SDA Bocconi and YOOX NET A PORTER GROUP Together to Improve Digital Skills in Fashion Companies
SDA Bocconi School of Management and YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP, the global leader in luxury fashion e-commerce, have combined forces with a partnership focused on digital education in the fashion and luxury sector. The two organizations will collaborate to develop a new course in 'Digital strategy, marketing and e-commerce,' which will be a part of the 2017 edition of MAFED (Master in Fashion, Experience & Design Management) at SDA Bocconi School of Management. The program was founded in 2001 in collaboration with Altagamma Foundation, to educate young talents on the crucial management aspects for the fashion, design and luxury industries. The 2017 edition started today with a welcome from the Rector of Bocconi University, Gianmario Verona, and the Dean of SDA Bocconi School of Management, Giuseppe Soda, and an event that welcomed guest speaker Federico Marchetti, CEO of YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP and 2014 Bocconi Alumnus of the Year.
This initiative perfectly meets the high demand for digital skills, which are currently playing more of a key role in the world of fashion and luxury, as well as in other industries. This has also been confirmed by the recent launch of a coalition by the European Commission on digital jobs and skills which, through a series of targeted initiatives, should educate 1 million young people to fill digital roles by 2020.
The course's objective is to combine SDA Bocconi's experience in education with YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP's on-the-field experience to place Master participants in the best conditions for developing the skills needed today to develop and manage digital strategies for the fashion, luxury and design business. The educational track will prepare students from a strategic point of view as well as allow them to learn fundamental tools such as Digital Marketing, Smart Data, E-Commerce and Customer Experience and Engagement, applied to the fashion and luxury business. MAFED and YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP will work together to design the syllabus, which will also include the participation of YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP managers in teaching sessions and as guest speakers.
"An increasing portion of MAFED graduates are employed in positions that require vision, ability and operational tools related to digital technologies. More and more of these young people are digital natives, and companies expect them to not only be familiar with using technologies in their personal daily interactions, but also be prepared to use digital tools and skills with a business mindset," says Emanuela Prandelli, MAFED Program Director. "This is why we decided to renew MAFED's commitment to consolidating, on one hand, our students' analytical skills and, on the other, skills related to the web. We are particularly focused on e-commerce, which plays an increasingly important role for companies in fashion and luxury. From this viewpoint, the partnership with YNAP is a valuable envoy for improving our program's digital dimension."
The collaboration between SDA and YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP also includes support from YNAP in developing a field project for a group of MAFED students, which will then be presented to the company. Additionally, several MAFED students will be placed within the Group's internship programs after completing their diploma.
"This important partnership with SDA BOCCONI, which has offered the most prestigious Master in the fashion and luxury sector for many years, is once again confirming and further reinforcing our commitment to digital education to accelerate the digital transformation of the fashion and luxury industry," says Alex Alexander, Chief Information Officer of YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP.