2021 has been a busy year for Istituto Marangoni Mumbai students, who recently completed an impressive Industry Project focused on a potential expansion of Italian fashion brand N21 into the Indian luxury market.

The collaboration with Mumbai students is the result of Istituto Marangoni’s continuous commitment to building high-level connections with the fashion and luxury industry, with the aim to create a select international network, to promote talent and to give all students at the Group's schools the opportunity to work on study projects with industry leaders.

More specifically, the Industry Project with N21 focused on a potential market entry analysis on the Indian market and, as a result, involved its students from the BA in Fashion Business and the postgraduate programmes in Luxury brand management and Marketing.

For the company, it was a great opportunity to test the students’ skills on a “real-life” scenario; they received valuable insights and strategic ideas developed thanks to their extensive knowledge of the local market, but above all they got in touch with young professionals with a view to hire talent, appreciating the professional quality of their output.

Extensive, detailed and up to high industry standards, the final project was indeed comprehensive from pre-launch marketing strategies through to final product recommendations and digital applications.

Working in groups using a plethora of tools and in-depth research, the students explored a variety of factors, including product categories, brand communication, omnichannel development and consumer behaviour, as well as contemporary issues such as corporate social responsibility and globalisation. But also, a sound business and budgetary plan, co-branding opportunities, and a communication strategy for PR/events/social media and advertising.

The pre-launch plan covered entry-level products in pop-up concept, strategic timelines, engagement through select influencers, eye-catching limited-edition packaging in collaboration with Indian artists, custom charms and captivating hashtags to create an escalating buzz.

The plan moves on to a meticulous launch strategy, complete with dates, places, exclusive launch events and private screenings of the ad campaign, custom PR kits and potential ambassadors that may hook new generations and best deliver the brand’s DNA. This was followed by a transitional strategy incorporating collaborations with fashion magazines, made-to-measure details and recommended product categories, through to possible digital apps and digital content to build brand awareness and brand recall value in India.

Everything has been planned to an impressive level of detail, transforming a “case study” into a solid and viable market-ready strategy for N21, and revealing the high level of skill, expertise and critical thinking achieved by Istituto Marangoni students at the Mumbai Fashion School.

'In line with our commitment to providing students with real life industry projects throughout their studies, Fashion Business students of Mumbai training centre have had the opportunity of applying theory to practice working with the CEO of N.21 on their marketing strategy. We would like to thank Roberto for his time and generosity in providing this wonderful opportunity for the new generation of industry leaders.”, Mevin Murden, Mumbai Director of Education

“It was an honor to work with Mumbai Marangoni students and perceive their strategic vision of N21 for the Indian market that will be one of the most relevant in the next decade. I thank all the Marangoni team for their warm welcome and for making me a part of this fascinating project” Roberto Ortello, CEO N21.