Federico Marchetti, Chief Executive Officer of YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP, today inaugurated the 2017 edition of SDA Bocconi University’s MAFED (Master in Fashion, Experience & Design Management). YNAP is also collaborating in the development of a new course on digital strategy and e-commerce for the fashion and luxury industries.
SDA Bocconi and YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP, the world’s leading online luxury fashion retailer, today announced a partnership for digital education in the fashion and luxury industries to develop a new course in ‘Digital strategy, marketing and e-commerce’.
The course will form part of the 2017 edition of MAFED (Master in Fashion, Experience & Design Management) at SDA Bocconi. Bocconi launched the Masters in 2002 in association with Fondazione Altagamma to train young talent on the key aspects of management in the fashion, design and luxury industries. The 2017 edition of the course was launched today with a welcome speech from the Rector of Bocconi University, Gianmario Verona, and the Dean of SDA Bocconi, Giuseppe Soda, as well as an opening speech by Federico Marchetti, Chief Executive Officer of YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP and Bocconi Alumnus of the Year 2014.
The initiative comes at a time of soaring demand for digital skills, which now play an increasingly important role in the fashion and luxury world, as well as other industries. This trend is also reflected in the creation by the European Commission of the Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition, which, through targeted actions, is expected to provide training for digital jobs to 1 million young people by 2020.
The course aims to combine SDA’s experience in education and YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP’s industry expertise to provide Masters students with the best learning experience for developing the skills needed today for the management of digital strategies in the fashion, luxury and design business. The course will enable students to learn both the strategic aspect and the fundamentals of Digital Marketing, Smart Data, E-commerce, and Customer experience and engagement, as they apply for jobs in the fashion and luxury sectors. MAFED and YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP will work together to design the programme, with YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP managers giving lectures and presenting case studies.
“A growing portion of MAFED graduates go on to work in positions that require vision, skills and expertise in digital technologies. Our students are digital natives and companies expect them not only to be familiar with digital technologies in their day-to-day lives but also to be able to deploy digital skills and technologies in their businesses. That’s why we decided to instil MAFED with a renewed dual focus on analytical and web skills, with a particular concentration on e-commerce, which now plays an increasingly important role at fashion and luxury companies. The partnership with YNAP is a great way to strengthen the digital aspect of our programme,” commented Emanuela Prandelli, Director of MAFED
The partnership between SDA and YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP will also see YNAP supporting a group of MAFED students with a field project, the results of which will then be presented to the company. In addition, a number of MAFED students will join the Group’s internship programme after graduating.
“This important partnership with SDA Bocconi, which for many years has offered the most prestigious Master’s in the fashion and luxury industry, further strengthens our commitment to digital education, a key way to accelerate transformation in the sector,” commented Alex Alexander, Chief Information Officer of YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP.
