A Fashionable Summer in Milano

Milano… the fashion capital of the world that lived up to my every expectation.

My three week program ‘Fashion and Design Management’ at the University of Bocconi was something i had been planning and hoping of getting into for two years. The University in it’s self is one of the top 10 business university’s in Europe and the actual program ‘Fashion and Design management’ was exemplary. From the abundant knowledge the lecturers shared to the fun and cultural excursions to Valentino headquarters in Milan, Gucci Gallery in Florence and MAC Cosmetics. We had extremely experienced people in the Fashion industry come to the University as guest speakers and provide knowledge on the companies they work for. The companies they represented were Kering Eyewear, Intercos and GCDS. It was extremely valuable to hear experts in the industry share their knowledge  and insights.

A great attribute of doing a BUILD Abroad program is the diverse cultures and people that you meet. There were people from 43 different countries doing a summer program at the University of Bocconi which allowed me to make friends from all over the world. The friends i made will be life long friends and i plan on visiting them in the future. Countries where they were from included Canada, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium and France.

My apartment was situated in a suburb called Brera, which is the fashion and arts district of Milan. The first morning of waking up, i sat on my little balcony over looking a lively bunch of restaurants, bars, fruit stalls and old churches. I could smell the roasting of coffee and croissants… my favourite! I instantly  knew the next few weeks of living there would go beyond my expectations.

On the weekends i had time off from the university program, so made sure to make the most of being in Italy. I travelled to Lake Como for the first weekend and Sicily for the second. Conveniently some of my friends from UTS were doing abroad studies as well so we were able to meet up in these locations. I can say that a lot of pizza, pasta and Aperol Spritz were thoroughly enjoyed! We spent our days swimming off the rocks in Sicily, exploring old Italian ruins and enjoying the local cuisine.

Although this experience only lasted 3 weeks, i have gained so much knowledge not only in the industry of fashion and design management but also personal experience of putting myself in an unfamiliar environment and pushing through those moments of  uncertainty to gain unforgettable moments of clarity, excitement and a whole new love for a city which was once unfamiliar.

This course has brought me closer to understanding what i would like to gain and the direction i would like to take in my career. Since i have one semester left, this course and it’s timing has been invaluable to me.

Sophie Brownie Booker