Master in Fashion Direction: Brand & Business Management

Since it is a highly innovative sector, the profile's potential will be developed through a selection process aimed at facilitating participants from different educational backgrounds, in order to recreate in the class all the skills and transversal competencies typical of corporate teams. The different backgrounds of the participants allow, in fact, to create the conditions for the development of interdisciplinary "creative retail management" skills and competencies, capable of dialoguing with all corporate areas and professional figures, both creative and managerial.

Warm-up: acquiring a basic vocabulary

The training unit comprises 40 hours dedicated to creating in the participants the homogeneity of knowledge necessary for the subsequent learning phases. Depending on their backgrounds, the lessons planned allow the students to fill in some basic gaps in management, economics, quantitative methods, sociology and design. Given their different backgrounds, students, in agreement with the Master's Director, may decide to attend all or part of the scheduled lectures. This training unit does not provide for final learning examinations.

Quantitative Tools & Project Tools: developing quantitative and project skills

The teaching plan consists of 20 hours: it includes the use of the Excel, Powerpoint and Canva platforms and is aimed at creating and further developing the quantitative and project tools that are indispensable for tackling the contents of the Master's specialised courses. Lessons are divided into basic and advanced didactics in relation to the individual student's background. Exercises and written tests are scheduled for the students.

Fashion Pillars: getting to know the structure of the fashion sector and working tools

The training unit provides 140 hours dedicated to getting to know the structure of the fashion sector, the companies that characterise it, the different organisational models, business strategies and types of materials and products. It also aims to transfer techniques and operational tools for planning and organising activities and for investigating and processing qualitative and quantitative market data.

In the 140 hours planned in Fashion Pillars, we will talk about:

Project Management

The aim of the Project Management for Fashion course is to provide students with the basic methodologies of Activity and Process Management (Planning, Timing, Objectives, Resources, Responsibilities, Output, Cost/Benefit Ratio) applicable to the different types of projects characteristic of the Fashion sector (Brand and Product Area, Retail and Commercial Area, Research and Communication Area). The contents on methodologies and tools will be flanked by organisational contents (characteristics of the project manager, team motivation, project marketing) that allow them to be correctly contextualised in the company.

Fashion Business Models

The course aims to present an overview of the different Business Models within the Fashion and Luxury industries, from a strategic perspective on Luxury Brands, Design Brands, Industrial and Commercial Brands, to the management of positioning in the fashion industry and the different approaches to creativity management, from stylistic identity to different product strategies. The course will focus on the levers that companies can implement differently in terms of communication, image and commercial identity.

Research Methods & Trends

The course aims to offer a broad view of the different research methods and tools useful for investigating fashion markets and consumers. Metaproject research and trend research: the processes, tools and artefacts that characterise fashion design research (blue sky research, visual research, product research). Tools and phases of research: from brainstorming to collection concept. Socio-cultural and scenario research through coolhunting: the methods of socio-cultural investigation (social research, desk research, coolhunting). Tools and phases of the investigation: from brief to report. Actors in trend analysis: fashion companies, research agencies, freelancers. Qualitative and Quantitative Marketing Research: desk and field analysis (focus groups, surveys, customer insights from online communities). Difference between using primary and secondary data. Difference between exploratory and confirmatory marketing research. Then an overview and explanation of the main trends, their dissemination processes, contents and forecasts will be introduced, focusing on both fashion and non-fashion-related industries.

The Italian Fashion System

The course aims to provide an initial general overview of the fashion sector (fashion supply chain, key players in the fashion system, seasonal cycles) and of the model types of behaviour of fashion companies (product, market, production, communication strategies), with particular emphasis on the relationships between creative and managerial processes. In addition, the main operating models of the sector will be examined in depth, also in relation to the different market positioning of the product: the planned model, the ready-to-wear fashion model, the continuous product model, and the hybrid models. Particular attention will be devoted to the acquisition of an initial vocabulary specific to the sector, characterised by its own terminologies and languages, the mastery of which is fundamental for beginning to acquire knowledge and understanding.

Fashion Marketing & Brand Management

The Fashion Marketing & Brand Management course aims to introduce students to the main marketing techniques in the fashion field and to the framing of the process of formulating, implementing and monitoring brand identity and positioning. This process identifies two different but connected areas of application: the first aims at the knowledge of the structure and guidelines from which 'brand sensitive' operational marketing processes are derived; the second aims at the direct management of brands as intangible strategic resources, which are connected to specific management processes. The course has been formulated within three different but related areas of application: brand management and design as an intangible resource; the structure and guidelines for operational processes; and the sociological perspective of the brand.

