A conversation with... Catherine Jacquet and Olivia Chammas

Conversation with Catherine Jacquet (MS 1993), President of IFM Alumni and Olivia Chammas (MS 2015), Executive Director.

For the very first conversation, it seemed clear that Catherine Jacquet and Olivia Chammas were to share their first words. Appointed President and Executive Director of IFM Alumni in 2024, they share what these new roles mean for them, their best memories as students, and their dreams and ambitions for the association.

What do your new roles involve?

Catherine Jacquet: As President of IFM Alumni, my mission is to contribute to the development of our association. Alongside Olivia, the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors, we are working together to build a solid and inspiring network.

Olivia Chammas: My role is to develop the association so that it becomes a genuine professional and cultural reference point. This translates into programmes, workshops and events that will enable graduates to meet each other outside the professional context. It's a full-time mission, the aim of which is to create a community, promote the importance of networking, and highlight the variety of beautiful profiles of IFM alumni, each more inspiring than the last!

What does the IFM Alumni association mean to you?

CJ: The IFM Alumni association is a real second family dedicated to supporting each graduate in their professional career and encouraging their personal development. Its strength lies in the mutual support and commitment of its members. We are proud of our network, which brings together more than 7,000 graduates working in all the major fashion and luxury companies, both in France and abroad. These talented people, driven by their passion for design, management and know-how, are also committed leaders, ready to take on the challenges facing society and the environment.

OC: IFM Alumni is also a precious talent pool that accompanies us throughout our professional life to recruit a future collaborator or associate, to find investors, to think about the next step in our professional life, or simply to exchange ideas. I myself turned to the IFM Alumni community when I was setting up my own business and later when I was looking for a job (one alumnus, who will be able to identify herself, introduced me to the job of headhunter). My role as a recruiter in the luxury industry has also enabled me to contribute to this network by advising alumni on their career paths.

Share a memory from your studies at IFM.

CJ: My most vivid memory goes back to 1993, when Pierre Bergé, founder of the IFM, visited the school's historic headquarters on rue Jean Goujon. Hosted by Didier Grumbach, Pierre Bergé came to present the school's vision and ambitions to our graduating class - then made up of 36 students in the Master in Fashion Management programme.

OC: I will always remember the trip to Berlin with Lucas Delattre in January 2015, dedicated to fashion and sustainable development. We held a workshop with ESMOD Berlin, met designers and visited the heart of the Bauhaus movement in Dessau. This trip was the starting point for my research into the environmental issues facing the fashion industry and was a source of inspiration for the creation of a marketplace of responsible designers that I launched the year after my studies at the IFM. Thank you, Lucas! 

What are your future plans for the association?

CJ: Our first objective is to continue to grow our community by organising inspiring events that encourage people to meet and exchange ideas. Each meeting enriches the association: the more we meet, the more our network grows and strengthens. We also want to intensify our support for our alumni in their career paths by creating new opportunities for them and helping them to achieve their ambitions.

OC: Strengthen the visibility and influence of IFM Alumni, in particular by renewing the association's visual identity and image, highlighting profiles with emblematic career paths and sharing key appointments within the network.

Catherine Jacquet is President of IFM Alumni and was previously Vice-President of the association. During her professional career, Catherine has been Managing Director of Lemaire and Maison Michel Paris (Chanel Group). She has also worked on several consultancy projects for Sonia Rykiel, Paco Rabanne and Courrèges.

Before taking on the role of Executive Director of IFM Alumni, Olivia Chammas was a talent recruiter with the luxury consultancy MAD. Previously a fashion entrepreneur and organiser of events on the luxury industry and sustainable development, Olivia has always remained active within IFM Alumni.

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.