At the same time, Prada is working closely with the United Nations Population Fund to develop an educational fashion module to promote gender equality in Africa, initially launching in Ghana and Kenya, which uses fashion and design as a tool to affect social change and promote gender equality.
I learn from regular exchanges with people of different backgrounds and cultures to understand how people from different countries and cultures think compared to how we used to think in Europe.
Asked about her first impressions on joining Prada, Savell, who was previously the director of cultural diversity-partnerships and engagement at LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, said the company “was very much in good shape.
Embedding herself in the organization and company culture, she said her priority was “to understand how the business works and immersing in the group’s core values.
Prada will cover full tuition of the scholarships, which are expected to initially number around 20 students, as well as room and board for their respective AAS and BA programs. The scholarship recipients will be mentored by industry leaders and have the opportunity to work at Prada Group.
The module’s development will be led by an expert whose primary focus will be in creating concrete activities in fashion as a means to promote gender equality, and create more inclusive and equal societies.
“Through the DE&I trainings that we have done across the company including our headquarters, at the management and top level, I am so happy to see the level of involvement and participation, because it’s something everybody thinks about but doesn’t talk about enough.
“We were really disappointed about what happened in the past, but at the core of Prada Group’s values, we were planning many initiatives,” said Bertelli.
The partnership with Dorchester Industries, founded by Prada Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council co-chair Theaster Gates, also the founder of Rebuild Foundation, is conceived to create a three-year Design Lab that will recruit and award talented designers of color in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles.