Albane Weber, alumna and marketing manager at Hylink Digital Solutions

Albane Weber, a graduate of the MBA Luxury Brand Marketing and International Management in 2019, tells us about her experience at Sup de Luxe and her ambitions for her new job at the Chinese digital communication agency Hylink Digital Solutions.

Tell us about your experience at Sup de Luxe? Why did you choose our school?
This year spent at Sup de Luxe has been very enriching for me but also very intense! All the interest and benefits of this training result in its content: courses presented by professionals in the Luxury Goods sector who know what they are talking about, and Grand Witness conferences presented by essential pillars of this industry. That's one of the reasons I chose Sup de Luxe. In my opinion, overeducational and theoretical training at the second cycle does not help to prepare for professional reality. In addition, Sup de luxe allows a certain proximity between students and professionals, thus making possible constructive exchanges that allow students to be oriented in the right direction and to have a fair vision of the market. The final year project to be carried out in groups (DMP) was also one of the major elements that, I think, allowed me to develop professionally. It was a real challenge to work with 5 people on such a project for 9 months and today I am growing out of it after such a year.

How did your acquired skills help you enter the professional world?
This year at Sup de Luxe allowed me to gain self-confidence, and through some courses and exercises, I even discovered hidden talents, which later became skills that I can use today at Hylink. I no longer count the number of workshops and group exercises that we had to do this year, which were very formative. They allow us to get out of the box, to develop our creativity, and finally, to discover facets of ourselves that we did not know, and that can only be beneficial for the future. In my opinion, perseverance is the key to success. I have always been ambitious when it comes to my professional career and I realize today that everything comes at the right time to those who know how to wait (and to those who know how to give themselves the means to achieve their objectives).

What is the concept and ambitions of Hylink Digital Solutions? Explain your career choice to us.
We are a Chinese digital communication agency and our objective is to support French brands in the Luxury and Fashion sectors in their development in China. 50% of Chinese consumers will buy luxury products in China by 2025. It is therefore essential for us to support French brands throughout their establishment in China, through our knowledge of the luxury market in China and its consumers. Helping them in their local approach and targeting will enable them to avoid making irreversible mistakes, as was the case for Dolce & Gabbana last November, or very recently for Versace. In 2000, the Chinese population accounted for 1% of world consumption of luxury goods. It now weighs more than 32% and is expected to continue its growth in the coming months to reach 40% within five years. It is therefore not a population to be neglected. My training at Sup de Luxe was another chance for me to meet students of different nationalities, and in particular many Chinese, with whom I was able to share my vision of luxury and the world, and collaborate on some projects related to the MBA. It therefore seemed obvious to me to join Hylink to extend this Franco-Chinese friendship, on the one hand, and on the other hand, to contribute my contribution to the building thanks to my various professional experiences in the luxury and fashion sector, and my knowledge of the luxury market in France.

What is your best memory of your Sup de Luxe experience?
To name two, I will mention the trips to Deauville and Switzerland. The weekend in Deauville allowed a real cohesion within the promotion, which was beneficial for the future, because it allowed us all to get to know each other and to release the pressure of the intense moments, all together. The 2 days spent in Switzerland were completely new! We had the chance to visit the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), an exhibition normally reserved for professionals in the sector, and the next day we visited the Cartier factory and were able to see the manufacturing stages of some of their iconic watches. 2 intense and wonderful days!

What can we wish you for the rest of your career?
To continue my professional journey in the world of Fashion and Luxury, and of course, to be as fulfilled and passionate as I am now.