19 Jul Creating Luxury Experts in China with French Business, Fashion, Hospitality and Culinary Programs

(Note: I’ve also included a Chinese translation of this post below the English version!)

Photo Credit: China leads world in luxury spending (Forbes)

Service “à la Française” for Chinese students looking to the luxury industry

China’s increasing demand for luxury goods and services growing year over year, it’s impossible to ignore for any luxury brand. Now an issue for luxury brands is not tapping into these markets, but keeping up with demand. While huge and growing, the luxury market in China is still relatively new, so one very important issue that the luxury industry faces is human resources.  So a challenged faced is not just opening a new boutique or fine dining restaurant, but finding properly trained staff. But times are changing! Especially with help from Skema Business School offering programs in luxury business management and fashion and Paul Bocuse Institute offering programs in hospitality and the culinary arts. So this collaboration brings two represents a great new collaboration between two very different cultures to bring the traditional world-renowned luxury of France with the growing new luxury in China a perfect combination. It also offers French students to learn about the luxury traditions in Chinese craftsmanship and cuisine.

Luxury & Fashion

SKEMA Business School launched the MSc “Luxury and Fashion Management” in the China’s Suzhou campus, on top of the one already opened in Sophia-Antipolis. Indeed, China is THE country where luxury is expanding. Moreover, Chinese students are very interested by this buoyant sector. This programme is based on marketing fields, but not only: Luxury and Fashion Products and Services Management, Integrated Luxury and Fashion Communication, International Marketing Strategies for Luxury and Fashion Goods or Fashion and Brand Management are some of the courses dispensed in this MSc.

Photo Credit: SKEMA LFM fashion show in Suzhou

All are lectured by professionals with a really good position in their well-known companies (such as Gucci Group, Dassault, Baume & Mercier or Global Luxuria…). In addition, the School benefits from some partners with these companies, and they can offer internships or even first jobs to the students.

One of the only differences between the programme in France and in China is that in this country, courses are more oriented on the uniqueness of luxury Asian market, dispensed by specialists and professionals; students also visit traditional production sites such as silk, and ceramics and china fabric. This is the best example of a great collaboration between two countries to bring each other a great expertise. For example, a very successful Indian businessman, Sudeep Chhabra, spoke in Suzhou only for the “LFM” students in this campus. Between other things, he participated to the launch of the most sumptuous store in India, for the brand DLF Emporio. An advantage of this kind of presentation is that the lecturer should better know Chinese way of thinking than a French one (because of the similarities in the two cultures). Moreover, these students have the opportunity to see concretely that the luxury industry is expanding in this type of countries, such as Brazil, Russia, India or China.

The MSc’s Scientific Director, Ivan Coste-Manière, says: “China is the third international market in the luxury industry with a growth of about 30 % in 2010; 40 % of the Chinese people is less than 20 years-old and is continuously seeking for innovation and luxury; Shanghai has become one of the referenced cities in this field”. Courses are ending by a minimum of 3 months’ internship in China. And then this complete experience permits to young managers to master subtleties of Asian luxury. The strategy of Ivan Coste-Manière is to propose this programme in countries which have a real impact on the luxury industry: France and China. For example, Sophia-Antipolis is a technology park situated at the heart of French Riviera, the most luxury oriented place in the world!

Culinary Arts & Hospitality

Then Institut Paul Bocuse creates the first French Restaurant-School in Shanghai! Paul Bocuse is the most famous French cook, internationally recognised. Indeed, he received a lot of prices for his cooking, including the most esteemed and hard to obtain ones: “Best Worker of France”, 3 “Michelin stars” since 1965, appointed “Cook of the Century” by Gault-Millau (one of the most influential French restaurant guides), and “Cooking Pope”. He wanted to let young cookers share in his experience focused on communication and creativity, so he opened in 2004 the Bocuse institute, which is a Management School in Business Hotel, Catering and Culinary Arts. And the Shanghai one was opened for the Universal Exposition in 2010. Thus, he realises his dream to teach his passion to talented young people. And this people are Chinese. Indeed, French gastronomy and fine dining are ones of the most beautiful aspects of France, known worldwide (with also fashion for example). By creating this School, Paul Bocuse permits to another people, who have a completely different culinary culture, to learn about the most prestigious way of cooking.

