Management of Fashion and Luxury Companies

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 4.7 stars Average User Rating 4.7See what learners said Coursework

Each course is like an interactive textbook, featuring pre-recorded videos, quizzes and projects.

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Università Bocconi Our ambition is to develop students' potential and foster knowledge in Business, Economics and Law through innovative learning and research activities in a multicultural environment. Bocconi is a community that constantly innovates teaching and learning technologies and that strongly believes in the power of life-long learning and networking. Now available online.

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 expand

1. Reading: Above and Beyond the Course
2. Reading: Surviving the Course
3. Reading: About Professors
4. Reading: Additional Readings & Material
5. Discussion Prompt: Ready, steady, go!
6. Reading: Coffee with a Fashion Expert
7. Reading: Careers in Fashion and Luxury Companies
8. Reading: Best Practices in Fashion and Luxury Companies
9. Reading: Slides and Pinterest
10. Video: 1. What Is Fashion?
11. Video: 2. New Trends
12. Video: 3. The Dream Factor and Media System
13. Discussion Prompt: What is Fashion for you?
14. Video: 4. What Is Luxury?
15. Video: 5. Luxury as a Product
16. Video: 6. Luxury as a Business
17. Video: 7. Luxury as a Culture
18. Video: 8. Luxury as a Customer
19. Video: 9. What Is Luxury Not?
20. Video: 10. Fashion, Luxury, and Millennials: Interviews (Additional Material)
21. Discussion Prompt: What's trendy in your city?

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 expand

1. Reading: Slides and Pinterest
2. Video: Introduction
3. Video: Fashion Market Segmentation
4. Video: Business Models Framework
5. Video: Business Models in the Market
6. Video: Luxury Brands
7. Video: Luxury Conglomerates
8. Video: Premium Brands
9. Video: Designer Brands
10. Video: Vertical Retailers - Mass or Fast
11. Video: Interview with Moncler
12. Video: Licensing
13. Video: Interview with Rainbow
14. Video: Textile Industry
15. Video: Ingredient Brands
16. Video: Interview with Albini
17. Video: Interview with Vitale Barberis Canonico
18. Discussion Prompt: What business model are you?

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 expand

1. Reading: Slides and Pinterest
2. Video: Complexity in Fashion Products Development
3. Video: The Concept of Stylistic Identity
4. Video: How to Develop a Collection
5. Video: Brand Identity
6. Video: Case Study: Woolmark
7. Video: Interview: Landor and Associates
8. Video: Case Study: DSQUARED2
9. Video: Case Study: BOTTEGA VENETA
10. Discussion Prompt: What do you take home tonight?
11. 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 expand

1. Reading: Slides and Pinterest
2. Video: Key Characteristics of Fashion Communication
3. Video: How to Build a Strong Communication Identity
4. Video: Masstige
5. Video: The Digital Challenge
6. Video: Round Table with International Bocconi Students
7. Video: Interview with Tomaso Galli
8. Video: Interview with Attila & Co.
9. Discussion Prompt: About Transmedia Storytelling
10. Discussion Prompt: What communication codes do we share?

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 expand

1. Reading: Slides and Pinterest
2. Video: Introduction
3. Video: Defining Retail
4. Video: Retail Trends and Formats
5. Video: Retail Channels
6. Video: Retail Management
7. Video: Retail Identity
8. Video: Customer Experience
9. Video: E-commerce
10. Video: Case Study: DSQUARED2
11. Video: Interview with Vente-Privee
12. 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 expand

1. Reading: Annual Reports

Graded: Final Test