MIP POLITECNICO DI MILANO & YOOX GROUP
present
THE FIRST MASTER OF E-FASHION IN ITALY
www.yoox.com/master_mip
WORKING IN INTERNET IS IN FASHION!
WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF
Giorgio Armani, Diesel, Marni, Valentino
IN COLLABORATION WITH
Style.it
YOOX Group announces the commencement of the first Master of E-Fashion on November 3, 2008. YOOX Group, the global Internet retailing partner for leading fashion and design brands, and MIP, the Business School of the Politecnico di Milano, have organized this innovative learning opportunity combining fashion and the Internet, the future of Made in Italy.
The master program takes advantage of a major change in the Italian fashion industry. Today, the most important luxury and fashion brands are moving quickly to develop new business through the Internet, but have a difficult time finding the resources needed to do so. The past few years have seen an increase of prominent fashion brands venturing online, such as Diesel, Dior, Emporio Armani, Gucci, Hermès, Louis Vuitton and Valentino. All of these companies started out with a corporate website to which they added an online store.
According to the survey "The State of Retailing Online 2008", conducted by Shop.org and Forrester Research, e-commerce is on the rise, and clothing is the category with the highest growth rate online.
The United States has been a real pioneer in this sector. Today the American online market is structured and mature, whereas Europe and Italy have grown rapidly over the past few years. This trend was confirmed by a survey conducted by the B2C Observatory of the School of Management at the Politecnico di Milano/Netcomm (2007). The survey claims that "the sector of online clothing in Italy has a turnover of approximately 150 million euros, with a 40% increase, the highest of all categories. The sector remains strongly concentrated, as the top 5 companies represent 80% of the market: the market leader, YOOX, is far ahead of its competitors".
Established in 2000, yoox.com has been a pioneer in making online fashion shopping a reality in Italy. YOOX's global infrastructure crossing three continents and the expertise accumulated by its employees over the years were the impetus for the creation of YOOX Services in 2006, a YOOX Group company that designs and runs online stores for leading fashion and design brands.
After years of experience in Internet retailing, YOOX Group has forged a strategic partnership with MIP, the Business School of the Politecnico di Milano. MIP has always focused on the role of information, technology and communication in running a company. The master, created in collaboration with MIP and top Made in Italy brands, sets out to unveil the secrets and strategies of E-Fashion, a rapidly growing sector. Such a program seeks to encourage creativity and initiative in Italy, which should not lag behind other countries that are at the forefront of this sector, such as the United States.
A sign that new frontiers are opening for Italian fashion where luxury's exclusivity meets Internet accessibility, providing a new and creative shopping experience. Internet and fashion are proving to be a winning combination for developing and exporting Made in Italy.
Some of Italy's most prominent brands will be involved in the master program: Giorgio Armani, Diesel, Marni and Valentino. These companies immediately saw that this opportunity would encourage new E-Fashion talent, and are offering internship and employment opportunities to the master's most outstanding students.
The Media Partner for the Master of E-Fashion is Style.it, the official website of three historical Condé Nast names: Vogue, Glamour and Vanity Fair. Style.it quickly became a web point of reference for fashion, style and new trends. It will give exposure to this important project on its web pages, a project which is in tune with Style.it's aspirations to promote fashion not only as glamour, but also as culture, education and knowledge.
In addition to being an active part of the master's educational program, YOOX Group will offer three scholarships and internship opportunities oriented towards employment in the work force. To further support the development of young talent, Giorgio Armani is also offering a scholarship for a resource who will work for the European online store Emporioarmani.com, soon to be launched (the US version opened in August 2007).
With the support of the time-tested know how of the Politecnico di Milano and YOOX Group, this master will provide training for new career paths: Online Store Managers, Web Marketing Managers, Brand & Communications Managers, Supply Chain Managers and Project Managers. The master will feature superior classroom content as well as a unique "on site" approach with special guest lecturers from prominent Made in Italy companies.
The 2nd Level Master lasts one year and is limited to 40 students. You must submit your applications not later than the 15th of September, 2008.
The master's Academic Committee will oversee and enhance the high quality teaching. The committee's members are Mario Boselli, Chairman of the The National Chamber of Italian Fashion, Umberto Bertelè, Chairman of the School of Management of the Politecnico di Milano and of the MIP Consortium, Federico Marchetti, YOOX Group Founder and CEO of, and Andrea Ciccoli, Partner at Bain & Co - Fashion Practice.
This innovative project also includes the support of Giovanni Bozzetti, President of Comitato Lombardia per la Moda, established by the Lombardy Region President, Roberto Formigoni, and Regional Government Minister of Industry, Massimo Corsaro. A promoter of several cultural projects related to fashion and a supporter of young talent, Bozzetti chose to participate in this new master because it is dedicated to providing training for qualified young professionals in a highly innovative sector such as e-fashion.
Additional information is available at www.mip.polimi.it and www.yoox.com/master_mip
