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Symplatform: an international symposium on digital platforms

Posted on | by Veronica Rafaniello | Leave a Comment on Symplatform: an international symposium on digital platforms

 

Over the last years, the relevance of digital-based business model increased significantly. Airbnb, Uber or BlaBlaCar showed the great potentialities of companies that aim to get together different groups of customers – like travelers and hosts – through the opportunities provided by digital technologies.

We are pleased to launch the first edition of Symplatform, a symposium on digital platforms that aims to get together both scholars and practitioners.

Symplatform is a joint project developed by Trinity College Dublin, Politecnico di Milano School of Management and Audencia Business School.

The first edition will take place at the Trinity Centre for Digital Business at Trinity College Dublin on April 16th and 17th, 2020.

The symposium is going to be based on various formats: parallel sessions with academic papers, “Pitch your challenge” sessions led by practitioners and collaborative workshops to help the platform field to move forward.
Further information can be found at Symplatform.com.

The MBA gets started: my initial experience with the Basics in Digital phase

Posted on | by Veronica Rafaniello | Leave a Comment on The MBA gets started: my initial experience with the Basics in Digital phase

My MBA gets started

 

Starting an MBA program, especially for someone coming from the area of Humanities like myself, can be exciting and a little scary at the same time. The idea of diving full time into all the thrills of an international master with a class made up of people coming from all over the world is undeniably stimulating, but when it comes to subjects like Financial Accounting or Management Accounting, which are part of the courses taught, the lack of a business background may look like a hurdle.

To overcome this problem, which is indeed particularly relevant for the very diverse class of students attending the program, ranging from engineers to philosophers, the first part of the MBA experience, called Basics in Digital, is meant to give all the candidates the knowledge and understanding of basic business concepts and management functions through a platform for digital learning. Delivered completely online, the platform arranges these topics in the form of video-modules that can be watched on a schedule managed by each candidate at their own pace. At the end of the videos, there is a close-ended question to verify the understanding of the topic treated.

The advantages of online distance learning are particularly effective in this initial phase of the program as a flexible way to let the candidates arrange their transfer to Milan or transition from their previous job positions to a full-time student life. The platform also works as a library accessible anytime, anywhere, and from multiple devices. A dedicated app is included and this will be useful later on, when the face-to-face lectures start, as a tool to review the main concepts of each subject.

In order to verify that all the subjects have been understood thoroughly, during the months of September and October a live Q&A session has been planned for each course. The instructors revise the syllabus and are available to answer all the doubts raised from the clips and to bring the discussion to further topics. The class is often stimulated to reason on business cases or to play business games that foster interactive and participative learning. During the following weeks, the teachers are also available for tutorship sessions on a forum, where the contents are furtherly developed and discussed. This online exchange makes it sure that alignment in the classroom is achieved at a general level.

In my case, the Basics in Digital phase has been a way to challenge my knowledge in areas of study I had never explored and to find an interest in unexpected topics, that I look forward to diving into in the upcoming months. During these first weeks, I have also had the chance to meet some of my future colleagues in person, as MIP is open to the students. Our study group has grown in number day after day and we have started to compare notes on the courses, helping each other with our competences and according to our areas of expertise. Up to now, this start has been very promising and it has all the premises for a memorable journey to come.
I will keep you in the loop!

 

About the author
 Marianna Trimarchi
I am a candidate of the International Full Time MBA at MIP. I have a background in academia as a PhD in Communication and Strategic Analysis and a career as content producer in the Media Industry.I have worked for the Italian Television as author and assistant producer for cultural programs as well as for other media outlets as journalist. I am passionate about understanding complex phenomena particularly related to internationalization and global development from a multidisciplinary perspective.