Fashion History

From modernism, celebrating art and fashion, to the third millennium, the course aims to provide a historical overview of the main transformations of fashion. Specifically: the "roaring Twenties"; art Deco and the aesthetics of the machine; the emergence of "couturier" women: Madeleine Vionnet, Elsa Schiaparelli, Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel; cinema and Hollywood fashion in the 1930s; 1950 and Existentialism; 1960: Optimism, 'pop' art and London street fashion; the 1970s: punk and anti-fashion on the streets of London; the 1980s and fashion pluralism; 1990s; postmodernism, and globalisation in the third millennium.

Fashion Processes: Knowing how to manage Business Management Processes

The training unit comprises 180 hours dedicated to preparing for the management of the main Business Management processes.

Fashion Business Management

The course will introduce students to the brand management process with a focus on business management. In particular, the interaction between brand value management and its translation into retail strategy will be analyzed. The course will address specific questions such as: which touchpoints should be integrated into a seamless and customer-centric perspective? What are the different business models in retail? How are brand values translated into retail codes? How are omnichannel strategies generated?

Fashion Branding Strategies

The course is oriented towards conveying the theoretical and practical fundamentals at the basis of Fashion branding management: from brand identity to brand expressions with the aim of translating brand DNA into as many visual and stylistic codes expressed in products, services, and communication projects.
The subject of study will also be brand portfolio management, through an understanding of the theoretical and practical fundamentals of managing different brands to reach different market targets through the management of brand DNA codes. Participants will learn how to manage a product portfolio to increase market potential by efficiently planning the categories and range through process management (design of brand & product management phases and timelines, integration with parallel processes such as communication and retail).

Merchandising, buying & E2E collection calendar

The module aims to delve into the basic elements of defining a collection structure through a merchandising plan to the management and planning of assortments, display and communication of products to the end consumer. Referring to the contents related to consumer analysis and the differentiation of the different channels and formats, the main processes related to project and product management are analyzed in order to achieve good shop performance. Particular emphasis is placed on the most advanced methods for both 'time/delivery' and 'location' of the shop.

Brand Communication Management

This module offers an overview of the main activities and the most significant professional figures in fashion communication. Today, communication in the fashion industry means knowing how to create and manage an integrated communication strategy, organize an advertising campaign, deal with the media and all the professional figures in the sector; organize events, and fashion shows, and create launch plans for products, designers, or brands. Particular attention will be devoted to Italian brands. Through some focus on fashion marketing, brand management, distribution channels, communication, and advertising strategies, the course will offer a general overview of the main online and offline communication methods.

Value Chain Management

This course delves into the intricate landscape of the fashion industry's value chain, emphasizing strategic methodologies and KPI-driven approaches essential for effective brand and business management. Students explore the end-to-end processes, while gaining insights into efficiency issues and enhancing value creation at each stage. With a specific focus on the fashion sector, the curriculum integrates KPI frameworks tailored to measure performance metrics across different steps of the value chain through case studies and practical applications.

Omnichannel Strategy

The program aims to present a complete and interdisciplinary picture of the current distribution channels and formats in fashion/luxury/design, together with the fundamental economic performance indicators in the direct channel. The main formats present on the market today (traditional and innovative, off-line and online, integrated and independent, large and small) will be examined in depth, with the aim of grasping the specificity of each of them, also in relation to the reference market context (geographical, cultural, localization). The leitmotif of the course is the need, from the brand's point of view, for an omnichannel and multi-format the approach aimed at creating a seamless experience across different touchpoints.

E-Commerce & Retail

The module aims to cover, with an interdisciplinary perspective, the overall and integrated design process of retail formats, taking as its point of reference the maximization and digitization of the experiential dimension of the point of sale, both in its communicative and distributive value. The pivotal points of the design process are the consistency of the retail format with the reference brand, the market (end consumer), the location (place, spaces, etc.), and the content (products, services, sales personnel). The course is enriched by a series of case studies of best practices in the creation of the retail experience, both online and offline. Students will develop visual merchandising skills by working on real case studies.

Contemporary CRM

The module aims to delve into the relational dimension at the point of sale, with particular reference to the relationship between the end consumer and the point of sale staff. The point of sale, both offline and online, is becoming an experiential place in which the relational component is becoming increasingly important, alongside the material components of the point of sale (products and spaces). In addition, the organized management of the relationship with the end consumer makes it possible to accumulate fundamental knowledge for the improvement of customer satisfaction and for the design of all levers upstream of the retail mix.

Sustainability & Responsibility

This module will discuss how to manage sustainability across the different activities of the value chain. Through lectures, business case discussions, and testimonials, numerous company best practices will be analyzed. Creating shared value in fashion means being able to meet the needs of many stakeholders: the environment, society, institutions, art, culture, territory and consumers. A responsible fashion company has already started the long and complex journey of integrating ethics and aesthetics within the value chain, in constant balance with all stakeholders. All modules include theoretical lectures and practical activities and include final learning assessments.

