March 31, 2024
By Highpoint Digest News Staff
Shanghai, China – (Highpoint Digest)– Kering, together with Tsinghua University and Institut Français de la Mode, officially launched the “Fashion Sustainability – Global Perspectives and China Practices” Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). The course is free to open to university students and people who are passionate about sustainable fashion worldwide.
With a commitment to empower young generations, Kering has been cultivating sustainability talents for years. Through the development of relevant educational programs in cooperation with internationally renowned institutions and universities, it aims to uphold true long-term sustainability.
This new MOOC is the second step of a collaboration which started with the launch of Tsinghua
University’s online education platform “XuetangX” in 2019 to bring to China the world’s first MOOC
focusing on sustainability and luxury fashion.
On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France in 2024, Kering has partnered again with Tsinghua University and Institut Français de la Mode to launch a brand new online course – “Fashion Sustainability – Global Perspectives and China
Practices”.
With the educational resources of top universities and the enthusiastic support from industry
stakeholders, this course presents a solid theoretical foundation, a broad international perspective, and cutting-edge industry trends. The curriculum covers diverse dimensions of sustainable fashion,
including the relationship between fashion and the social environment, as well as circular economy, product lifecycles, fashion traceability, sustainable fabrics, and technology iteration. Students can delve into background information, core mechanisms, and the basic infrastructure of sustainability in the fashion industry. This holistic content aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the sustainability value chain operating model and pioneering insights into industry transformation.
Especially unique to this course is its localized content, created in addition to the content developed by Kering and IFM. It features Professor Yingchun ZANG from Tsinghua University’s Academy of Arts & Design as the introductory lecturer. Experts from Kering are also featured, sharing the Group’s
sustainability vision and best practices. Additionally, the Kering Generation Award, dedicated to
empowering Chinese startups, has generously contributed to curriculum development. Previous award-winning startups and well-known Chinese companies such as ICICLE and Erdos have also joined to contribute their case studies.
The complete course requires 30 lessons.
Furthermore, the course will be offered through various channels in Chinese university networks and
industries, allowing more students and industrial talents to benefit.
Chief Sustainability and Institutional Affairs Officer of Kering, Marie-Claire Daveu, stated, “We are delighted and excited about this collaboration with Tsinghua University. The young generation, as future leaders and innovators in the fashion industry, carry the mission of driving industry transformation. That means that we at Kering have the responsibility to encourage young people to actively learn and explore sustainability, and advocate for it as a daily practice in their career development.”
Jinqing Cai, President of Kering Greater China, mentioned, “Collaboration and innovation are key to promoting sustainable development concepts and leading the industry transformation. We launch this program together with Tsinghua University and IFM, not only to transmit knowledge and skills, to share excellent cases and best practices of cutting-edge technology as well as business innovation but also to sustain dialogues with the young generations within the youth community through an ‘industry academia-research’ joint ecosystem of sustainability.”
“We are delighted to continue our collaboration with Kering. This course reaches not only university students, but also young professionals, fashion enthusiasts, sustainable startups, and media representatives who all have the opportunity to continue their learning journey and understand the challenges and opportunities of sustainable development in the fashion industry. The Academy of Arts & Design at Tsinghua University is pleased and proud to be part of creating this shared platform,” said Yingchun ZANG, Professor of Tsinghua University’s Academy of Arts & Design.
“The challenges of sustainability in the fashion and luxury industry need to be shared as widely as possible, and on an international scale. The understanding keys on how to get involved in the transformation of our industry are essential and require training for all stakeholders. We are delighted to join forces with Tsinghua University through our partnership with Kering and reach a large number of talents in China.” expressed Professor Andrée-Anne Lemieux Phd, Director of the IFM-Kering Sustainability research Chair from IFM.
Over the past decade, Kering has collaborated with various institutions at Tsinghua University, including the Academy of Arts & Design and the School of Journalism and Communication. The collaboration has encompassed various initiatives, such as conducting research on sustainable fashion consumption, graduate programs, developing MOOCs.
Moreover, in response to the invitation from Tsinghua University Institute of Climate Change and
Sustainable Development, Kering has joined forces with the Global Alliance of Universities on Climate (GAUC) to launch the Global Youth Climate Week. This initiative aims to mobilize and engage young people all over the world in making tangible contributions to global climate governance. Kering sustainability experts have also participated in the development of online courses for the Climate x Global Youth Carbon Neutrality Leadership Training Program, a strategic collaboration between the alliance and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). FrançoisHenri Pinault, Chairman and CEO of Kering, has visited Tsinghua University multiple times, engaging in friendly interactions with young students, demonstrating Kering’s determination to empower the younger generation in driving sustainable development.
