Kering, a global luxury group renowned for managing prestigious Houses such as Gucci, Saint Laurent, and Bottega Veneta, is advancing its partnership with the London College of Fashion by introducing a pioneering new course aimed at fostering sustainability-oriented governance.
2024 will commemorate a decade of collaboration between Kering and the London College of Fashion’s Centre for Sustainable Fashion (CSF). Over these ten years, the alliance has birthed the Kering x CSF graduate programme and the Fashion Values MOOC, exclusively available at LCF. Building on this foundation, the new programme will extend over three years, equipping future fashion industry leaders with the skills to create sustainable governance models.
Sustainability, collaboration, and creativity are core pillars of Kering’s vision for the future of luxury. By placing creativity at the heart of its strategy, Kering enables its Houses, including Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, and Brioni, to push the boundaries of creative expression while crafting tomorrow’s luxury in a sustainable and responsible way. The Group’s academic initiatives strive to provide thorough training, enabling students to embed sustainability at the core of organisational strategies.
The new Kering x CSF programme aims to meet long-term sustainability goals across industries by shaping future board members to incorporate Rockstrom et al.’s principles of interspecies, intergenerational, and intragenerational justice—the “3Is”—into governance. Participants will engage in interdisciplinary research, collaborate with researchers through a youth board, and hone industry-specific skills.
Marie-Claire Daveu, Chief Sustainability and Institutional Affairs Officer of Kering, emphasises the importance of education in achieving sustainability: “The only way to train people truly and effectively is to work closely with schools and universities to build a comprehensive approach on sustainability issues. In fact, Kering and LCF’s long-standing collaboration is focused on harnessing the power of education and creativity in support of our planet. We share the same vision on empowering young talents and encouraging the next generation of fashion professionals to place sustainability at the heart of their future careers.”
In 2023, Kering employed 49,000 people and reported revenue of €19.6 billion, capturing its commitment to sustainable luxury with the signature: “Empowering Imagination.”