the lens of Institutional Theory, showing how regenerative business models may emerge and diffuse. From a practical perspective, the findings highlight the importance of recognising and managing multiple institutional pressures, as well as supporting coordination among heterogeneous actors involved in the development of such initiatives.