Reflections from MSc in Luxury Management & Marketing student
My name is Brenda Rois, I was born in Brazil but did part of my studies in other countries, including three years in France. I have an educational background in International Relations, Management and Law and work experience in the Digital, Hospitality, Translation/Teaching and Legal sectors. Enrolling in emlyon business school’s program was a chance to pursue a career in the luxury industry I am passionate about, by gaining specific knowledge from a top French Business School.
For the first time since the launch of the MSc in Luxury Management & Marketing, students of the program had the chance to pursue their second term in Italy, instead of New York or London**. When Prof. Michel Phan announced this new opportunity mid-August, I knew in my heart that I had to apply for it.
I’ve always loved Italy and having lived there before, I knew it was the right choice to go back, since Italy is the home of so many iconic maisons and talented designers.
The second term in Italy is held in partnership with Luiss Business School, which is one of the top business schools in Italy and in Europe. Luiss’s campus is located in the absolutely stunning Villa Blanc, in the northern part of Rome. The campus is a historical building and was the home of the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs until the early 30’s. Villa Blanc is the headquarters of the school and it’s a pure mix of neoclassical, art nouveau, neo-gothic with a hint of Middle Eastern architecture.
We followed different types of classes, most of the time with students from the MSc in Fashion Management and sometimes with the students of the MSc in Luxury Management. The modules focused upon the areas of Fashion strategies, Fashion business models but also HR management, merchandising, Fashion Law and Digital Social Media Marketing.
During those two and a half months, we were able to have a comprehensive look into some important areas of the fashion industry. Our teachers were very experienced and had work experience in different companies, from fast fashion such as Tally Weijl to Luxury Brands like Bulgari, Pomellato, Fendi, Marni, Loro Piana, Valentino and many more.
Our courses were theoretical but also very practical, many times we had to build from scratch a brand strategy for our own start up, creating the digital content of a new tourist destination and we’ve learned a lot.
We also had the opportunity to meet many guest speakers from different sectors of the luxury industry, from influencers to top management employees such as the HR director of Lamborghini in Italy, the Italian CEO of Lagardère and the CEO of the hair division from Shiseido.
Aside from our courses, we also had the chance to pick extra courses and develop other set of skills, for example, I chose Facebook and Google Ads, Coding with Python and Advanced Excel and those extra courses were free of charge and were held to help us into our new careers.
I am personally really happy about those three months spent in Rome and I think it’s a great opportunity to get a deeper knowledge into the fashion world in a such important capital and specially in a country full of heritage and very welcoming.
Written by Brenda Rois
