GUEST LECTURE: CATERINA OCCHIO, BRAND & SUSTAINABILITY

The journey of brands towards sustainability
GUEST LECTURE: CATERINA OCCHIO

Caterina Occhio, who has twenty years of experience as a CSR and sustainability advisor, working primarily in the luxury and fashion industries, spoke to our students of the Master in Fashion Sustainability & Industry Evolution on March 1^st. Currently working for Maison Alaïa, Chloé, and Aspesi, among other brands, Caterina has helped Chloé become the first luxury brand to be certified as a b-corp.
Former manager of EU and UN development aid. She has recently coordinated the UN social enterprise programs for the Med area, as well as advised several UN initiatives, including the UN Ethical Fashion Initiative.
Social entrepreneur and the founder of SeeMe, a pioneering ethical jewelry brand whose heart-shaped jewelry is handcrafted by women who have survived violence.

Caterina provided our students with an overview of the challenges facing the climate, social justice, fair trade, gender equality, within fashion and the luxury industries. She presented the Radek Model, which examined each brand’s path to corporate responsibility, and discussed reputational risk management, the GRI system, and the materiality matrix, allowing students to do specific group work on each topic.