What opportunities does the AZ Academy programme offer emerging fashion talent?

Following the announcement in May that the luxury brand AZ Factory would be transforming itself into a programme for young talent, we now know more about the new project. It is called AZ Academy: Business for designers, and is led by the Richemont Group. Initiated by Richemont, the AZ Academy: Business for designer programme is based on partnerships with Richemont Group's Creative Academy and the Italian educational institution Accademia Costume & Moda.

According to the media outlet Fashion Network, eighteen talented young people, selected from over 80 candidates, will begin their training in January 2025. On Instagram, the AZ Academy is gradually unveiling the designers selected for its first edition. They include Caterina Moro from Italy, founder of the brand of the same name, who wants to ‘make the industry more human’, and the Paris-based creative Mexican Ricardo Sanher, whose dream is to create a label that combines ‘society, art and fashion’.

The twelve-month training course, taught in English, will take place at the Accademia Costume & Moda in Milan. From January to April, designers will be introduced to various disciplines such as marketing, merchandising and sales, enabling them to acquire the skills needed to design a brand. The introductory stage will be followed by a phase tailored to the specific needs of the participants. From May to July, each participant will be able to draw up a personalised mentoring plan based on his or her objectives.

The programme will conclude with a final phase, during which the participants, accompanied by their tutors, will prepare their final presentation, which will be held in December before an internal Richemont jury.

The AZ Academy is aimed at emerging creators who wish to take a path ‘outside the traditional route’, according to its website, by creating their own entrepreneurial project. The aim of the programme is to offer turnkey solutions to give talented people the chance to get started with their own business straight away. Unlike more traditional education systems, it promises to provide ‘creators with the tools and know-how to transform a creative idea into a branded commercial offering capable of attracting investment.’

This article was originally published on FashionUnited.FR, translated from French into English with the help of an AI-tool and edited by Veerle Versteeg.