This past spring, USC Marshall students traveled to Florence and Milan, Italy, for firsthand marketing experience in the fashion, luxury, and lifestyle industries. The weeklong trip gave the Trojans a chance to meet with and learn from top industry professionals, from executives at Accenture to local Italian leatherworkers at Scuola del Cuoio.

The expedition was part of MKT 486: Fashion, Luxury & Lifestyle Marketing: A Global Perspective, taught by Joseph Nunes, professor of marketing and chair of the marketing department. Nunes emphasized the critical role these in-person visits play in students’ education — not just in his class, but as a core pillar of USC Marshall curriculum.

“Experiential learning is a critical component of a business education,” Nunes said. “What I mean by that is getting out of the classroom and seeing the value chain from start to finish.”

The class traveled from Manteco and Zegna, where material was produced, all the way to La Rinascente, a major department store in the Piazza del Duomo in Milan. They also had an opportunity to deepen their professional experience and marketing credentials.

As part of the course, students performed marketing analyses for Reflaunt, a company operating out of Milan that specializes in the resale of fashion and luxury items. Reflaunt tasked the students with assessing whether the brand should focus its marketing efforts on short-form content, such as TikTok, or long-form livestreaming. Employing survey work and focus groups, the marketing students composed a rigorous examination of these two approaches, which they later presented to Reflaunt executives in Milan.

Nunes highlighted the invaluable experience of the real-world project and explained how MKT-486 students will be able to reference their work in future job interviews.

“The multidimensionality of this project and experience is one they can talk about with employers,” Nunes said. “It’s something they’ve really done, something that matters to the industry, and an interviewer would be interested in knowing what their findings were.”

Ultimately, the journey was about providing students an unfiltered look at a major industry, from skilled artisans to global corporations.

“I don’t know a better method for getting students attuned to thinking globally than getting them to travel outside of the country and see for themselves,” Nunes said. “Rather than read it online or in a case or hear it secondhand or thirdhand, go see it for yourself, talk to the source, live it. They went as students, they went as consumers, they went as businesspeople.”

Thirty-four students attended the trip, all of whom had to apply for their spots in the course. Nunes prioritized selecting students with a clear interest in marketing, fashion, or lifestyle products.

One such student was Jasmine Vargas, a business administration major. Although she didn’t know much about the fashion industry before the trip, she believes the experience may have altered her career trajectory.

“As I learned more about the future of technology in fashion and how Accenture helps iconic fashion firms like Dolce & Gabbana tackle business challenges, I began to envision myself pursuing a career in this field,” Vargas said.

Had she not experienced the industry in person, Vargas says her realization might not have occurred.

“It felt surreal gazing down at the breathtaking view of Milan, and I pictured that if I kept working hard, this could be my future,” Vargas said. “It’s because of this that I believe firsthand experiences are a critical part of learning, because they open doors for you that you’d never have considered otherwise.”

The Accenture visit proved to be a highlight for many attendees, including Vargas and Tyler Takahashi, a business administration major with aspirations of becoming an investment banker. Takahashi viewed the meeting as a chance to gain information he’d never learn from a textbook.

“[Accenture] highlighted a lot of macroeconomic trends that they see moving forward in the consumer and retail luxury vertical,” Takahashi recalled. “Overall, this visit was a bunch of knowledge that companies would have to pay tens of thousands of dollars to hear, and as students, we got to sit in and learn from them.”

While the class traveled to multiple large-scale organizations, they also explored the production side of fashion and luxury, including Stefano Bremer, a world-renowned shoemaker, and Scuola del Cuoio, which translates to “School of Leather.” According to Takahashi, the knowledge students gained at the leather-making shop was particularly hands-on.

“Being able to meet with many business leaders and local Italian leather makers was something I never expected going into the class,” Takahashi said. “The leatherworking shops are where you can truly smell and feel the quality of leather before it's even made into a bag. Nothing's able to beat that experience, and I truly learned a lot whilst having a fun time.”

Looking ahead, Nunes hopes more students interested in the industry will attend USC Marshall and apply for MKT-486. Given the school’s proximity to Los Angeles and global connections, he believes there’s no better place to launch a career in fashion, luxury, or lifestyle.

“To really succeed globally as a fashion, luxury, or lifestyle brand, it’s critical to succeed in California,” Nunes said. “Marshall is a hub for students who want to study and understand these industries.”

Click here to learn more about USC Marshall’s global programs.