LVMH's Institut des Métiers d’Excellence: Training the next generation of artisans

At LVMH, the Institut des Métiers d’Excellence trains a new generation of artisans, creators and client experts in rare skills. These are for professions with strong employment prospects. An interview with Marion Bardet, director of Métiers d’Excellence at LVMH.

What do these 'métiers d’excellence' cover?

Our mission is to promote, enhance and pass on skills essential to the group's value chain. This includes creation, craftsmanship and the client experience. The latter covers roles in sales and hospitality, such as the hotel industry.

Are these often overlooked professions?

Exactly. We work to raise their profile and to ensure these unique skills are passed on. We are active in all the group's sectors: leather goods; couture; jewellery; watchmaking; perfumes and cosmetics; hospitality; and selective retailing.

How does this translate into daily practice?

We collaborate with all 75 LVMH houses through our initial training organisation: the Institut des Métiers d’Excellence (IME). The IME trains young people and career changers in partnership with prestigious schools. These include the Compagnons du Devoir, the Haute École de Joaillerie and the Institut Français de la Mode. Students follow a work-study programme, dividing their time between school and the workshops or boutiques of the group's houses.

Are these LVMH classes integrated into partner schools?

Yes. They are Institut des Métiers d’Excellence classes. The apprentices benefit from both the teaching at partner schools and the support within our houses. We also offer them masterclasses, language courses and soft skills training. Additionally, there is an annual competition, the Master Games, where they develop a project to present to the group.

How many young people do you train each year?

In 2025, we welcomed a class of 220 new apprentices in France. Since the IME was created in 2014, more than 3,300 apprentices have been trained. We started modestly, with only 27 students in the first year.

How do you select these candidates?

There is a two-tier application and selection process. It is conducted partly through the partner school and partly through the house that will host the apprentice. Applications can be submitted until April, particularly during our You & Me tour, which runs from January to March.

Do students pay for the training?

No, they are free. That is one of the great advantages of an apprenticeship.

What are your recruitment needs?

In 2025 alone, more than 4,500 positions were offered in the métiers d’excellence in France. These are professions with high recruitment rates and virtually no unemployment.

Do you anticipate global economic changes, for example related to the US or China?

We remain stable. The 2025 intake maintained class sizes equivalent to the previous year. The recruitment needs of our houses allow us to continue at this pace.

Training an artisan takes time. What is your vision?

Training an artisan is a long-term commitment. It takes nearly ten years to fully master a technique in leather goods or jewellery. Of course, apprentices acquire skills from the very first years. However, achieving excellence requires patience and practice. What we are aiming for is this pursuit of excellence, not a short-term cyclical response.

Is generational renewal also a major challenge?

Absolutely. An entire generation of artisans will retire by 2030. Training the talent of tomorrow is therefore crucial to pass on and preserve these rare skills.

This article was translated to English using an AI tool.

FashionUnited uses AI language tools to speed up translating (news) articles and proofread the translations to improve the end result. This saves our human journalists time they can spend doing research and writing original articles. Articles translated with the help of AI are checked and edited by a human desk editor prior to going online. If you have questions or comments about this process email us at info@fashionunited.com