The Bocuse restaurant in NY

Finally, France and China are in the good position to “grow” Chinese experts of luxury. With the two examples above, the cooperation between the countries is only beginning, but other Schools are interested by this type of expansion after they have seen the results for these ones… But for now, we can look forward to future luxury experts being ‘home-grown’ in china thanks to French expertise in the different fields of the luxury business! French students are also learning from the Chinese craftsmanship via the Luxury and Fashion Management program in Asia led by SKEMA Business School. So it looks like French luxury students, like I used to be, will also benefit from learning about the traditions in Chinese luxury 🙂

由于中国是“金砖四国”的一部分，并且越来越强大，很多知名奢侈品生产企业要进入这个市场上。问题是，因为他们过于想迅速开设专卖店推销产品，让他们忘记了企业发展初期最需要的方面是有良好的人力资源管理。事实上，大多数奢侈品牌首次进入中国市场时，奢侈品行业并不存在，也缺乏专业人员。但这一切都正在改变！

为了奢侈品行业的发展中国和法国选择了合作，以便汲取两种截然不同的文化优势。法国，一个传统的生产奢侈品的国家是最好不过的合作伙伴，可以 帮助中国成为一个成熟的奢侈品消费市场 。

“法式服务”

通过以下两个例子，我们能看到法国所希望传授给中国学生的奢华的艺术，以及创造奢侈品行业的专家。法国是教授奢侈品行业的最佳选择。

•SKEMA商学院推出的“奢侈品和时尚管理”硕士已在中国的苏州园区招生，总部在法国尼撕的 Sophia Antipolis。事实上，中国是奢侈品品牌最想发展的土地。此外，越来越多的中国学生对这门行业很感兴趣。这门硕士不仅仅是市场营销领域，课程还包括豪华和时尚的产品及服务管理，综合奢侈品和时尚的通信管理和国际奢侈品市场学。 全部的课程是由专业人士讲授的。他们有着丰富的奢侈品行业经验和背景。比如 Gucci Group, Dassault, Baume & Mercier 和 Global Luxuria. 其次，Skema商业学院和这些知名的奢侈品企业是合作伙伴。通过这些公司，Skema 商学院可给学生提供实习机会， 甚至是第一份工作。

国家是这门硕士课程的唯一的区别。可就是这门课程才能体现亚洲市场和法国市场的独特性。在中国，学生们还参观了传统的生产基地，如丝绸，陶瓷和中国布料。这是两个国家之间的合作，带给对方一个伟大的知识的的最好的例子。例如，一个非常成功的印度商人，Sudeep Chhabra，专门为在苏州校区里的学生演讲。另外，他参与了在印度最豪华的DLF Emporio品牌厂商开业。因中国和印度的文化有共同点，这位印度讲师能够了解中国的商业运作模式。此外，这些学生还有机会接触到金砖四国的具体的奢侈品行业发展，如巴西，俄罗斯，印度和中国等国家。

奢侈品和时尚硕士的学科主任，Ivan Coste- Manière 表示： 在国际奢侈品产业，中国排第三。在2010年中国奢侈品产业大约增长了30％。 40％的中国人年龄不到20岁，这个年龄群致力于不断创新。上海正在成为在这一领域的领导城市之一。课程至少要达到3个月，并且需要在中国找到实习场所。这种完整的理论和实习的体验，允许年少的经理，更加懂得如何掌握亚洲奢侈品行业管理。Ivan Coste-Manière 的战略是在那些有真正对奢侈品行业有影响力的国家：法国和中国。例如，尼斯的海岸线是世界最豪华品牌的集散地之一。

•Paul Bocuse 学院在上海创建了第一家餐厅学校。Paul Bocuse是国际知名的法国厨师。事实上，他获得了很多奖，包括最受尊敬的和难以取得的：“法国最佳工人”， 自1965年以来获得了 3颗“米其林星” ，被任命为高尔特 – 米洛的“库克世纪”，和“烹饪教皇”。他想和年轻人分享他的侧重于沟通和创造力的经验，所以他建立了Paul Bocuse学院，这是一个商务酒店、饮食及烹饪艺术管理的学院，于2004年开业。在上海的2010年世界博览会开幕期间，他传播了他对美食的热情，让有才华的年轻中国人实现自己的梦想。事实上，法国美食是法国最美丽的一面，当然，还包括其他世界闻名（例如时装）等商品。通过建立这所学校，Paul Bocuse 让中国人接触完全不同的的饮食文化，了解最负盛名的烹饪方式。

最后，我们可以看到，虽然两国的合作仅仅是刚开始发展，但中国奢侈品专家认为这已经成为中法间良好的合作方式。同时别的商业学院也的确对在中国培养发展人才感兴趣。…但在这之前，我们可以保证，未来的奢侈品专家会具备所有优良特征和技术。他们将真正成为未来的国际奢侈品专家。这一切都感谢来自于法国的各种奢侈品专业知识。通过SKEMA商学院的管理方案，法国学生也在中国充分学到了中国工艺。我们两国可以给对方带来一个长期的、相互学习的专业知识 。