The ESMOD France Fashion Business Grand Juries marked the culmination of the Bachelor Fashion Business program, bringing together 163 graduating students and 163 professionals from the worlds of luxury, fashion, marketing, communication, retail, and innovation.
Over several days at the ESMOD Pantin campus, students defended strategic recommendations inspired by some of the world’s most influential brands, tackling the same business challenges faced by today’s marketing and brand development teams.
Imagining the Future of Iconic Brands
What if Hermès introduced children to the spirit of travel through a collection inspired by The Little Prince? Could Patagonia successfully expand into the beauty industry? What opportunities could emerge from a collaboration between Swarovski and Bang & Olufsen? How might Chanel reinterpret the world of haute pâtisserie alongside celebrated pastry chef Cédric Grolet?
These were just a few of the ambitious questions explored during this year’s Grand Juries, where students were invited to rethink the future of fashion, luxury, lifestyle, and consumer brands through innovative yet strategically grounded proposals.
195 Brands Across 18 Industries
The projects covered an impressive 195 brands spanning 18 industries, including fashion, luxury, beauty, sports, design, technology, hospitality, travel, automotive, and food & beverage.
From Hermès and Chanel to Patagonia and Jacquemus, every project focused on a common objective: identifying new avenues for growth while preserving the unique identity and heritage of each brand.
This diversity reflects the realities of today’s fashion business careers, where professionals must understand not only creative direction but also consumer expectations, market dynamics, and long-term business strategy across multiple sectors.
Exploring New Growth Opportunities
Students demonstrated remarkable creativity through a wide variety of strategic concepts.
Many imagined original brand collaborations, including Courrèges × Alpine, Cult Gaia × National Geographic, Jacquemus × Le Sérail, Savage × Fenty × Tinder, Ligne Roset × Sonos, and Balenciaga × Dolly Cohen.
Others developed ambitious brand extensions for prestigious houses such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Hermès, Patagonia, Chloé, and Yves Saint Laurent, exploring how these brands could enter new markets while remaining true to their DNA.
Several projects also examined emerging consumer behaviors expected to shape 2026, proposing concepts such as recovery solutions for Acne Studios, connected footwear for Nike, sculptural furniture collections for Roche Bobois, an editorial publishing platform for Loewe, and an eco-conscious temporary housing concept for Theodora and Tomorrow Bio.
Strategy at the Heart of Every Project
Behind every creative concept stood a rigorous strategic methodology.
Students combined market research, competitive analysis, consumer insights, segmentation, targeting, positioning, brand architecture, communication planning, retail strategy, customer experience, innovation, influence marketing, and future trend forecasting to build comprehensive business recommendations.
Each presentation sought to answer essential questions facing brands today:
- How can companies create sustainable new growth opportunities?
- How can they strengthen desirability while remaining authentic?
- How can they attract new audiences without diluting their identity?
- How can heritage become a driver of innovation?
Their recommendations were expected to be both visionary and commercially credible.
A Jury of Industry Leaders
The projects were evaluated by 163 professionals representing leading companies across fashion, luxury, retail, consulting, communication, innovation, and recruitment.
The juries included experts from internationally renowned brands such as Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Prada, Saint Laurent, Lacoste, Petit Bateau, Sandro, Maje, Mugler, Eres, Lalique, A.P.C., Decathlon, Anine Bing, Father & Sons, the Etam Group, 24S, JOOR, Dassault Systèmes, and the Fédération Française du Prêt-à-Porter Féminin.
They were joined by specialists from organizations including INSEAD, Carlin Creative, Artlist Paris New York, Canal+ Brand Solutions, Dweet, Recrute Stagiaire, and the Bureau du Design, de la Mode et des Métiers d’Art of the City of Paris.
Entrepreneurs, executives, consultants, marketing directors, retail specialists, and innovation experts assessed each project using the same criteria that guide strategic decision-making in today’s business environment: brand coherence, strategic relevance, growth potential, feasibility, desirability, and long-term impact.
For students, the experience offered a unique opportunity to defend their ideas before the very professionals shaping the future of global brands.
Preparing the Next Generation of Brand Strategists
The Fashion Business Grand Juries embody ESMOD France’s educational philosophy: preparing future professionals capable of combining creativity with analytical thinking, strategic vision with business expertise, and brand culture with commercial understanding.
This year, jurors awarded 293 “Favorites” distinctions, recognizing the quality of the students’ analyses, the relevance of their recommendations, and the maturity of their strategic thinking.
Beyond the presentations, the Grand Juries demonstrated the role that the next generation of fashion business professionals will play in imagining the future of brands.
Grand Jury 2026 by the Numbers
- 163 student projects presented
- 195 brands analyzed
- 18 industries represented
- 82 brand collaborations imagined
- 78 brand extension concepts developed
- 2 entrepreneurial projects created
- 163 professional jurors mobilized
- 67 ESMOD alumni participating as jurors
- 65 hours and 12 minutes of cumulative presentations