ESCP contributes to Global Fashion Management Conference’s success

The conference co-hosted by the school and co-chaired by Professor Ben Voyer was made all the more special by faculty members' active participation.

ESCP hosted the 2019 Global Fashion Management Conference (GFMC) from 11 to 14 July, on its historical Paris (République) campus, with Korean Scholars of Marketing Science. “This conference is held every two years in prestigious universities around the world and really is one of the leading forums for researchers who are interested in fashion and luxury research,” commented the Conference Co-Chair, Professor Benjamin Voyer. “This year, the conference theme was about fashion luxury and sustainability, which is a very important topic, not just in research but also in today’s society. We wanted to see how researchers can contribute to the debate around sustainability by showcasing their research on fashion sustainability and luxury. For instance, how do consumers value sustainable fashion? How do they engage with the sustainability debate in the fashion industry”?

The choice of Paris, the fashion capital of the world, for this conference was made all the more obvious by the existing ties between the Global Alliance of Marketing & Management Associations (GAMMA), and ESCP. « We met a couple of colleagues from ESCP in our first conference, in 2010, and since then we’ve built up research collaboration and student exchanges”, explained Yonsei University Professor Eunju Ko, who is also the President of GAMMA, which organizes this conference. “Yonsei University and ESCP actually signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) a few years ago.”

Several Professors and PhD students from ESCP’s Paris, Madrid and London campuses made presentations during the conference. “This was also for us a way to show the great diversity and talent when it comes to research on fashion and luxury within ESCP,” added Ben Voyer, who also contributed by taking part in a fashion show the day before Bastille Day and its spectacular military parade on the Champs Elysées. “What was unique about this edition is that we had three fashion designers that offered and presented their collections during our gala dinner. So not only did we share research about fashion, exchange ideas about fashion and luxury, but we also looked at fashion designs and luxury designs as part of the conference.”