LVMH Unveils Its Future Maison des Métiers d’Excellence Supporting Long-Term Talent Ecosystem

Model by Hannah Lévesque

LVMH announced plans today to create a 21,500 square feet dedicated space for LVMH-associated craftsmanship in Paris' eighth arrondissement.  Conceived as a holistic hub and home for training artisans, the new facility will serve as a physical home for LVMH’s Institut des Métiers d’Excellence. The vocational training program founded in 2014.

To date the Institute des Métiers d’Excellence vocational training program founded in 2014, has trained over 2700 people from seven countries. The program is now in acceleration with 700 new faces added in 2022.

Alexandre Boquel, Head of Development for LVMH’s Métiers d’Excellence, asserts that through this new Parisian venture, LVMH plans to hire 22,000 specialized craftspeople across a range of fields worldwide by the end of 2025. 8,000 of those positions will be headquartered in France.

"This place is a tower of transmission,” he said. “It will be open to all and the promise is that the moment you walk in here, you will learn a physical gesture, whether you’re a novice, a member of the public, or a researcher in craftsmanship.”

Model by Hannah Lévesque

Modern Skills for Artisans

Many young people are concerned that craftsmanship jobs are a relic from the past and not the answer to their post-pandemic prayers. Stressing that the new hub for artisans is a house of learning, Boquel explains "Letting them know that these professions also use digital technology reassures them.”

Chantal Gaemperle, LVMH's Executive Vice President of Human Resources/Synergies, conveyed to WWD: “The pandemic has fueled people’s need to find meaning and make something that they can understand and touch. There’s a desire to have a concrete impact and be together.”

Always attentive to small details, the LVMH announcement for the future Maison des Métiers d’Excellence was made through models created by Hannah Lévesque [IG] paper craftswoman and “builder of emotions”. [See also Lévesque’s website.]

The training initiative is a worldwide project for LVMH. For example, on October 12, Tiffany & Co announced its project to train people as artisans who can make Tiffany jewelry. This is a years-long process in which artisans understand that LVMH is committed to them as people in a committed-career setting.

Tiffany & Co. recently began a new two-year program with the Rhode Island School of Design and the Rhode Island Department of Labor to provide apprentices with advanced training in high jewelry.  

"Some of these professions have kind of been dying a little bit," Gena Smith, chief human resources officer of LVMH North America, told the press. "We love to be able to bring people into the organization at an early point in their career, and create a robust pipeline for us for the future."

In San Francisco, LVMH-owned Benefit Cosmetics is supporting eight apprentices from the Ruth Asawa High School of Arts in San Francisco. LVMH is focused on creating high-quality jobs that may not require a college degree.

The intention of LVMH is to open the doors of the new artisan hub to the public, inviting them to learn and participate in the vibrant world of 280 crafts that underline LVMH’s 75 hallmark brands.

It will also have a café, a meeting space, a library, and hands-on craft workshops for the general public.