CORINNE CAVALLIN (IFM/MANAGEMENT 1988)
A fashion expert in charge of Accessories at Vuitton.
 Corinne Cavallin has been in charge of accessories at Louis Vuitton for two and a half years. She sums up her job like this: “I have to imagine a product that makes the trip to the store worthwhile, to ensure that the “accessory” product becomes attractive in its own right instead of being perceived as an “extra sale” item relative to the luggage and leather goods”. As head of Glasses and Accessories (her exact title), she defines the style of the products, their advertising and communication strategies and their visual merchandising… She manages the added value and profitability of each product, that includes glasses, but also belts, costume jewelry, key-rings, gloves and hats, scarves and ties. Corinne’s main task is to build market share by accompanying the creative teams whose talent she uses with a well-defined commercial objective. She makes positioning plans over 1 to 3 years. Her job is a strategic one for brand development in a high-growth area. Since Corinne Cavallin created this job, turnover in the accessories sector has doubled, now in second place after luggage (80%) and ahead of footwear. « In 2010, we will be selling as many scarves as they do at Hermès! », she exclaimed, surprised at the level of success. Her mission is all the more complex as one must respect the brand’s identity, whiwh is mainly based around luggage. “The profit margin has to be lower than the luggage also otherwise I have legitimacy issues”. Corinne joined Louis Vuitton six years ago in women’s ready-to-wear, after having been head of merchandising for women’s ready-to-wear and shoes at Yves Saint Laurent, in Tom Ford’s time. She had also been product manager at Céline (in women’s ready-to-wear, with Michael Kors) in 1997. Working in Céline was a key point in her career: “I was given the opportunity to take care of product creation and development, there was so much scope”. Corinne quickly made herself a reputation as a “marketing person with fluent English”, which opened many doors. One she joined Vuitton, Corinne was keen to get in to the luggage sector, the cornerstone of the business at Vuitton. She managed to create and become head of Accessories after having suggested the job to Pietro Beccari (VP in charge of marketing and communication). Before this, the “accessories” department was a part of the luggage and leather goods department. Her experience in fashion products made her the ideal person for the job. Her brief was clear: “to introduce more “seasonality” into Vuitton accessories, but more long-lasting ones, and to add a fashion element to the mix”. The job was all the more interesting as Corinne saw it as a means to “build an industrial structure and create long-lasting products with faultless organization and logistics”. She has a team of about ten people working for her with one group per product: textile, glasses, belts, metal (costume jewelry). Corinne’s daily task is to enable the « accessories » category to make its mark within the Vuitton network. “It is a job that demands quite a lot of diplomacy”, she explains. She has to convince advertising to use her products well, work with the architects (in-house at Vuitton), and stay in touch with the consumer by regularly reviewing the network with a trip every two months around the main stores in the network (430 stores worldwide). Each market reacts differently and has its own store life. In China for example, the belt market is booming. The main issue at stake is the glasses market; it has been in existence for only three years, and represents one of the most dynamic markets for the years to come. A recent American study predicts that in 2010, the worldwide demand for classes will have reached 3 billion units, three times the level of 2000. A number of factors justify this growth rate: an ageing population, screen-addiction among the young, but also the development of outdoor activities that are creating new needs in terms of sun protection, and fashion that raises the number of “multi-wearers”. Corinne Cavallin insists on the need to remain « humble in the face of product success »: « a whole swathe of the turnover comes from the accumulated work and history of the company. Here, 80% of the turnover comes from the brand; we need to add the extra 20%. Corinne Cavallin began her career as a buyer at the Bon Marché (men’s and women’s ready-to wear), when she graduated from the IFM in 1988. What Corinne retains from her years at the IFM is:”having learned how to talk to people in industry, a designer, an investor taught me how to create allies within a structure. This encounter between cultures and professions makes the IFM unique”.
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