Haera Millais Shin
Summer Student Story
I am determined to build something inspiring, and this Summer Program has been an invaluable puzzle piece in realizing my ambitions.
A desire to think more rigorously and originally regarding the balance between creativity and commerce, as well as the relationship between contemporary culture and brand building, motivated my switch in study focus from Communication and Media Studies to my current interdisciplinary program in Cultural Studies and Business at Cornell University.
The same desire drove me to pursue the HEC Luxury Management Summer Program. The creative campaigns and artistic collaborations-oriented business operations in the luxury industries intrigued me, and coming from an international background, the combination of an elite education and cultural diversity at HEC was attractive. The Luxury Management program provided me with an organized breakdown of what the industry actually entails. The emphasis was on how the luxury consumers, and therefore the brands behind them, vary from traditional business models and how a different type of thinking had to be initiated. I took away that the crux of brand building, and especially luxury branding, is storytelling, which demands balancing creativity and commerce.
I have already founded a contemporary fragrance brand. Reflecting my studies and interests, the brand is rooted in contemporary culture. A lot of our collections and campaigns are references to what could be interesting, exciting, and lucid to consumers today. Not being a heritage brand, I am able to prioritize producing media and images that are playful and experimental: I try to maintain a sense of what are they going to do next? It is exceptionally rewarding when someone identifies not only with the brand’s product line but its creative direction.
Learning about retail stores and visiting boutiques on Avenue Montaigne during the Summer Program was also immensely helpful in organizing my own pop-up store in New York City when I returned to the US. I was able to incorporate both my classroom and in store learnings when designing the brand’s retail experience. I also met a terrific number of friends with whom I still keep in touch. In fact, I did a new campaign shoot at the Jardin des Tuileries after the program with a friend in my presentation group. It was such a special time, and I am very fond of it.
At HEC, learning about all the different sustainability and creative initiatives brands undertake shifted my thinking and attitude when pursuing business. In fact, I still remember the exact moment in which this realization happened. Sitting in Franck Asenkat’s morning lecture, it suddenly clicked: through running a successful company, I am able to create opportunities for other people, provide a platform for artistic endeavors, and operate sustainably.
Speaking abstractly, and borrowing luxury terms, a successful brand creates a universe that can shift culture. After my summer experience, I am more motivated than ever to maintain my integrity in brand building while working to meet financial goals, which I believe is what all brands of today strive to do. I am determined to build something inspiring, and this Summer Program has been an invaluable puzzle piece in realizing my ambitions.