There is little doubt that the current financial recession affecting so many parts of the world has contributed to a major shift in the global creative landscapes and fashion consumption habits. The leading roles played by North-American and European economies has, over the last four years, slowly been replaced by hitherto secondary characters performed by nations such as Brazil, China, India and Russia, where the emergence of relatively stable economies has allowed for the establishment of a new world order. Slowly, countries such as Italy, France or the United States have lost their key positions as leaders in the fashion and textile and footwear production arenas, having lost their reputation as qualitative producers to be seen mostly as quantitative consumers.