ESMOD recently celebrated its 180th anniversary with an exhibition of its heritage that highlighted the legacy of its founder Alexis Lavigne. His cutting and model-making methods, which have been taught at the school and perpetuated over the decades, have adapted to the changing times and major trends in fashion.
We brought together and showcased the creative talents and expertise of students from our 18 schools in France and abroad at a fashion show held at the Potocki Hotel last November, with each student illustrating the richness and diversity of our group, chaired by former ESMOD Paris student and ESMOD Tokyo founder, Mr. Nino.
Mr. Nino marked the event with a moving speech in which he underlined the strong values that drive him. Values that stem partially from his roots and partially from his profound attachment to France, its history, its culture and its top-level expertise.
This anniversary provided an authentic opportunity to honour the group’s raison d'être and celebrate the inspiring life journeys of our schools’ committed leaders, their dedicated teams, our passionate teachers and our enthusiastic students, who have helped to forge the institution’s reputation over the years.
In a nutshell, it reflected ESMOD’s ikigai.
Ikigai is a Japanese word that roughly translates as ‘reason for living’, what we like to do, what we are good at, what makes us professionals and ultimately what people need.
Having been accentuated by the COVID crisis, this philosophy of life that puts humans front and centre, ahead of any economic conditions or technological transformations, is fuelling entrepreneurial decisions now more than ever and offers food for thought when it comes to the vital social responsibility of companies.
Passion, a sense of mission, vocation and profession are the main pillars at the centre of ikigai on which the culture of our school is built. These are ESMOD’s raison d'être when it comes to passing on excellent technical expertise and developing know-how and interpersonal skills among future designers, craftspeople, managers and creative entrepreneurs.
Training new generations to successfully navigate the societal and environmental transitions we are experiencing in our sectors, adapt to the new challenges facing our professions and satisfy their quest for meaning and their appetite for entrepreneurial freedom are matters of priority to us.
This latest newsletter is dedicated to our third Earth Week - an exceptional event that is open both to ESMOD students and to a wider audience (by prior registration). And one designed to let you into the world of ESMOD and share with you our values, our encounters and our firm favourites. We hope it will be both emotional and inspirational.
Welcome to our ikigai!
Véronique Beaumont,
General Manager ESMOD International