Gender Equality

This week’s seminar was about gender equality within businesses. To analyze this topic we took a look at a case study about Dior where it explained how Maria Grazia Chiuri, as creative director, signalled a change in the brand’s commitment to gender equality, as she was the first female creative director in Dior’s history. As the first female in this role, Chiuri used this opportunity to establish a feminist vision for the future of the Dior brand in her work by advocating gender issues and highlighting feminist literature and artwork. One of her first strategies to promote gender equality at Dior was through promoting the work of a range of women creatives in subsequent collections and brand communications. One aspect was her decision to hire female photographers, upholding it by stating that usually fashion campaigns are done by male photographers.

My sustainability hero is Chief Sustainability Officer of Kering, Marie-Claire Daveu. She is a revolutionary in the world of sustainability and has done so much work for the Kering’s luxury fashion group. On a recent interview, she described sustainability as an inherent part of luxury’s DNA. “We like to say that they go hand-inhand, because when you think about luxury, obviously, you think about know-how, and about the quality of the raw materials. But you also assume not only that the raw materials and production methods being used to respect the planet and its natural resources, like their consumption of water, but also that the people who work to produce these magnificent clothes and accessories are being respected too. You expect that sense of respect to be shared all along the supply chain within our brands and our Group”. Kering currently has a 2025 Sustainable Strategy Plan to keep themselves accountable and track their sustainability progress. The Group is working on their environmental footprint in general, which includes their carbon footprint, but also their impacts in terms of nature and water. They like having processes and a very clear criteria and they are aiming to have the shows powered by the most low-carbon form of energy.

“I like to say that luxury and sustainability are intrinsically linked, and that sustainability is in luxury’s DNA” – Marie-Claire Daveu

Link to the recent interview: https://youtu.be/hLkxBhjHfz0

Dom Pérignon

Last week was about our presentations of CW1 coursework. In this project, we researched about how the luxury champagne brand Dom Pérignon could implement sustainable practices for a better planet and environment. Our group consisted of 3 members, including myself, and during the work of this project we gained so much knowledge from researching, brainstorming, communicating, and understanding the in chosen subject in depth. Considering that the three of us were passionate and keen about luxury drinks, this project allowed us to discover this world further and deepen our knowledge about the champagne sector characteristics, specific market analysis, and sustainability practices that the industry could adopt. 

The work process was enriching and educational, and the fact that we could receive feedback while working, significantly helped us to make sure that we had been on the right path. In addition, having to record ourselves for the presentation was a little bit challenging as we had to divide the parts and make sure that nobody was exceeding their speaking time. We worked as a team in full cooperation, dividing the tasks fairly and efficiently. Throughout the process, we had no issues when things had to be done. We have always been available and supported each other if we had a problem or needed help to finish the work at the estimated time. We really enjoyed working on this project, and it was really insightful to be able to see what other groups had done and research about!

MITHILAsmita

During last week's seminar we had a guest speaker and workshop with Ihitashri Shandiliya, the founder of MITHILAsmita. MITHILAsmita is a social enterprise to preserve and promote heritage Indian forms with a focus on ancient madhubani paintings, and support the rural women artists practicing the art through various self-sustainable initiatives. The art of Mithila is characterized by the richly colored free hand figures that depict scenes from mythology and its reflection in daily life. They have a style so unique, with deliberately out of scale curves and miniaturizations, that anyone familiar with art will know with one glance that they are looking at the work of Mithila artists. Today, Madhubani art is recognized the world over, not just for its forms and colors, but also the deeply meaningful stories it portrays. 

The workshop was really interesting. We got to connect with a local girl from India through a videocall and she taught us how to swep the crystals. At first, it seemed very easy, but when we got to try, it was really difficult to do it correctly and with the shape of a star. It was very insightful to see how craft is still really important in some regions of the world. Nowadays, due to globalization, heritage and craft are getting lost, and therefore it is very important to support these communities to preserve the traditions. Preserving the Indian ancient art is Ihitashri's mission and her attitude to encourage artists to practise art in their own authentic style to ensure that art is passed down to future generations in its true form was really inspiring. Every product/service by MITHILAsmita supports the livelihood of one or more traditional artists, which is incredible. 