 

 

Prada Group presents “Shaping a Sustainable Future Society”

Posted on | by albe@mip.polimi.it | Leave a Comment on Prada Group presents “Shaping a Sustainable Future Society”

The Prada Group will present “Shaping a Sustainable Future Society” on November 8th 2019 in New York, marking the third edition of the Group’s conferences dedicated to stimulate a debate on the most significant changes taking place in contemporary society.

This year’s event will explore the meaning of social sustainability seeking to define what this truly means. The speakers will reflect on the responsibility of business and institutions to foster an environment that encourages freedom, equality and justice. Dialectic thought and diverse perspectives will underpin the day’s discussions and the various speeches. True to the Shaping series usual format, rigorous academic research will be an integral part of the day.

The morning will start with a keynote speech by acclaimed architect Sir David Adjaye OBE, followed by a roundtable dedicated to discuss on how businesses can keep abreast of new challenges posed by an ever-evolving society; the conversation will be moderated by Professor Gianni Riotta, journalist and Executive Vice President of the Italy-US Council.
The panel will involve speakers with diverse experience and expertise, including Richard Armstrong, Director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation; Amale Andraos, Dean of the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation; Mariarosa Cutillo, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) – Chief of Strategic Partnerships; Amanda Gorman, poet and activist; Kent Larson, City Science Director at MIT Media Lab and Livia Pomodoro, President of Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera, former Magistrate and President of the Court of Milan.
The roundtable will be followed by the contribution of Paralympic champion Simone Barlaam.

The event will continue by offering the contribution of the two academic partners, the Schools of Management of Yale and Politecnico di Milano, to explore the conference’s theme from two different perspectives. The Yale Center for Customer Insights will present a survey developed in partnership with the Prada Group on how consumer choices and behaviors are affected by social issues. Moderated by Gianni Riotta, a free-flowing discussion between Professor Raffaella Cagliano from Politecnico di Milano School of Management and Professor Kate Crawford, writer, composer and producer will follow, to examine how innovative digital technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), are reshaping our daily lives, and how society should anticipate and manage the risks of biased or unethical use of digital technologies.
The day’s closing remarks will be provided by Rula Jebreal, award-winning journalist, author and foreign policy expert.

The whole conference will be live-streamed on www.pradagroup.com, starting at 9.30 am EST / 3.30 pm CET. Follow the day on social media via @Prada, which will tweet live from the event and join the conversation with #ShapingASustainableSociety
An overview of the event, as well as the agenda of the day and the gallery of speakers are available on the Prada Group website in a dedicated section.
For further information: Prada Press Office Tel. +39 02 567 811 e-mail: corporatepress@prada.com www.pradagroup.com
About “Shaping a Future” conferences:
Since 2017, the Prada Group has hosted an annual conference with the aim of stimulating a debate on the most significant changes taking place in contemporary society. In both editions, Prada collaborated with the Schools of Management of both Yale and Politecnico di Milano.
The first conference in 2017, entitled “Shaping a Creative Future” addressed the links between creativity, sustainability and innovation. The second conference in 2018, “Shaping a Sustainable Digital Future” explored the relationship between sustainability and digital innovation.
The conference series format consists of keynote speeches, panel discussions, and students’ competitions.

MBA Environment

Posted on | by Veronica Rafaniello | Leave a Comment on MBA Environment

 

In my last article in this series, I wanted to take the time and opportunity to write about what in my view is the most valuable resource that you will receive in an International MBA program such as the one at MIP, the people with whom you will interact and live this experience.

As an engineer, working for over 10 years in the same industry, I hardly got to interact actively with other professionals. I would go even further, from an earlier age, at high school when the division between “science” and “arts” was made, my interactions were limited just to people like myself.

Sure, I have worked together with Marketing or other departments, but always in the context of an engineering background. So while deciding who to work with on the final Project Work, I could not have imagined finding a more unique team.

