About this course: Learn how fashion and luxury companies work and understand their brands, products, retail, and communication strategies. Travel through business models, international development, and product categories with industry influent experts. Adopting a case-study approach, the course presents strategic brand management in luxury and fashion companies as a balancing act: tradition vs. innovation, expertise vs. experimentation, casual vs. stylish; in order to increase the brand value by nurturing the brand heritage and at the same time staying fresh, relevant, and contemporary in the global marketplace. Topics such as the impact of new retail channels, new media channels, and new business declinations for the brand and emerging markets will be discussed in the course.
Created by: Università Bocconi
Taught by: Erica Corbellini, Director
MAFED - Master in Fashion, Experience and Design Management
Taught by: Stefania Saviolo, Director
Luxury & Fashion Knowledge Center - SDA Bocconi
| Language | English |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
What is Fashion? What is Luxury? Defining Complex Competitive Systems and Business Logics
Welcome to the first week of our course! Before moving this week contents, please dedicate some time to read the About the Course section where you can find a series of useful information to approach the course the best way. The Trips&Tricks section contains some insights and best practices that Lucia Paladino (an industry expert) shared with our community. Once you have done with these introductory readings you can finally move to the first contents! This first module is dedicated to a general introduction to fashion and luxury concepts: what they imply, how they are perceived, how they differ, and what other basic ideas in this industry are.
10 videos, 8 readings
- Reading: Above and Beyond the Course
- Reading: Surviving the Course
- Reading: About Professors
- Reading: Additional Readings & Material
- Discussion Prompt: Ready, steady, go!
- Reading: Coffee with a Fashion Expert
- Reading: Careers in Fashion and Luxury Companies
- Reading: Best Practices in Fashion and Luxury Companies
- Reading: Slides and Pinterest Board
- Video: 1. What Is Fashion?
- Video: 2. New Trends
- Video: 3. The Dream Factor and Media System
- Discussion Prompt: What is Fashion for you?
- Video: 4. What Is Luxury?
- Video: 5. Luxury as a Product
- Video: 6. Luxury as a Business
- Video: 7. Luxury as a Culture
- Video: 8. Luxury as a Customer
- Video: 9. What Is Luxury Not?
- Video: 10. Fashion, Luxury, and Millennials: Interviews (Additional Material)
WEEK 2
The Evolution of Business Models: From Designers to Fast Fashion Retailers
This second week will be significantly denser and more time consuming than the first one. The topic is that of Business Models in Fashion and Luxury, and will give you a lot of important insights on this industry.
16 videos, 1 reading
- Reading: Slides and Pinterest Board
- Video: Introduction
- Video: Fashion Market Segmentation
- Video: Business Models Framework
- Video: Business Models in the Market
- Video: Luxury Brands
- Video: Luxury Conglomerates
- Video: Premium Brands
- Video: Designer Brands
- Video: Vertical Retailers - Mass or Fast
- Video: Interview with Moncler
- Video: Licensing
- Video: Interview with Rainbow
- Video: Textile Industry
- Video: Ingredient Brands
- Video: Interview with Albini
- Video: Interview with Vitale Barberis Canonico
WEEK 3
Stylistic Identity and the Product Development Process: The Role of Heritage, Stylistic Codes and Icon Products in Defining the Seasonal Collection
Welcome to module 3! The main topics here will be the complexity of product development, brand identity, stylistic identity, and the development of the collection. Remember also that at the end of this module you will find the first QUIZ (counting 40% of the final grade)! This quiz is going to test your knowledge and understanding of the first three modules. You need to listen to all video lectures and to read all the slides of the three modules carefully to successfully complete it.
8 videos, 2 readings
- Reading: Slides and Pinterest Boards
- Video: Complexity in Fashion Products Development
- Video: The Concept of Stylistic Identity
- Video: How to Develop a Collection
- Video: Brand Identity
- Video: Case Study: Woolmark
- Video: Interview: Landor and Associates
- Video: Case Study: DSQUARED2
- Video: Case Study: BOTTEGA VENETA
- Discussion Prompt: What do you take home tonight?
- Reading: About Quizzes - Read carefully
Graded: Modules 1-3
WEEK 4
Image Identity and the Communication Process: Key Activities, Decision Makers, the Challenge of Creating Digital Contents for Fashion and Luxury Brands
Week 4 will cover another very crucial topic: Communication. Communication per se is an extremely rich and broad topic and the fashion and luxury industry requires a specific and dedicated chapter as it encompasses unique aspects that need to be correctly addressed and understood.
7 videos, 1 reading
- Reading: Pinterest and Slides
- Video: Key Characteristics of Fashion Communication
- Video: How to Build a Strong Communication Identity
- Video: Masstige
- Video: The Digital Challenge
- Video: Round Table with International Bocconi Students
- Video: Interview with Tomaso Galli
- Video: Interview with Attila & Co.
- Discussion Prompt: About Transmedia Storytelling
WEEK 5
Retail Identity and Retail Management: the Customer’s Experience Within a Mix of Channels. The Future of Fashion E-tailing.
In a world where geographical boundaries are physically and virtually evolving, companies need to be able to manage their international presence without losing their identity. There are a number of elements that need to be taken into account when planning retail strategy. Traditional distribution channels evolve while new channels enrich the scenario. This is also our last week of the course. At the end of it you will have the second QUIZ (40% of the final grade) covering module 4 and 5. Also in this case be sure to listen to all lectures and interviews, and to read all the slides to prepare yourself properly. Once you have done with this second quiz, you can move to the FINAL TEST.
10 videos, 1 reading
- Reading: Slides and Pinterest
- Video: Introduction
- Video: Defining Retail
- Video: Retail Trends and Formats
- Video: Retail Channels
- Video: Retail Management
- Video: Retail Identity
- Video: Customer Experience
- Video: E-commerce
- Video: Case Study: DSQUARED2
- Video: Interview with Vente-Privee
- Discussion Prompt: What is your preferred online multi-brand store?
Graded: Module 4 & 5
WEEK 6
FINAL TEST
Congratulations! You made it up to here! The structure of the final test is different from the previous quizzes: you will be given 10 multiple choice questions based on two annual reports (Ferragamo and Nike). Of course the questions will be related to topics covered in the course but this time we are asking you to apply your knowledge to these two specific cases. The benefit of this format is twofold: on one hand you can apply some of the concepts you have learned so far, on the other you will see an annual report, a fundamental source of information you may have to handle in the future. This test will be more challenging than the two previous quizzes but don't give up, and it counts only for 20% of the final grade in order not to penalize too much who is struggling with it.
1 reading
- Reading: Annual Reports
Graded: Final Test
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Ratings and Reviews
I didn't have any experience (or knowledge) in the fashion industry. The course was a great primer towards understanding such an important and ubiquitous area of business. I specially enjoyed the lessons and insights given by Erica Corbellini.
This Course give me the big picture of Luxury / Fashion Industry, its model, format, etc. But I think the course could be more specific with some case study.
Very good and gives you a different perspective of the inner workings of retail at Luxury level
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GS
Really good course