MAFED rocked NYC!

After two years, MAFED students finally returned to New York for the annual study tour during Halloween week. This study tour was introduced in the program in 2017 and has always been focused on retail experience and management. We had to put it on pause during the pandemic, but we finally made it back.

“I launched this retail study tour experience in New York the first year I took the lead of the MAFED Program,” said Emanuela Prandelli, MAFED director. “I do believe it adds an important further angle into the global landscape we want to explore throughout our courses.”

Thanks to our consolidated relationships with local industry leaders, we were able to craft a three-day experience for our students, filled with company and store visits, guest speakers, and events.

The networking opportunities and leadership and management lessons given directly by managers and experts working in the Big Apple gave students the chance to connect with an impressive number of professionals in retail environments.

“Digital channels are getting more and more important,” says Prandelli, “but physical retail is far away from becoming irrelevant for fashion and luxury brands. This tour gave us plenty of chances to understand it!”

On day one, students visited Ralph Lauren, Moncler and Thom Brown and learned about how global companies foster a family-like environment and the importance of people and human capital in delivering an excellent customer experience. 

Day two followed with visits to Saks5avenue, Octonano and Stylistico for an inside look at clienteling in luxury and an overview of the industry differences between the US and Europe.

Study tours greatly enhance the MAFED learning journey, giving students a firsthand view of the world of fashion, design, and luxury industries. These experiences launch them to the next steps in the job market, while also reinforcing their relationships with fellow classmates.

“MAFED’s New York trip was an incredible opportunity to see many of the concepts we learned about this year in practice in a retail environment. We were also able to go behind the scenes of major brands and department stores, and experiencing this with my classmates is something I will never forget,” says Stephanie Sengara, a MAFED 2022 student.

The experience was truly instructive not only for students but also for the professors organizing the tour, who are very grateful to all the managers and alumni who shared their unique stories and experiences and made the trip unforgettable.

“I have been organizing MAFED study tours since 2014, but this was my first in NYC. I am looking forward to the next because every time we try creating something unique and we always learn something new!” says Lucia Paladino, professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship.

We would like to thank the following people for their contributions to our NYC study tour:

• Melvin Ingram
• Herbert Phillips
• Marco de Biasio
• Taara Mehta
• Matthieu Rinville
• Alex Wien
• Alexis Velez
• Cinzia Zanette
• Dwayne Brice
• Ramona Barclay
• Matthew Benzin
• Richard Drake
• Emma Reese
• Annalisa Menin
• Maurizio Marchiori
• Guglielmo Melegari
• Paolo Riva
• Andrea Pini
• Lucinda Rosso
• Geraldine French
• Tim Hartman

SDA Bocconi School of Management