Back in November, we had to make a decision, what would our final Project Work be? I hesitated to do something based on technology and for that reason, I explored other options. Here is when the first member of the team came into play. In my view, one of the best reasons for taking an MBA is a great network that you will develop. I realized this early enough, and one of the reasons was my relationship with Massimiliano Mesenasco. Massimiliano started the MBA working at Orange and it was already on our first day at MIP that we started discussing different technologies and applications. Over several meals at the local trattoria, we polished up our proposal for Project Work. It is amazing how people working in the same industry, looking at it from different angles, can arrive at ideas that, without this connection, would not be possible.

We had the idea, but we needed support. The first came from Marketing. Matteo Guerrini has extensive experience in Marketing in different industries such as the Automotive, Luxury or Alcoholic Drinks sectors. With a great entrepreneurial spirit, he is currently starting his own business. In addition, he has supported MBA initiatives such as the one successfully developed by Divya Singh, UBIQUE. Despite our great personal relationship, he was the perfect match for the project. This is one of those connections that would never have been possible without the unique framework that such an MBA program provides for its students. For me, without any knowledge of fashion, everything Matteo does is of great interest. This is such an enormous industry, could there be a way of bringing marketing concepts which have long been developed for fashion into tech firms?

The last member of the team is someone that I deeply envy. One of my biggest regrets in life is not having had the chance to have my own restaurant. I love cooking and all the ritual which surrounds it. Niccolo Santocchini and his family had, over the years, developed a successful chain of restaurants with an international presence, which I could not ask him enough about. I would not have got this opportunity anywhere other than in Italy and at MIP. Niccolo is currently moving into a new industry and this is another great example of a unique opportunity that such an MBA program can open up to you. Niccolo brought to the team his deep knowledge of operations that we would definitely need in order to evaluate the viability of our project implementation. International operations would be fundamental for our work.

These kinds of interactions would not be possible without the ecosystem of such an international program. For sure you can develop such connections in your daily life, but you would never be in the context that an MBA provides. My Project Work team is just a small sample out of all the people that I had the chance to work with. Over the course of two years and endless assignments, you are working with a group of people who come from completely different backgrounds and enrich the discussion with their very specific viewpoints. This is in my view the main reason why you should be thinking about starting your MBA journey.

I hope you have enjoyed this set of articles. I intended to look at the MBA far from the traditional knowledge-based point of view and more in terms of what in my experience really makes the difference. I had a great time at MIP and I look forward to using all these tools in my future personal life and professional career!

 

About the author
 Pedro López Estepa
I am Pedro López Estepa, an International Part-Time MBA student at MIP Politecnico di Milano. I received a Master in Telecommunication Engineering from Granada University in 2010, spending the last year, including the Master Thesis, at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne.My career has been focused on high-tech corporations, initially as part of their R&D departments and during the last few years, the focus has been on developing long-term strategic partnerships in different sectors, including IoT, Automotive, Robotics and Medical.

Being part of u-blox strategy team allows me to working with international cross-functional teams inside and outside the organization, key partners, investors and at the same time that contributing to worldwide projects as business opportunities arise.

 

 

Knowing how to learn: the biggest challenge for tomorrow’s leaders

Posted on | by Veronica Rafaniello | Leave a Comment on Knowing how to learn: the biggest challenge for tomorrow’s leaders

Soft Skills: why they are important

 

In an increasingly uncertain and rapidly evolving world, it becomes more and more important for a manager to have the ability to learn and to adapt to new situations. This is why soft skills are destined to become more important than hard skills

 

Managers of the future can’t do without soft skills. This becomes clear when reading the Future of Jobs Report 2018, the lengthy white paper published by the World Economic Forum that takes stock of global trends in the world of work. According to forecasts, by 2022 the market will favour a workforce able to think critically, to innovate, to create, to learn. This is true for everyone, but even more important for those who prepare to fill a leadership role.

