Course 2020-2021 a.y.

The course:

- provides an overview of the fashion system and a detailed industry analysis;

- analyzes the main business logic and business models in fashion;

- deepens the concept of the fashion cycle and innovation, the pipeline and its timing;

- describes the seasonal strategies at the level of the product (with relation to distribution and communication);

- describes the role of merchandiser, the collection plan, the sales campaign, merchandising vs other department, the role of buyer;

- examines the topic of Corporate Social Responsibility as a new model to integrate the ethical and aesthetic dimensions with the economic, in order to create new competitive advantage.

At the end of the course student will be able to...

Understand what is behind the fashion and luxury brands in terms of variety of business

models and brand typologies.

Understand the concept of sustainability, in a very complex pipeline and considering customers’ expectations.

Understand the complexity of the process related to the development of the new seasonal offer.

Learn about different key roles in fashion companies: merchandiser, buyer, sustainability manager.

At the end of the course student will be able to...

Evaluate if they would like to get a job in this world and to acquire the basic

competences to start as junior.

Recognize some of the main issues and problems that characterize fashion companies.

Apply strategic concepts, such as: vertical integration, diversification, growth strategies,

industry analysis, consumer segmentation, and brand positioning.

• Face-to-face lectures
• Guest speaker's talks (in class or in distance)
• Case studies /Incidents (traditional, online)
• Group assignments

Lectures: theoretical concepts and managerial models.

Case discussions: application of theories and managerial models to real cases.

Guest speakers: sharing experience with managers/entrepreneurs/professionals.

For attending students the final grade is based on:

-75% written exam composed of multiple-choice and true/false questions, aimed at testing all the learning objectives of the course.

-25% group project (team made of 5-6 people), aimed at improving the learning process through the application of concepts and models to a real brand and at facilitating the relations among students and the so called "soft skills".

The written test will be based on the teaching material distributed in class and available on BB (and the books listed below).

The group assignment will be a short essay (PPT format, 15 slides), focused on the critical analysis of one of the course topics, applied to a concrete business case, chosen by the student.

For non-attending students the final grade is based on the written exam on the three books listed below. It is composed of multiple-choice and true/false questions.

-N. MISANI, P.VARACCA CAPELLO (2017), “Fashion Collections: Product Development and Merchandising”, EGEA

-F. R. RINALDI (2019): Fashion Industry 2030, Bocconi University Press

-N. MISANI, P.VARACCA CAPELLO (2017), “Fashion Collections: Product Development and Merchandising”, EGEA

-F. R. RINALDI (2019): Fashion Industry 2030, Bocconi University Press

-F. R. RINALDI, S. TESTA  (2014): The Responsible Fashion Company, Greenleaf Publishing - Routledge