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MKT 486

Fashion, Luxury & Lifestyle Marketing: A Global Perspective

 

MKT 486 Fashion, Luxury & Lifestyle Marketing: A Global Perspective

Combining academic study with hands-on experience, MKT 486, a 4-unit course, offers a comprehensive introduction to the fundamentals of fashion, luxury, and lifestyle marketing in the global marketplace. Students explore concepts such as haute couture, fast fashion, the resale market, omnichannel strategies, and sustainability. In MKT 486, students examine the entire fashion value chain—from production to retail—while exploring the digital landscape, sustainability, and omni-channel marketing strategies. A key feature of the course is a weeklong field study in Italy’s iconic fashion cities of Florence and Milan. Students gain firsthand insights into industry practices by visiting leading companies and engaging with executives and managers. Supported by continuous in-class feedback and refinement, the course includes a real-world group project for a global fashion or luxury company, culminating in final recommendations presented to company executives following the international trip. This immersive experience, paired with team-based real-world projects and presentations, is designed to hone students’ critical thinking and managerial skills while delivering actionable marketing insights for organizations in the competitive fashion and luxury sectors.

 

                MKT 486 2025 Students at Florence Duomo MKT 486 2025 Students in Florence MKT 486 2025 Students at Casa Zenga

 


Course Goals

 

Analyze how the fashion, luxury and lifestyle sectors do business internationally under global uncertainty using conceptual frameworks for thinking about how companies compete in these sectors. 
Correctly define fashion, luxury and lifestyle concepts and business problems and identify information that is relevant to the analyses of given business situations
Develop marketing strategies that provide positive resolutions to industry specific problems, particularly as it applies to sustainability and a circular economy.
Identify and define various market segments in these industries and learn to develop appropriate products and services that meet the needs of those segments. Students will do this specifically for products and experiences in the fashion, luxury, and lifestyle sectors (e.g., apparel, accessories, automotive, spirits, travel and leisure, etc.) 
Analyze fashion, luxury, and lifestyle businesses from a multidisciplinary perspective, considering the whole value chain, from sourcing to production, and retailing to consumption, with special attention paid to operating in a digitized world.

Student Testimonials

 

MKT 486 2025 Students Ponte Vecchio

"I found it most valuable to hear directly from brand executives about how they balance heritage with innovation in the luxury space."

MKT 486 2025 Students Florence Company Visit

"It was incredible to see what goes on behind the scenes at every company. Nearly every location gave us very valuable insights into the fashion industry from production all the way to the rack."

MKT 486 2025 Students Milan Company Visit

"I really enjoyed the uniqueness of each company we were fortunate enough to visit, and the combination of a sit-down presentation combined with walking office tours."

 


 

TIMELINE

OCT 2025

MKT-486 Application deadline: October 15
(Applicants should reserve the MKT-486 class time on Mondays from 12:00 to 1:50 p.m. in case they are selected to participate in this course.)

NOV 2025

  • First week of Nov: Application Decision Announcement
    (Students who are selected will receive D-clearance, allowing them to register for this course.)
  • Sign Program Agreement and Release Forms
  • GPP Profile Completion
  • Passport Info and Copy Submission

DEC 2025

Country Visa Process Begins

JAN 2026

Roommate Selection Due

FEB 2026

Country Visa Copy Due

MAR 2026

MKT Program Travel Date: Mar 13 – 22, 2026

MAY 2026

Final Presentations