Curiosity

The module will be divided into a series of seminars with the aim of providing a broad view of the socio-cultural evolution of fashion, with some important interdisciplinary insights on the main Italian brands. Particular attention will also be devoted to some significant contemporary phenomena such as the spread of global trends, the hybridisation of styles, the emergence of new forms of production and sustainable consumption styles, and the success of new communication methods linked to new media.

Field Projects

Two projects, each lasting five weeks full-time, coordinated by a multidisciplinary team of lecturers, are planned. Each module consists of the preparation of a project on a real case study provided by leading companies directly involved by the faculty in the teaching experiment. Starting from the project brief provided by the company, the team will work together with the lecturers on the realisation of a proposal that provides feasible answers to the objectives defined by the company. The aim is to arrive at integrated projects that identify brand, product, retail and communication strategies with a high innovation content and adherent to the client company's reality, simulating work processes as close as possible to the reality of professional contexts. The evaluation of this phase takes place at the end of the classroom training course, through the collegial presentation of the work realised. The projects will be discussed by a committee composed of the module lecturers and evaluated in the presence of representatives of the companies involved. The companies will have an early opportunity to select potential interns from among the students for the final phase of the master's course.

Empowerment & Career Management

The module is aimed at providing the necessary skills to deal with company selection processes, both in internship and job market placement contexts. During the module, students will be put in contact both with Head Hunters specialised in the fashion and design sectors, and with the selection managers of the most important and significant companies operating in the fashion sector, in order to understand the dynamics of selection and to enhance their professional profile.

The Internship

The internship is one of the most qualifying experiences of the Master's course; coordinated by the Director of the Master's course, it consists in experimenting, in a corporate context, with the skills learnt during the Master's course, on the basis of a training project collegially agreed upon by Milano Fashion Institute and the host company.

Italian Language

The module is aimed at introducing the Italian language to international students. The teaching objective is the understanding of the most common ways of interaction and communication, both in everyday life and in the professional context. The students will be divided into two parallel courses, after having taken a preliminary assessment test to identify their starting level of knowledge of the language:

Intermediate level Italian B1, designed to provide students with the necessary skills to sustain a job interview in Italian, to introduce the basic vocabulary of the fashion industry and to be able to work correctly in an Italian work environment.

At the end of the courses, students will take a final exam. After passing the exam, students will have the opportunity to obtain the internationally recognised PLIDA certificate (B1), confirming competence in Italian as a foreign language in accordance with the six levels of the Common European Framework.

What You’ll Learn

The Master trains tomorrow's business managers in the fields of Fashion and Luxury.

In the master's course, you will learn to:

• Analyse current business models in their needs and criticalities, correcting them, and integrating new ones for business development strategies.
• Deepen all channels of action and touch-points for fashion brands, and their underlying logic, with a focus on specific operations, e.g. fashion buying, retail merchandising, sales & digital management.
• Identify and generate business & branding strategies, in accordance with the brand specificities, new trends and the competitive environment.
• Manage the Customer relation across all the customer journey, developing CRM strategies for maximising the brand performance as well as the brand equity.
• Plan successful business and omnichannel strategies and integrate them into the brand.

Professionals trained by the Master in Fashion Direction: Brand & Business Management will be able to plan and manage offline and online distribution and marketing: from international brand DOS, department stores, and fast fashion retailers to online e-tailers.

These are junior profiles capable of providing qualified support for the processes of buying, retail merchandising, digital management, e-commerce, sales management, experience management, CRM management, visual merchandising, store management, and omnichannel management.

The profiles may therefore qualify as junior figures such as:

• Buyer;
  
• Retail Merchandiser;
  
• Merchandise Planner;
  
• Retail Marketing Manager;
  
• E-commerce Manager;
  
• Digital Brand Manager ;
  
• CRM Manager;
  
• Junior Store Manager;
  
• Omni-channel Manager.

Career Development

There are not only classes and workshops: to become a fashion specialist you have to confront, right away, the world of work. And not only in the classroom! The Career Development track will prepare you to successfully enter a highly complex corporate environment, as those of the big Fashion & Luxury brands often are.

Itinerant Seminars

Throughout the year, on-campus training is complemented by on-the-job training through participation in company visits, trade fairs, and various realities related to the fashion system. This is the best way to experience companies that are diverse in terms of industry and internal organization. Participation in the travelling seminars is optional, but highly recommended.

Empowerment & Career Management

The module is aimed at providing the skills needed to deal with corporate selection processes, both in internship and job market placement contexts. During the module, students will be put in contact both with Head Hunters specialized in the fashion and design sectors, and with the selection managers of the most important and significant companies operating in the fashion sector, in order to both understand the dynamics of selection and to enhance their professional profile.