A conversation with...Alix Morabito

A conversation with...

Alix Morabito

Just like a fashion curator, Alix Morabito (IFM MS 2004) is the Buying Director for Womenswear and Special Projects at Galeries Lafayette. She studied at Panthéon-Assas and Institut Français de la Mode before launching a distinguished career in agencies, with brands, and within major department stores.

Do you remember your first fashion discovery?

I feel like I fell into it from a very young age. My mother, a jewellery designer, loved dressing up and championed creativity. One day, she took me to a fashion show. I was completely captivated by the energy and excitement of that world I had always dreamt about.

Was there a meeting in your career that changed everything?

My career has been shaped by many meaningful encounters. One in particular stands out: Pascale Camart, who also studied at IFM. At the time, she was the Women’s Buying Director at Galeries Lafayette. She spotted me while I was working at the communications agency Mafia and brought me onto her team.

Can you share a defining moment from your time at IFM?

IFM was an incredible experience. When I joined the programme, I had just returned from two years of travelling through South America. I decided to live in Paris as though I were discovering it for the first time, like a student from abroad. It’s hard to choose a single moment, as the year was so full of friendships, learning and inspiring encounters. I truly felt like I belonged.

What advice would you give to someone starting out in department store buying?

Being a buyer requires strong analytical skills, curiosity, passion, intuition, agility and a real sense of connection with others. I often say that you need a good balance between the right and left sides of the brain. You also have to be willing to step outside your comfort zone to find real opportunities.

Interview by Sophie Dajez (IFM MS 2023)
After studying social sciences and communications and gaining professional experience in the art world, Sophie Dajez completed the Fashion and Luxury Management Masters at the Institut Français de la Mode in 2022. Sophie now writes for brands, fashion houses and magazines and is co-founder and moderator of the Backstage Fashion Talks association.