A rapidly changing context

The fine-tuning of artificial intelligence and of machine learning, along with the explosion of big data, will shift the man-machine balance. And the political and economic future of the planet will be increasingly difficult to predict. It’s easy to see why the acronym coined in 1987, VUCA, is once again in vogue with its terms that perfectly describe both today’s world and that of the future: Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity. It’s due to these factors that hard skills are no longer enough.

Watchword: reskilling

It’s not surprising, therefore, that the Future of Jobs Report talks about imperative reskilling: where hard skills are no longer enough, the watchword becomes requalification. But, to do that, it’s important to be equipped with the right tools. This is how skills such as analytical thinking, learning strategies, creativity, originality, spirit of initiative will surpass in the rankings both hard skills and soft skills that previously had dominated (the “classic” example of problem solving is a case in point): learning and knowing how to learn is by far the most important ability, especially if we think of a leader who, like it or not, will be forced to deal regularly with VUCA situations. The leaders of tomorrow, as the US magazine Forbes also notes, “must be agile and able to embrace and celebrate change (…) they won’t see change as a burden, but as an opportunity for growth and innovation”. A challenge that’s certainly complex, but unavoidable: according to the World Economic Forum, the reskilling process will involve at least 54% of managers.

Leading people, orienting yourself in the world

All this without forgetting that the qualities of leaders also involve and will continue to involve abilities that are strictly tied to their role, like strategic vision, the ability to communicate objectives to one’s team and to motivate it, to give a few examples. Also on this front, old leadership models soon will no longer work, because the composition of the workforce will change: Millennials have different expectations than their grandparents and parents, and they tend to be much less “faithful”, if they perceive a lack of stimuli and gratification. The leader of the future must also take this into account, in addition to being able to navigate in the world that surrounds them, they must understand its changes, even sudden ones, and know what possibilities are offered by new technologies. Objectives that can be aimed for only by those who have the appropriate soft skills. The World Economic Forum explains clearly that “a skills deficit (…) can significantly hinder the adoption of new technologies and, therefore, the growth of the company”.

Financial Times Masters in Management 2019 Ranking

Posted on | by Veronica Rafaniello | Leave a Comment on Financial Times Masters in Management 2019 Ranking

 

The School of Management of Politecnico di Milano among the top 5 technical schools in the world for its Master of Science in Management Engineering

 

Politecnico di Milano’s School of Management holds its place among the world’s leading business schools and is in the top five for schools belonging to a “technical” university with a specific focus on engineering and technology, with its Master of Science in Management Engineering.

This is according to the Financial Times, which has published its Masters in Management Ranking 2019, placing the Milanese school’s long-standing program among the top 94 in absolute terms and among the top five for programs taught at business schools connected to technical universities, as is Politecnico di Milano. And that is not all, the School’s Master of Science in Management Engineering is also among the top five globally for Management Engineering, that is, among programs with a similar structure and set of contents.

The ranking examined a series of aspects, giving high scores for the graduate’s career prospects, both in Italy and abroad, the pay levels that this program can lead to and the opportunity for students to be offered internships in leading companies during their studies. Other factors include the School’s excellent price-quality ratio, its highly international faculty and the study and placement opportunities offered outside Italy.

“Very few Masters in Management Engineering can be measured directly against ours”, confirms Stefano Ronchi, President of the degree course in Management Engineering at Politecnico di Milano. “Our distinctive feature is that we place courses in management, economics and finance alongside our teachings in engineering and technical subjects, which are indispensable to understand and oversee the digital transformation that will increasingly permeate throughout company development. We are able to give our students a strong grounding in management while helping them to cultivate an analytical and engineering mindset that can be applied to identifying and solving problems”.

The School of Management of Politecnico di Milano brings together the Department of Management Engineering and MIP, the Business School of the Milan-based university.

In a joint statement, Alessandro Perego and Andrea Sianesi, the Department’s Director and the President and Dean of MIP, respectively, explain: “The FT’s recognition is, as always, extremely important for all our Master students, alumni and graduates. For years, we have concentrated on an international approach to our courses and on competencies linked to digital transformation. The Financial Times’ conclusions show that we are on the right path, as it places us among the best management schools in the world with a strong emphasis on technology and engineering”.

