Maison/0 for regenerative luxury: the new chapter in the Central Saint Martins and LVMH partnership

Marking Earth Day 2021, the Central Saint Martins, a world-renowned college of art and design based in London, and LVMH, the leader in luxury, have announced the launch of Maison/0 for regenerative luxury, based on 5 pillars and for a period of 5 years. This new phase of the partnership, a symbol of their strong relationship, aims to respond to environmental emergencies through creative education.

The Central Saint Martins and LVMH are opening a new chapter in their close relationship with Maison/0, the creative platform that will harness the power of creativity and education for regenerative luxury. The five-year partnership will leverage creative innovation to help design a better future, as LVMH Executive Vice President Human Resources and Synergies Chantal Gaemperle explains: “This thirst for transmission is at the core of our HR philosophy, and at the heart of our success as a Group. The new phase of our partnership enhances our continuous commitment to support students, especially in the current situation, and to pass down our knowledge and savoir-faire to new generations.”

Statement by Chantal Gaemperle, EVP Human Resources and Synergies, LVMH

Maison/0 will foster regenerative practices across disciplines to preserve biodiversity and support creators in their environmental approach. This is a fundamental source of inspiration, notes Antoine Arnault, Image and Environment, LVMH: “All of our products come from the environment. This is why it is crucial for a Group such as ours to lay the foundations for a new form of regenerative luxury, a new alliance between creativity and nature. This is the objective of LVMH’s environmental strategy, LIFE 360. Our Maisons – like the Central Saint Martins students – do not see respect for the environment as a constraint, but on the contrary, as a lever for creativity.”

Discussion between Rachel Dickson, Central Saint Martins’ Dean of Academic Programmes, and Antoine Arnault, Image & Environment, LVMH

To achieve this ambitious project, the partnership is based on 5 pillars.

Firstly, the LVMH scholarships to support creative and environmentally-engaged artists, designers and makers. Since 2012, LVMH has supported 40 students in BA and MA courses, leading to the recruitment of some of these graduates by LVMH Maisons.

The second pillar is R&D for biodiversity, circularity and transparency, in line with the LVMH environmental strategy, LIFE 360. Maison/0 becomes a creative platform for all students looking for solutions in terms of innovative processes and materials.

The third pillar is a disrupting curriculum across disciplines. As part of these new creative curricula for a regenerative future, Professor Carole Collet, Director of Maison/0, is designing a new course for 2022, MA Regenerative Design.

Regarding the fourth pillar, Maison/0 is embedding creative collaboration between students, graduates and LVMH through student and graduate-led engagement.  Projects will generate ideas to address the climate and biodiversity emergency and shared challenges.

And finally the Maison/0 Awards: the “Green Trail” highlights the best nature-positive graduating projects across design disciplines and for 2021, “This Earth Awards” celebrate the power of artistic practice to advocate for nature with the Art Programme.

Since its creation, this partnership builds bridges between the professional and academic worlds to inspire and educate tomorrow’s young talent about sustainable development in the luxury industry.