In fashion, leaders build cultures before collections

This piece is drawn from a talk by Marco Bizzarri, founder & CEO of Nessifashion and former President & CEO of Gucci, at an event of the SDA Bocconi Luxury & Arts Club.

In the fashion industry, the spotlight is always on creativity, vision, and talent. More rarely do we talk about what distinguishes leaders who leave a lasting mark: the ability to build a context in which people are willing to give everything. Not out of fear, not out of obligation, but because they deeply believe in what they are doing. A context in which, to use a deliberately provocative expression, they would “kill for you.”

Fashion is an emotional industry. Products respond to desires, identities and aspirations. As a result, the organizations that create them must also be guided by something that goes beyond operational efficiency. They must be places where a “joy of expression” exists, an authentic pleasure in creating, in taking risks, in proposing something new. This type of culture cannot be designed at the drawing board, just as the cultural relevance of a brand cannot be planned. It often emerges from the bottom up: from teams, from younger people, from those who reinterpret the brand through new lenses. The leader’s role is to recognize it and amplify it. To be sensitive enough to notice when it is happening, and brave enough to ride it.

And yet, many organizations do exactly the opposite. They create environments where people are afraid, do not speak up, and protect themselves. Defensive environments, where mistakes are punished and risk is discouraged. In these contexts, there may be short-term performance (there are “toxic” companies that succeed) but it is difficult to build something lasting. Creativity fades, energy dissipates, talent leaves.

True leadership, especially in fashion, is instead measured by the ability to answer two questions: why are we here, in this market, in the way we choose to operate? Why should a person want to dedicate years of their life to this company?

When the answer is clear, everything else becomes easier. People align, decisions gain coherence, even difficult moments are faced with a different spirit, without ignoring economic realities. A company must generate revenue, pay salaries, make difficult decisions, but the way these decisions are made and communicated makes the difference.

An organization that invests in people and seeks to protect them in times of crisis builds a reservoir of trust that translates, over time, into superior performance. When people feel respected, they are willing to do much more.

In fashion, there is also the delicate element of alignment. The creative director is often seen as the fulcrum of change, but creativity alone is not enough. If the rest of the organization, from merchandising to logistics, from marketing to sales, does not believe in the vision and does not support it, even the most innovative show remains an isolated exercise. Building a culture means ensuring that everyone, not just the creatives, shares the same dream.

And it is precisely the dream that is the starting point. Too often, even fashion companies begin with organization, processes and numbers. But in fashion, the path should be the reverse: first the dream, then everything else. First emotion, then structure, because desirability, what truly drives consumption, is born from a shared imagination.

Naturally, maintaining this balance is difficult. There is no single formula for growing without diluting one’s heritage, innovating without betraying one’s DNA, remaining relevant in a world that is constantly changing. Even successful models cannot be automatically replicated: what works in one company may fail in another. But there is a general principle: people are always at the center. Whether it is a family business, a listed group, or a company owned by funds, in the end it is people, and in particular leaders, who define the culture. And culture, in turn, defines everything else.

At a time when the sector appears more cautious, dominated by incremental change and a certain creative fatigue, this lesson is even more relevant. Revolutions emerge from contexts in which someone is truly willing to believe in something and to make others believe in it as well. Creating a place where people would “kill for you” means creating an environment where they want to be, where they find meaning, energy, and the possibility of expression. Where, quite simply, they give their best.