Moncler hosted a hackathon aimed at propelling innovation. Image credit: Moncler
French-Italian outerwear label Moncler is seeking to find innovative ideas by bringing together hundreds of its employees for a 24-hour collaborative brainstorming session.
Held at an industrial space in Milan on July 4, the brand’s first hackathon will see 450 Moncler personnel from around the world join together to develop solutions for everything from sustainability to IT. In recent years, a number of traditional luxury houses have hosted hackathons as a means of keeping up with the changing needs of the business with creativity.
Hacking into innovations
Moncler’s hackathon is centered on a range of topics, including products and supply chain management to IT. Another area of focus is Moncler’s internal learning Academy.
Throughout the hackathon, passing time is being represented by a digital forest that is growing in the space by the minute. This is intended to represent Moncler’s collaboration with AzzeroCO2 to plant 2,000 trees in Emilia-Romagna’s forests.
Following the 24 hours of brainstorming, the participants will present their projects to judges. The panel will consider the solutions’ level of innovation as well as the potential to bring the projects to life and the possible business impact.
The judges will pick one winning team, who will get to attend the Silicon Valley-based Singularity University for training.
Moncler's hackathon included employees from around the world. Image courtesy of Moncler
“Moncler’s strategy is based on uniqueness and uniqueness requires strong ideas and a working environment that knows how to embrace and encourage them," said Remo Ruffini, president/CEO of Moncler, in a statement. "In a culture rooted in innovation, people experiment naturally and enable the company to be more agile as well as to make quick decisions.
"The hackathon is an excellent example of our digital focus and demonstrates that collaboration and exchange between different experiences and perspectives can produce great ideas," he said.
Moncler's CEO believes that adaptability is essential for luxury brands to succeed in today’s rapidly changing fashion environment.
In a dialogue with Financial Times’ Milan correspondent Rachel Sanderson at the FT Business of Luxury Summit on May 20, Mr. Ruffini discussed the French-Italian outerwear label’s recent pivots. In particular, the label’s monthly design strategy, Moncler Genius, has emphasized creativity and versatility in new ways (see story).