Kering partners with eight Italian educational institutions

Talent development remains a strategic focus for the Kering group's brands. The company announced today that it has signed the first memorandums of understanding with eight local educational institutions at the Campus Valore Italia - Mind Milano innovation district.

This initiative aims to create a widespread network capable of projecting traditional crafts into the future. Specifically, the network involves eight local organisations: ACOF, AFOL, Capac, Galdus, HModa, ITS Cosmo, Istituto Modartech and Schola.

The Think Tank 'Comitato di pensiero', an advisory body that will guide the strategic development of the Kering Accademia per le eccellenze, has now been established. This network is led by Sabina Belli, head of Kering Accademia per le eccellenze and CEO of Pomellato.

It also includes Alba Cappellieri, head of jewellery and accessory design at Politecnico di Milano; Angelo Crespi, director general of the Pinacoteca di Brera, the Biblioteca Nazionale Braidense, Palazzo Citterio and the Cenacolo Vinciano; and Stefania Lazzaroni, director general of Altagamma.

“With the Kering Accademia per le eccellenze, we do not simply want to pass on a technique inherited from the past, but to transform traditional crafts into dynamic, contemporary and strongly future-oriented professions. To respond to this change, we must combine the precious 'intelligence of the hands' with critical thinking, creativity and technological innovation,” Belli emphasised in a note.

The initiative is structured as a nationwide training ecosystem, created to bring together and strengthen the existing training centres within the group's historic maisons, such as Bottega Veneta, Brioni, Gucci and Pomellato itself.

The academy's curriculum redefines the training approach by combining the four traditional pillars of the sector: clothing, men's tailoring, leather goods and jewellery. This is integrated with the development of cutting-edge skills related to technology, artificial intelligence and new materials, aiming to transform classic crafts into dynamic and forward-looking professions.

The signing of the first memorandums of understanding marks the beginning of a collaboration based on the sharing of skills and educational pathways.