 

The 2019 International Conference on Strategic Management (ICSM)

On 28 and 29 October, THE 2019 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT(ICSM) will be held in our Bovisa campus. This conference is co-sponsored by the School of Management and Sichuan University, which is under the umbrella of the alliance of belt and road business school.

This conference aims to promote research collaboration in the field of strategic management worldwide and provide an opportunity for global strategic management researchers to present the progress and results of their current studies. Sichuan University is one of China’s top universities, which has a comprehensive range of disciplines covering 12 categories.

The conference will last two days, the first day will be an opening ceremony, keynote speech, and parallel sessions. Leaders and noted professors from our School of Management and Sichuan University will give speeches on the first day. The second day will be a workshop hosted by the renowned professor from the US.

The participants are the professors or students who invited both by Sichuan University and the School of Management.

This conference provides a good chance for all participants to discuss and to exchange their research ideas.

The event is closed to the public.

A truly multicultural experience

Posted on | by Veronica Rafaniello | Leave a Comment on A truly multicultural experience

 

A whole year has already gone by! Time has flown so fast due to the usual strict work schedule, MBA commitments and family matters. I am now enjoying some free time on vacation and am able to think over this first part of my journey with MIP.

One of the most valuable things I have experienced so far is the strongly multicultural environment. Before starting this Master I was a bit skeptical about having a truly international experience; however, I was lucky enough to encounter an incredible variety of cultures.

First of all, in my class, this was the case with both my classmates and my professors. Our class is, in fact, composed of multiple numbers of different nationalities (Brazilian, Portuguese, Albanian, Turkish and Indonesian nationals, to cite just some), boosting the possibility of creating a network (but especially friendships), not only limited to the local but also at an international level. All the conversations and the sharing of personal issues have made me grow, both personally and professionally. Also, the coterie of professors is made up of many international individuals (or at least, they have a strong international background), allowing us to see diverse methodologies of approaching matters and relating to students.

This aspect is, in my opinion, particularly important because nowadays we are (luckily) more and more forced to face different cultures with their particular beliefs and traditions and we should be able to interact and create relationships, both at human and professional level, in this multicultural environment.

Also, the bootcamp experience has shown me how important it is to work in a global organization (even in a group with few people), and has given me the opportunity to exchange views with people with different values, cultures and behaviors in a genuinely international environment.
The last aspect is the international week we experienced in Barcelona (we are also leaving for Monaco in a month’s time!), that helped, in a real sense, to add an international breath to the whole MIP journey.

Once again, I feel that this MBA represents a great experience; it is giving us an intense and useful academic education and an incredible international network.
Second year, I am ready for you!

 

About the author
 Pietro Cavallo

My name is Pietro and I grew up in Milan, where I am currently living. I work in Switzerland, in the Supply Chain division of a clothing multinational. I am the husband of an incredible wife and father of 2 crazy kids.

 

 

People define our experience!

Posted on | by Veronica Rafaniello | Leave a Comment on People define our experience!

 

Tossing your mortarboard in the air is the triumphant symbol to celebrate a new success hanging on the personal “wall” of one’s academic and professional life. I have always considered it as a moment of strength and integrity, while figuratively, the mind is flying high on the horizon but the feet are rooted on the ground to seize new opportunities. My dear 2017 International Flex EMBA classmates at MIP Politecnico di Milano Business School, TOGETHER WE DID IT! From today we are MIP Alumni. Congratulations to everyone!

It is not by chance that I chose this title for my last article as a MIP student. People might be concerned about the social networking aspect when talking about online study programs. I was, too, at the very beginning of this journey. But, reaching at the end of this wonderful and challenging experience, I am glad about the decision I made two years ago. Today, more than ever, I know the real meaning of these few simple words “people define our experience”. It doesn’t matter where you come from or what your background is, it is of little importance how often you meet someone in person, what really matters is the effort you put into a relationship and how open you are to learning something new from everyone you encounter during your life.

