If asked, the average person would be hard-pressed to specifically identify the various brands the Kering company owns. But if I were to tell people that they owned such luxury brands like Gucci, Stella McCartney, Puma, Bottega Venata, Balenciaga, and many more, I may find that many people are more familiar with those brands. Many people may identify luxury brands with opulence and extravagance. We often don’t think of the fashion industry as bastions of a sustainable business model. However, this is exactly the position that Francois-Henri Pinault, CEO of Kering wants to be in. In the Bloomberg Businessweek article “The Future of Fashion Is Mushroom Leather,” Pinault discusses the company’s sustainability report and how they are addressing sustainability in all areas of their fashionable supply chain–from python farms to their brand designers.
Class discussion questions:
- Why is sustainability an important issue for the fashion industry?
- How does Kering’s initiatives impact their supply chain?