Who is the Kering Group
The Kering Group is a global Luxury Goods Group, Kering brings together and nurtures a group of emblematic Houses in Fashion, Leather Goods and Jewelry: Gucci, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, Alexander
McQueen, Brioni, Boucheron, Pomellato, DoDo, Qeelin, Ginori 1735, as well as Kering Eyewear and
Kering Beauté. By placing creation at the heart of its strategy, Kering enables its Houses to push back their limits in terms of creative expression, while shaping a sustainable and responsible Luxury. This is the meaning of our signature: Empowering Imagination. In 2023, Kering had 49,000 employees and revenue of €19.6 billion (roughly $21 billion).
What is the purpose of the Kering Generation Award
In 2017, as part of the Group’s sustainability strategy, Kering joined the “Plug and Play – Fashion for
Good” accelerator in Europe, scouting innovative solutions across the entire fashion industry chain, as well as thinking about changes from perspectives such as “alternative raw materials to recycling
technology” and thereby extending product lifespan. Aligned with Kering’s vision of “Crafting tomorrow’s luxury”, the “Kering Generation Award” was founded in China in December 2018, aiming to recognize and support Chinese startups that can bring about positive environmental and social impact and address challenges in alternative raw materials, green supply chain, retail & use and the circular economy.
In 2021, the second Kering Generation Award focused on biodiversity and beyond, seeking startups
working in the areas of ensuring clean water, building healthy soil, supporting wildlife and animal welfare as well as empowering people with knowledge of the relationship between fashion and nature.
In December 2022, Kering announced the third Kering Generation Award around the theme “Coming Full Circle”, promoting the complete development of the circular economy at every link of the fashion industry. The Award Ceremony was held on 16 October 2023 in Shanghai.
Who is AADTHU
The Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University, with The Central Academy of Arts & Design being its predecessor, was established in 1956. It was merged into Tsinghua University in 1999, resulting in the first higher education institute of arts and design in China.
Since its establishment, the mission of the Academy has been twofold: serving the daily needs of the
population, and contributing to the economic and cultural development of the country. Its notable
achievements include design work for the “Top Ten Architectural Decorations”, the Beijing Olympics,
and the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the National Day (e.g. the two long red ribbons on
Tian’anmen Square, parade floats and ceremonial vehicles).
The Academy can grant doctorate degrees in three first-level disciplines, namely design, fine arts, and art theory. In addition to a basic teaching and research group, there are ten departments to cover textile and fashion design, ceramic design, visual communication design, environmental art design, industrial design, arts and crafts, information art & design, painting, sculpture, and art history.
The Academy has developed a comprehensive platform integrating teaching, research and academic
publications. Its Laboratory for Arts & Design Education, a national experimental teaching demonstration center, consists of 29 labs. It publishes ZHUANGSHI, a core art journal in China.
The Academy will continue to expand on the tradition, enhance the integration of arts and science, and strive to become a global center of excellence for art education.
Who is IFM
The Institut Français de la Mode is a higher education institution, a training center for apprentices, a
provider of executive education, and a center of expertise for the fashion industry. It provides
undergraduate and graduate programs in fashion design, management and craftsmanship.
Together with Kering it has developed a teaching and research Chair on Fashion Sustainability.
The Impact of GAUC
The Global Alliance of Universities on Climate (GAUC) was established in 2019 with the mission
of providing leadership in global higher education’s efforts to address climate change. Since its
establishment, GAUC has received generous recognition worldwide. The activities provided by
GAUC attracted over 300 million global participations.
To date, GAUC has 15 prestigious member universities from 9 countries across 6 continents,
including Tsinghua University, London School of Economics and Political Science, Yale University,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, Australian
National University, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Imperial College London, Indian Institute
of Science, Sciences Po, Stellenbosch University, the University of Tokyo, University of California,
Berkeley, and Columbia University.
Who is XuetangX
XuetangX, a MOOC platform founded by Tsinghua University in October 2013, is designed for
research, interaction and achievement application of the MOE Research Center for Online
Education. What is more, as one of the first programs of Chinese innovation and
entrepreneurship demonstration base, XuetangX is the deputy secretary-general organization of
China Association of Higher Education, and is the online education platform for ICEE of
UNESCO.
XuetangX has so far owned more than 5000 courses of high quality covering 13 categories of
subjects, which are all from top universities at home and abroad, such as Tsinghua University,
Peking University, Fudan University, University of Science and Technology of China, Stanford
University, and University of California, Berkeley.
Source: Kering
Image courtesy of Kering
The Academy actively cultivates “virtuous, artistic, knowledgeable and creative” talents, putting a
premium on individuality and innovation. It aims to raise its international profile and strengthen its global influence.
