New Sustainable Fashion

Presentation: New Sustainable Fashion

Supported by Vogue Talents. With exclusive Patagonia key-note speech and networking event. Sustainability is reshaping the rules of the game of the fashion industry. Starting the long and complex journey of integrating ethics and aesthetics into the value chain, working on responsible innovation is nowadays not just desirable but necessary. Nowadays the companies need to make a “sustainable” business model also “contemporary”, answering the needs of the Millennials and the future generations. A careful use of technology could catalyze this shift. The short course is aiming at preparing graduate and graduating students, young managers, professionals and young entrepeneurs to deal with the complexity of responsibility in the fashion industry by providing concrete tools and sharing inspiring business practices.

 

Course content

BRAND MANAGEMENT & FASHION SUSTAINABILITY

The “brand management & fashion sustainability” module will provide the tools to manage a brand in fashion. It will include a key-note speech by the Environment/Social Initiatives Manager of Patagonia Europe. This first module has the aim of sharing with the participants an inspiring business practice. Also the role of a CSR manager will be discussed and analyzed. Then the course contents will start with several lectures aimed at providing the tools needed to manage responsibility in fashion & luxury. The brief for a group assignment will be shared with the participants.
 

FASHION INNOVATION

The “fashion innovation” module will focus on how materials, products, supply chains  & retail can be innovated through sustainability, focusing on: how and where to select innovative fibers, how to build an ingredient branding strategy, managing transparency and traceability in the supply chain, how to fight counterfeiting on a strategic and legal point of view, how to apply the sustainability principles to the retail space.
 

TRANSMEDIA STORYTELLING

The “transmedia storytelling” module aims at discussing some best practices of transmedia storytelling in sustainable fashion & luxury. The module will focus on: communicating transparency along the value chain, communicating the sustainable ingredients, building a successful transmedia storytelling strategy.

FASHION FUTURE

The “fashion future” module will provide tools and food for thoughts on the following topics: design thinking approach for sustainable fashion & luxury, wearable technologies for sustainable fashion & luxury, the principles of circular economy for apparel, crowdfunding for sustainable fashion & luxury, launching and developing a start-up in sustainable fashion & luxury.
 

TUTORSHIPS AND EMPOWERMENT

Several individual and group meetings will be carried out to revise the course assignments and/or the business plans of the entrepreneurs that attend the course. Crafting new business models in fashion & luxury will be the main topic of discussion: practical tools for entrepreneurs will be shared.
 

COMPANY VISITS

The company visits are a relevant part of the course contents and they provide the practical perspective needed when talking about sustainability.

There will be the following company visits:

-    Candiani Denim, fabric manufacturer (http://www.candianidenim.it)

-    Radici Group, fiber manufacturer (http://www.radicigroup.com/en)

-    Eurojersey, fabric manufacturer (http://www.sensitivefabrics.it/en/)

-    Herno, final product manufacturer and distributor (http://www.herno.it)

-    Cittadellarte (http://www.cittadellarte.it) & Biella industrial district, among the most relevant industrial districts present in Italy. Some leading luxury companies will open the doors to the participants of the “New Sustainable Fashion” course and will be discussing about the new challenges in sustainability also during a round table at Cittadellarte. Cittadellarte is a new form of artistic and cultural institution that places art in direct interaction with the various sectors of society to inspire and produce responsible transformation through ideas and creative projects. Cittadellarte Fashion B.E.S.T., born in 2009, is an operative workshop dedicated to the development of sustainability in the textile industry, and gathers in a platform dozens of companies producing eco-sustainable fabrics, yarns and fashion accessories.
 

PATAGONIA AND VOGUE TALENTS NETWORKING EVENTS

The participants will have the chance to attend a Patagonia Networking event in the Milanese flagship store in Corso Garibaldi. All the participants will also participate to the Vogue Talents event “Who is on Next 2017” during the Milano Fashion Week in September 2017.

 

Course format: 

• 3 weeks, 15 days, from Monday till Friday, for a total of 80 lecture hours

Qualifications/expertise after completing the program

The short course “New Sustainable Fashion” also aims at:

-    Preparing the participants to deal with the complexity of responsibility in the fashion industry;

-    Providing concrete tools to learn how and where to select innovative fibers in fashion, how to build an ingredient branding strategy in sustainability how to create and apply some good responsibility guidelines, how to structure a good sustainability report, how to structure a good business plan in sustainable fashion;

-    Sharing inspiring business practices in both mass market, premium and luxury segment, for the different business models.

 

Entry requirements

In order to apply for the admission to the course, the candidate must be currently enrolled at a Bachelor of Art/Science course or have a degree equal to or higher than a Bachelor.
Young entrepreneurs, recent graduates with three-year degree or specialist degree, and graduates from design schools and faculties, business and economics, marketing and communication,  engineering,  architecture, languages, law, humanities.

Admission criteria: 

The selection process will be based on the evaluation of the CV and the application form.
To apply for admission, the candidate must:

1. Fill the online application form;

2. Attach the CV in European format in the online application form.
After receiving the documents, Milano Fashion Institute will inform the applicant on the selection final result (admission or non admission).

Course cost description: 

A full scholarship offered by Vogue Talents gives a unique opportunity to attend the   course: in order to participate to the selection the candidates need to send a 20 slides business plan on a new product/service in sustainable fashion. The scholarship winner will be awarded by the Vogue Talents team after a careful evaluation of all the business plans received. The winner will be awarded with the free participation to the course and will receive media coverage. The winner will also have the chance to carry out 1 month internship experience in the CSR department of Gucci as leading company in sustainable luxury.

In order to participate to the selection process, please send your business plan to the following email address: info@milanofashioninstitute.it

 

 

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