The Future of Fashion & Luxury in Industry 5.0

On her official visit to ESMOD Kuala Lumpur, Véronique Beaumont, the Chief Operating Officer of ESMOD International, presented an exclusive sharing to the Fashion Design students. Her role involves working on the international development and image of ESMOD’s international schools, and providing the latest updates about ESMOD to the students and staff.

Coming all the way from Paris, she represents ESMOD – the world’s first fashion school with over 180 years of history. Recently, CEOWORLD Magazine ranked it as 2024’s Top 5 Best Fashion School in the World, and the best in France. Beaumont herself possesses 35 years of professional experience in the luxury and fashion industry, having worked with big names in fashion such as Karl Lagerfeld, Paco Rabanne, Sonia Rykiel, and Christian Lacroix.

In her presentation titled “Fashion & Luxury 5.0”, she spoke about fashion in regards to Industry 5.0, or the Fifth Industrial Revolution – a new phase of industrialization in which humans work together with advanced technology and AI-driven robots to improve work processes. She offered insights into ESMOD’s history, and its current advancements including being the first school in Europe to launch the Meta-Wear class focused on developing the skills of future digital fashion designers specialised in the Metaverse and NFT.

ESMOD strives to bridge the gap between fashion and advanced technology, with courses dedicated to clothes making in the digital realm through the CLO3D software where users can create virtual, true-to-life garment visualisation with cutting-edge simulation technologies, making it easy to fine-tune the designs before they go into production. This allows designers to explore their ideas and inspirations freely in the most sustainable way.

This comes in line with Industry 5.0’s key aspects – personalised and on-demand production to reduce waste by producing items only when there is a confirmed order, sustainable practices by using eco-friendly materials to reduce the environmental footprint of fashion production, and promoting a circular economy within the fashion industry by encouraging recycling and upcycling of garments. She mentioned circular fashion brands that promote sustainability like Marine Serre, Gabriella Hearst, Bethany Williams, and CAALO.

Even while embracing the use of new technologies, ESMOD retains the importance of preserving tradition and the human touch in fashion, preserving artisanal craft, timeless heritage, and handmade know-hows.

The emphasis on human-machine collaboration and sustainability is also opening up new and exciting career opportunities in the fashion industry, namely in virtual fashion shows, gaming and the film industries.

Beaumont’s special visit offered fresh insights into the current developments of ESMOD in the fashion world. The audience of aspiring fashion designers gained a clearer view of the future of fashion and its emerging career pathways, better preparing them for their own journeys in the near future.