To explain the importance of networking better, I will cite one of my classmates, Jevan Malan from South Africa, who said: “The Full-Time MBA students may know each other better because of the extra time they spend together, but I don’t believe that their relationships are more real than ours. I don’t think it’s necessarily easier or more difficult to socialize online, it’s just different, because all relationships take some form of effort from all parties, irrespective of whether meetings are in a real class or a virtual one”.

Bonding and socializing are matters of culture, value, tradition and, of course, personal commitment. During these EMBA studies, I have had the chance to meet two other MBA classes: during one week in Milan with the MIP Politecnico di Milano 2018 Full-Time MBA class and the second in Provence, with the 2018 Part-Time EMBA class at the Aix-Marseille Graduate School of Management. These two experiences were completely different in terms of the learning process and social activity while, at the same time, both were great experiences from the point of view of my academic and professional networking. Having said that, the decision to go for an Executive MBA is based on a mix of personal factors and circumstances. Like many of my peers, I had to work to finance my studies; my opportunities were therefore limited to part-time or online programs. I decided on the online program and, in making this decision, I tried to put in the maximum commitment so as to gain the greatest benefit. This is so important. It is a relationship where you must give in such a manner as to get what you want out of it, to enlarge your own personal compass and to get the best return possible from your investment.

I am not sure about other online-class experiences, but I am trying to share our own experience, where almost everyone contributed in turn to make the online collaborative learning process at MIP so valuable, joyful and unforgettable. I may say we were lucky, because the synergy of the group was formed from the very beginning, during the first kick-off week in Milan. The positive energy created during that week was the fuel essential to motivating us for a long time, to make us put all our efforts into this online study program, while working and fulfilling family responsibilities. During the whole program we proved to be a real team by gaining and sharing knowledge, by helping and supporting each other in achieving tasks and deadlines, by being joyful in celebrating each other’s personal and professional achievements and, more importantly, by caring for each other in difficult moments in our personal lives. Behind the professional suits, we are all human beings!

Of course, the emotion you get when meeting in person is something very special and unique. No means of communication will ever replace the warmth of a hug. That’s why, during our EMBA program, MIP offered us several occasions on which to choose times, based on our availability, for meeting up with all our classmates, or at least some of them. Finally, during the graduation ceremony, we had the chance to meet each other’s loved ones in person. It feels like we have known each of them for a long time, because they have been part of our online meetings and discussions. Without their support and encouragement, it is almost impossible to succeed in such demanding undertakings. I am proud of my family and humble too; they have always been with me, they had my back, supporting, pushing and inspiring me during this winning path. Together in difficult and joyful moments, they have been the source of my strength, my courage and my motivation: united, we can always do better!

Last, but not least, my gratitude goes to MIP Politecnico di Milano for giving us the opportunity to grow and improve. Thank you, MIP professors and all the staff, for supporting and facilitating our learning process. What I take with me from this amazing journey, other than great memories, is the passion for innovation, the respect for diversity, integrity and the importance of failure. Every experience, encounter and failure is there to strengthen us to be more of who we are. As Mandela said: do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again! The best is yet to come …

 

About the author
 Elivar Golemi

Elivar Golemi is an Albanian candidate at MIP International Flex EMBA. She is working as an Executive Director in the dairy industry, after a long experience in the banking system. Skilled in Financial Analyses, Risk Management and Internal Audit. Nature lover, passionate photographer and mountain climber.