Week 6

This week's topic was about conscious capitalism & the value of purpose, 2 very relevant topics within today's society. During the online lecture we started with a video of Simon Sinek, which I thought it was very inspiring. Simon is the autor of a very well know book "The purpose of why" which is one of the first inspirational books that I read many years ago. The video was focused on the importance for people to find their "why". If you don't feel inspired and fulfilled in your job, why are you doing it? Simon explained his own experience when he lost his passion for what he was doing. He knew what he did and how he did it, but he didn't know "why". By figuring out how to answer this question he has now helped thousands of people shift their professional careers and lives in order to fulfill their passion and be happier. 

Next, we discussed the purpose of a business and the Triple Bottom Line framework to account for a better social, environmental, and economic impact. During our discussion we looked at different infographics and systems that companies have to measure their purpose. Some examples were the circular economy design, the hierarchy of a business purpose, and the new value chain model.

Conscious capitalism was another topic that we discussed. We looked at different luxury companies and social enterprises to analyze their recent actions towards a more sustainable approach. One example was Tengri, a luxury social enterprise inspired by the people in Mongolia, particularly the yak herders, and the harmony of their nomadic lifestyle with their animals and the land. 

Lastly, we examined the concept of transparency, a word that has become very relevant in fashion over the years. A brand's transparency is a tool for storytelling, which ultimately helps them build and regain trust within its customers. However, it is on the interest of the brand to be as transparent as possible. Nowadays, younger generations are more interested to know and find out a company's Fashion Transparency Index, therefore it cannot be ignored.

Sustainable Beauty

Nowadays, sustainable beauty is a very relevant topic. More people are looking to make their beauty routine sustainable in order to support the environment & the planet. With sustainability and animal welfare, many brands are no longer being tested on animals and big firms are feeling the need to innovate and come up with ideas to address today's society needs. Everything matters: the packaging, the ingredients, the pollution of the air, the plastic, etc. 

Before this week's seminar, our group had to visit the Selfridges Beauty Hall and all the members in our group had a very similar experience. It was very overwhelming and crowded. The service didn't feel personalized and the whole environment didn't make you want to buy anything. In addition, the sustainable brands were displayed like the rest because everything is standardized. In our opinion, if Selfridges wants to improve their selling services they should emphasize their sustainable brands as consumers nowadays are looking for them. 

After the discussion, we had to compare it with the Aesop store experience, which was completely the opposite. The service is personalized, the sales associates take care of your needs, the environment and smell is amazing, and the displays of the products are very unique. Even if you don't need anything, it makes you want to get something just because the experience and service is 10/10. 

With individuals giving a greater priority to health, well-being, and clean formulations, it is very important that brands provide this human connectivity. Many studies show that consumers are driving change with a focus on "greener" and more eco-friendly options and there is no doubt that our shopping habits are changing. 

Sustainable Travel

Week 4 was focused on Sustainable Luxurious Travel. To start the class, we were asked to analyze the Carbon Footprint from our last 6 month of travels. From looking at everybody's footprint, it was impressive to see how much emissions we cause as individuals and how little conscious we are. This activity really helped me think and reflect about the small changes that I could implement in my daily routine in order to have less impact on the planet. 

The second activity was focused on Glamping, a glamorous way of camping. It was very interesting to see the popular locations for luxurious Glamping and research other areas that are not as popular. In our group, we found gorgeous locations in Croatia and Italy, where there are some amazing luxurious Glamping locations, but they are not as well known by people. 

During this week, I really enjoyed knowing more about luxury travel and the incredible luxurious hotels & locations that are out there. It was also very interesting to learn more about the emissions we are causing on a daily basis and the importance of taking care of the environment we live in <3

Luxurious Glamping site in Croatia