MILAN — The Prada Group will hold its first conference on sustainability, called “Shaping a Creative Future,” in a partnership with Yale School of Management and Politecnico di Milano School of Management. The event will be held on March 20 at Fondazione Prada and on the following day at the brand’s headquarters in Milan.
Focused on the relation between sustainability and innovation, the conference will comprise conversations, debates and discussions with leading international academic, creative and business figures, moderated by the two universities.
The first day will see representatives from leading businesses meet with Yale School of Management and Politecnico di Milano School of Management professors and alumni for discussions on sustainability and innovation.
On the second day, professors will moderate a series of panels with business leaders and representatives of international organizations, who will debate the topics and add their insights and experience to the conversation. Students from both universities will contribute their research and theses on the topics to the event.
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The discussions over the two days will hinge on brand heritage and market value; design for sustainability through innovation and tradition; sustainability and value creation, and driving creative excellence.
“The importance of sustainability for businesses and society is becoming ever more pressing,” said Prada chairman Carlo Mazzi. “What is the connection between creativity and sustainability? This event seeks to reflect on and analyze this challenging topic with some international representatives in the business, academic and creative spheres.”
Speakers from the fashion industry include Carlo Capasa, president of the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana; former Luxottica chief executive officer Andrea Guerra, who is now executive president of Eataly; Andrea Illy, chairman of Illycaffé and president of luxury goods association Fondazione Altagamma; Anna Zegna, president of Fondazione Zegna, and Andrea Morante, chairman of Sergio Rossi. Industrial designer Giulio Iacchetti; architect Stefano Boeri; Carlo Purassanta, ceo of Microsoft Italia; Ernesto Ciorra, head of innovation and sustainability at Italy’s largest energy company ENEL and Anna Detheridge, founder and president of Connecting Cultures, are some of the other speakers.
To engage in the conversation, Prada has set up a Twitter account @shapeafuture to launch today, with a dedicated #shapingacreativefuture hashtag.