THEY WANT TO WORK

Where
They
Want
To
Work
1
Chanel
Number of employees:
Estimated at 15,000
Number of stores: 194
Sales: Approximately $9 billion
“If you’re born without wings,
don’t do anything to stop them
from growing.”
That quote from Gabrielle
Chanel, founder of one of French
fashion’s most elite and enduring
brands, sits atop Chanel’s online
career page, which lists jobs
around the world.
“We offer a unique work
environment where you are
encouraged to better understand
the brand, the business
and your motivations, so that
together we can unlock the
possibilities of your growth,” the
site promises. “We encourage a
multiexperience journey where
you can learn from different environments,
leaders and teams.”
No doubt Chanel’s attraction
as an employer is linked to its
positioning at the pinnacle
of luxury; its rich and colorful
history; its powerful events and
communications; its formidable
and charismatic couturier since
1983, Karl Lagerfeld, who conceives
extravagant runway sets,
makes films featuring the likes
of Kristen Stewart and Pharrell
Williams, and churns out more
collections than almost any of his
peers, past or present.
“He’s the most intelligent
person in fashion. Everyone loves
working for Karl, even if they don’t
have direct contact with him,”
said one headhunter.
The company also oozes chic,
from the velvety recording when
you dial Rue Cambon — “Hello,
this is Chanel,” the “sh” said with
a flourish in a breathy woman’s
voice — to its sleek black-andwhite
careers site, dotted with ad
campaigns lensed by Lagerfeld.
The privately held company,
controlled by the Wertheimer
family, declined to provide
data or detail on its personnel
policies. It did offer a comment
on its place in the WWD survey:
“We are pleased that Chanel
has been ranked the top fashion
company where Millennials
would like to work,” said the
company, which unfailingly puts
its brand in capital letters, just
like it is on perfume bottles and
clothing labels. “At Chanel, we
are committed to creating a
caring and human organization
inspired by our brand and
people. We hire talent with a
long-term focus and provide a
robust on-board experience.
Through deep immersions in
our brand, culture and history as
well as exposure to leaders and
businesses, we create unique
and enriching employee experiences
which allow everyone to
fully contribute to the future of
the House.”
Although Chanel has fewer
stores — and a giant beauty
business — the company is
comparable in scale to Louis
Vuitton, which has about 19,000
employees in 65 countries,
according to Vuitton’s Web
site. As way of comparison, at
Vuitton, 50 percent of employees
work in stores; 31 percent
in workshops, and 19 percent in
support functions.
Former employees who spoke
to WWD on the condition of
anonymity lauded the company’s
sterling reputation, a policy of
“positive pressure” reinforced
by training and coaching, and a
familial atmosphere tinged with
humor and elegance, especially
in the fashion division, where
Lagerfeld’s personality infuses
the corporate culture.
One described a “magical”
environment, reinforced by
Lagerfeld’s creative prowess,
which reverberates throughout
the company, and its owners,
“who are self-assured and never
in a rush or desperate.”
Executive search sources
describe Chanel as a secretive
firm with some old-fashioned
practices. Most employees, for
example, still punch a time clock.
The fashion house is also known
to pay generous salaries, mainly
for sales and store-based
roles, and to give most workers
access to its accessories and
fashions at annual private
employee sales. — MILES SOCHA
2
LVMH Moët
Hennessy Louis
Vuitton
Number of employees: 125,346
Number of stores: 3,860
Sales: 35.66 billion euros, or
$39.62 billion
For three days next month, LVMH
Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton will
stage its third Les Journées Particulières,
opening the doors to
more than 50 work sites across
France and Europe.
While not a career fair per se,
visitors can tour workshops, cellars,
family mansions, perfume
labs, historic stores and more,
meeting craftspeople and other
employees who are proud to
share their passion for their work
and their brands.
The world’s largest luxury
group owns brands as diverse
as Givenchy, Fendi, Kenzo, Loro
Piana, Dom Pérignon, Sephora,
Cheval Blanc, Bulgari and Chaumet
and yet the conglomerate
has earned a reputation as a
top employer. Business school
students in France, for example,
have ranked LVMH first among
preferred future employers for
the 10th consecutive year in a
survey by Universum.
Two group companies, Marc
Jacobs and Donna Karan, merited
separate rankings in the top
25 of WWD’s poll.