 

 

A New Awareness promotes responsibility in fashion and fosters engagement for an inclusive fair change in the fashion industry

Posted on | by Veronica Rafaniello | Leave a Comment on A New Awareness promotes responsibility in fashion and fosters engagement for an inclusive fair change in the fashion industry

 

The first edition of A New Awareness was held at 10 Corso Como Tazzoli on the 18th – 20th of September 2019. Awareness Infinitum, Com.i.stra, Greenpeace Detox Campaign, Helen Kirkum, Duran Lantink, Manteco, Marini Industrie, Fashion Revolution, Bethany Williams, and Design Studio Wrad were exclusively featured to provide cutting edge solutions for a sustainable lifestyle. This first edition clearly illustrated how linear business models could be transformed through radical material and process innovation, circular design principles and multi-disciplinary collaborations.

On the 20th of September, A New Awareness hosted two panels to discuss the challenge of sustainability. The first talk explored how radical change can be made actionable in the context of fashion. With the participation of Sara Sozzani Maino (Deputy Editor in Chief of Vogue Italia, Head of Vogue Talents and International Brand Ambassador of Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana), Marina Spadafora (Country Coordinator of Fashion Revolution Italia and the United Nations Ambassador) and Matteo Ward (Founder and CEO of Wrad Living) under the moderation of Hakan Karaosman (Researcher at Politecnico di Milano School of Management), it was concluded that innovation, commitment, leadership and multi-actor collaborations are the initiating factors to the beginning of a sustainable fashion world.

“Today we all need to think in a more responsible way for a better future. Big changes do not happen in one day, but we need to convert our way of consuming to make this happen. A New Awareness wants to bring consciousness to consumers” comments Sara Sozzani Maino. Creating systemic changes requires an inclusive and interdisciplinary dialogue. Therefore, designers, academia, brands, NGOs, governments and civil society must come together to be part of the change. “Humankind is finally awakening to the reality of climate emergency” says Marina Spadafora, and adds “A unique scenario will have designers, artists, activists, opinion leaders and policy makers meet to discuss how we can all join forces to create a viable transition towards a sustainable future”. More than ever fashion now needs more innovative and engaging methods to communicate this new narrative for which transparency, truthfulness and reality appear to be the main ingredients. “Today the truth is the only key to set the tone for a responsible, inspiring and functional communication strategy” states Matteo Ward.

The second talk focused on how fashion’s sustainability transition could be accelerated. Three strong fashion leaders, Orsola de Castro (Co-founder and Creative Director of Fashion Revolution), Chiara Morelli (Group Operations Sustainability Manager at Kering) and Clare Press (Sustainability Editor-at-large at Vogue Australia and the Presenter of the Wardrobe Crisis Podcast) explained if, why and how fashion could become a catalyst for a responsible change. “Change is truly coming, I am quite optimistic”, states Clare Press. Even though the fashion industry has made progress in terms of environment, social sustainability is yet to be ensured throughout supply chains. Business priorities need to be merged with moral principles to spread social sustainability across upstream levels.

“We need to disinvest in growth and invest in social and environmental prosperity throughout the supply chain” addresses Orsola de Castro while pointing out “there is an elephant in the room and we cannot talk about the democratization of luxury in supply chains where democracy does not exist”. Fashion supply chains are complex, fragmented and globally dispersed; hence, providing the supply chain partners with knowledge, tools, and methodologies are as important as setting sustainability goals at the corporate level. Collaborations and capacity development are fundamental actions to reduce fashion’s footprint. “We translate our vision into action by directly working with our supply chain members to guide and support them to spread sustainability across the chain” highlights Chiara Morelli. Systemic transformations are required to change the way fashion business is coordinated; relatedly, “Practitioners, academics, consumers and policy makers need to act together” cites Hakan Karaosman.

It is also acknowledged that Generation Z and Generation Y will represent 45% of the global personal luxury goods market by 2025. The purchasing habits of young customers are shaped by intangible values such as diversity, equality and transparency. Thus, the fashion industry needs innovative and engaging ways to bring people into a responsible future. However, there is hope! Awareness is increasing and people are asking for transparency, ethical and environmental care.