Boutique Internships 2016

The MBA in International Luxury Brand Management class of 2016 have just completed their Boutique Internships. For one week, the students learn first-hand about the customer experience in luxury boutiques and how management decisions impact these stores and final sales.

Here are some student reflections after the week:

My internship at Ferragamo in London began normally enough: I arrived just in time for the daily morning briefing, and, having phoned in ahead of time to speak with the manager, Mr. Abraham Ziad-Hughes, was warmly welcomed into the fold. Though I was there for only a week, I was able to spend time with every member of Ferragamo’s Sloane Street team: my Monday morning was spent understanding and exploring the stock room with the inventory manager, the afternoon running through store design and layout with the Visual Merchandising manager and store supervisor, and the early evening being briefed on CRM, and the four store sections (women’s shoes and accessories; the Ferragamo Creations collection; men’s shoes and accessories; and women’s RTW). 

Meet the Students - Julio Chang from Taiwan/Brazil

• What were you doing before you joined the MBA in International Luxury Brand Management program?

Before I joined the MBA in International Luxury Brand Management Program I was working in Shanghai for the SWATCH group as the Retail Operations Manager for 12 stores. This entailed taking care of the training of staff, visual merchandising, negotiation with department stores, and sales performances. It was also important for me to work closely with other departments to achieve optimal performance and also plan the opening of new stores. Before joining the SWATCH group I was working in different parts of Asia - mainly China, Japan and Taiwan, in project management, hospitality, PR/advertising, and IT management. 

Company visits - Firmenich

By Teresa Chen, MBA in International Luxury Brand Management 2015-2016, Australia/Taiwan

Quite recently, Firmenich took our class on a very special olfactory experience and gave us a glimpse into the curious world of fragrances and flavors. Most people probably have never heard of Firmenich before, yet the products produced by companies that work hand-in-hand with Firmenich unknowingly surround us. From fragrances in perfumes, body care and house care, to flavors found in beverages and food, Firmenich is responsible for the everyday pleasures we find in life.

Our tour started with a presentation of the company by Dephine Krug, who is in charge of recruitment and relations with schools. She highlighted the main missions of Firmenich, which are creativity, intensive research, and responsible sourcing. Afterwards, we had a few special guest speakers that explained to us their main roles within the company and their day-to-day activities. We met Severine Cardot who is the Fragrance Development Manager, Amandine Vepierre who is the Associate Marketing Director in Fine Fragrances, and we also met Dominique Roques, who has the very special role of Head of Natural Purchasing. Monsieur Roques explained to us the difference between natural oils and synthetic molecules, and the challenges and opportunities that he faces in his role. We then embarked on an olfactory journey with the smell of vetiver and a beautiful video, which showed how this ingredient is sourced in Haiti, and the structure Firmenich has put in place to protect the local farmers and producers.

The second half of our visit we had the pleasure to meet a master perfumer and also experience the new scents inspired by the Pantone colors of the year, which are rose quarts and blue serenity. We watched a concept video while going through the perfumes one by one. There were key notes that even untrained noses like us could pick up on: jasmine, pineapple, coconut, and candy. Looks like a sweet and carefree year ahead! We also had the unique opportunity to do a tour of the laboratories after and see the creation production of scents taking place, and learn about the latest technologies in the fragrances and scents industry.  Thank you Firmenich for opening our eyes to this invisible yet essential part of our everyday life!