According to LVMH’s most
recent annual report, 61.5 percent
of employees work in administration
and sales; 17.2 percent
as managers; 11.7 percent in
production, and 9.6 percent as
technicians and supervisors.
By business group, selective
retail accounts for 41 percent of
employees; fashion and leather
goods 27 percent, and perfumes
and cosmetics 18 percent. Wines
and spirits, and watches and jewelry
each represents 6 percent of
employees, with the remaining 2
percent in other businesses such
as media.
The median age of employees
is 33, with women representing
74 percent of the total.
In his chairman’s letter to
employees, Bernard Arnault,
chief executive officer of LVMH,
calls the company’s workforce
“highly engaged, which is just as
essential because the men and
women who make up the group
are the ones who — through
their diverse skills and creativity
— make our brands ever more
desirable. In their quest for
excellence, they perpetuate the
quality of their products, carrying
them into the future with their
enterprising mindset and market
insights.”
Chantal Gaemperle, group
executive vice president, human
resources and synergies
at LVMH, said the company
receives nearly 200,000 applications
every year.
“We hired 27,000 people last
year, and that figure is growing
annually,” she told WWD. “We see
ourselves as a talent academy.
From sales associates and
artisans to the brand ceo’s and
LVMH Group’s leadership, we all
understand the value and impact
of our roles. With that in mind, we
are looking for people who are
passionate and want to push the
boundaries to reach excellence
in their field.
“This is about maintaining an
entrepreneurial spirit to drive
innovation while preserving the
rich craftsmanship and savoir
faire of our many maisons,” she
added.
Professional development
programs at the sprawling firm
include: LVMH House, a strategic
learning platform to train senior
executives; Regional Executive
Development programs, which
provide training and development
for managers globally;
Elles VMH, which supports the
career development of talented
women; the Futur Lab, a think
tank for the LVMH Global Conference
of senior executives, and
LVMH Rise, a platform to support
entrepreneurs who create
economically viable businesses
through mentorship.
Gaemperle also noted that
“people want to work for a company
that stands for something
and gives them an opportunity to
contribute in a meaningful way. In
this regard, we maintain a strong
commitment to social responsibility,
based on four pillars:
workplace well-being and quality
working conditions, developing
talent and savoir faire, preventing
discrimination and supporting
local communities.” — M.S.
3
Christian Dior
Couture
Number of employees: 5,281
Number of stores: 194
Sales: 1.87 billion euros, or $2.08
billion, in 2015
J’adore Dior could be an
employee slogan at the French
fashion house, voted the third
most desirable employer in
WWD’s survey.
“We are extremely proud that
not only did the WWD survey
respondents recognize the value
and diversity of working for LVMH
Group, but that Dior too was
chosen as a leader in the sector,”
said Chantal Gaemperle, group
executive vice president, human
resources and synergies at
LVMH. “Our people are an essential
competitive asset that drive
the success of our maisons, and
we are dedicated to fostering an
environment that positions them
to grow and thrive.”
As of June 30, 2015, the Dior
fashion house counted 5,281
employees, a 4 percent increase
over the prior year.
Considering the entire Christian
Dior SA workforce, a holding
that comprises LVMH Moët
Hennessy Louis Vuitton and the
Dior fashion house, 59 percent of
employees are in administrative
and sales positions; 19 percent
executives and managers; 12
percent production workers,
and 10 percent technicians and
supervisors.
Gaemperle underscored the
value of recruiting and nurturing
top talent.
“Finding, retaining and developing
the best people is our top
challenge and opportunity, and
we are committed to fostering
a stimulating work environment
underpinned by strong values:
values of respect, of care and
of authenticity, which have to be
more than words,” she said. “They
have to be as much as possible a
reality in the workplace.”
According to Dior’s annual
report for the year ended June
30, 2015, the average training
investment per full-time
employee amounted to 886
euros, or $965 at current
exchange rates. During the
period, 59.1 percent of employees
received training and the
average number of days of
training came to 2.3 days per
employee.
During the 12 months, particular
emphasis was placed
on attracting more candidates
with engineering backgrounds,
the annual report said. (Insiders
know that Dior’s brainy and charismatic
chief executive officer,
Sidney Toledano, is a graduate
engineer of the École Centrale
Paris and holds a master’s
degree in mathematics.)
The report also asserts that
Christian Dior group companies
26 APRIL 2016, No. 1 WWD.COM
Photograph by JOSHUA SCOTT
WWD.COM APRIL 2016, No. 1 27