The ISEM Fashion Business School organized last Wednesday, November 4, the conference"The fashion sector; talent, a strategic bet" in collaboration with KPMG. The event, held at the Museo del Traje, was inaugurated by the Minister of Employment and Social Security, Fátima Báñez, who stressed that this sector has been one of the most active in the recovery of employment in our country, stating that fashion "creates jobs" and "the Spain of the 21st century will not compete on low wages, but on talent and quality employment".

Throughout the day, professors and professionals from the sector analyzed the weight of the industry both nationally and internationally; talent as a driver of innovation in fashion businesses; and the professional profiles demanded by the sector.

IESE and ISEM professor Fabrizio Ferraro presented the industry's opportunities in the global context, making reference to tourism, the possibilities for average prices and the development of lines of work that take into account social and environmental responsibility. Luis Lara, Senior Advisor at KPMG Fashion and professor at ISEM, stressed that the fashion industry "is the fourth largest exporter in Spain and having the best talent will be essential to continue growing and creating new differential business concepts, innovating in design, operations, services and processes".

Representatives of the sector's associations, ACOTEX, ASECOM and the Catalan and Galician textile clusters, discussed the need for professionals who, without losing their creative vision, are capable of managing and directing a highly competitive business model in a global environment that demands innovation, speed and, above all, customer orientation.

Finally, Patricia Ruiz-Casaux, headhunter specialized in luxury and fashion, and Teresa Sádaba, director of ISEM Fashion Business School, analyzed the talent search processes and the training needs of professionals in the fashion industry.

The fashion sector accounts for almost 3% of GDP

The conference was born with the aim of reflecting on the skills and aptitudes needed to be competitive professionals in a fashion industry that is characterized by being increasingly fast, dynamic and versatile. And "not only competitive, but also committed to society and the environment in which they carry out their activities", as Cristina Fernández Saldaña, ISEM's Director of Development, explained.

The fashion sector, both in its productive and commercialization aspects, represents almost 3% of the GDP in Spain. In terms of exports, fashion occupies fourth place within the national panorama, which means that it generates 8% of the total of products that travel outside our borders. Up to 10% of the Spanish business fabric, some 6,800 companies, work directly or indirectly in it.