The 21st Edition of the Master of Arts in Design and Applied Arts launched on 10th January 2024, welcoming twenty young designers to Milan.

For this year’s Master programme, Creative Academy has united twenty students from thirteen countries, notably Belgium, France, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Puerto Rico, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, USA, and Vietnam. The flourishing talents, most of whom studied Product Design at the most renowned international design schools, have the opportunity to participate in a highly professional and distinctive learning experience. Classes, projects and visits focus on Jewellery, Watches and Fashion Accessories design, aligning with Richemont’s three business areas.

An inspirational inauguration

The Master inauguration took place in the presence of special guests Nicolas Bos, President and CEO of Van Cleef & Arpels and Chairman of Creative Academy, Giampiero Bodino, Art Director of Richemont and of Creative Academy, and Giorgio Preda, Project Leader of Creative Academy.

On this unique occasion, Nicolas Bos welcomed the students and shared his insights:

“Dear students, Creative Academy will not only accompany you to develop your design skills to the highest level and to master the most recent tools and technologies to do so, but also help you to become a contemporary luxury designer, meaning one able to integrate your specific background into your job and to deeply understand the activity of the company you are working for, thus providing a strategic contribution to the business.”

The young designers were then addressed by Giampiero Bodino, who emphasised the importance of true creativity and expert craftsmanship, both irreplaceable in the face of technological advancement:

“A school will give you the tools to express yourself, but do not forget two important things. First, when designing a luxury object, sometimes you must forget yourself and focus on the object itself: not only its purpose and functionality, but also its story, what it represents, the Maison heritage that it embodies. Second, no matter the technologies that you will master, you must always be able to express your creativity with no other tools than pencil and paper.”

A memorable learning experience

Creative Academy is conceived as a creative laboratory, where young talents can dialogue with artisans, designers and professionals of the highest level, such as CEOs and Creative Directors of the Richemont Maisons. The Master is characterised by the constant interaction with the Maisons, including Buccellati, Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, A. Lange & Söhne, Baume & Mercier, IWC Schaffhausen, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Panerai, Piaget, Roger Dubuis, Vacheron Constantin, Alaïa, AZ Factory, Chloé, Delvaux, dunhill, Montblanc, Peter Millar, Purdey and Serapian.  

The Master lasts ten months; seven months of theoretical courses and projects in Milan culminate with a Creative Studio internship in one of Richemont’s Maisons granted to the most dedicated students. In Milan, the students learn how to design a luxury product, expanding their knowledge of how the luxury industry works and how the Richemont Maisons position themselves in this competitive market. They strengthen their savoir-faire with dedicated seminars and challenge themselves in manual and digital rendering (2D and 3D), gouaches painting technique, and digital graphics. Once the students complete all courses, they work on real-world design projects under the guidance of the Maisons’ Creative Studios.

About Creative Academy

Creative Academy is the international design school of Richemont, founded in 2003 to discover and train young creative talents with the potential to become designers in our Maisons. 

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