With the launch of “École de Souliers,” a program dedicated to training in the edging of high-end women’s footwear, Accademia HModa is expanding its role in supporting the entire fashion industry, including the development of customized training programs for leading luxury fashion houses.
By 2025, Accademia HModa will have trained over 250 students through 12 different programs, developed in collaboration with leading institutions and companies in the industry across Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna, Marche, Campania, and Veneto, and is set to launch new initiatives in France as well at the “HModa126” hub in Aubervilliers (Paris).
The employment results confirm the effectiveness of the model: on average, more than two-thirds of the trainees find a job in less than three months.
Founded in 2020 as an initiative of HModa, Accademia HModa Società Benefit srl is strengthening its position as a leading institution in technical and professional fashion training, transforming talent development into a true driver of growth for the luxury and Made in Italy industries.
Among the upcoming initiatives by HModa and Accademia HModa, the “École de Souliers” stands out, launching today, Thursday, December 18, 2025, and concluding in March.
Designed and developed in collaboration with Maison Christian Dior Couture and the LVMH Institute of Crafts of Excellence in Italy, the École stands out as a highly specialized technical and professional training program dedicated to the edging of high-end women’s footwear, based in Fossò (VE), in the heart of the Brenta district. It will involve 10 selected students and include 320 hours of training—combining theory and practice—followed by workshop activities that will culminate in an internship within the edging departments of Manufactures Dior.
The strengthening of the partnership with Maison Christian Dior Couture marks a new step in the growth of Accademia HModa, which in recent years has progressively expanded its role, evolving from an internal support function catering to the training needs of the Group’s 19 companies into a full-fledged systemic infrastructure supporting the entire luxury value chain. This growth includes tailored training programs for leading luxury houses, which provide structured solutions to the growing demand for specialized skills and generate value throughout the supply chain.
The École de Souliers initiative follows in the footsteps of the Accademia Sartoriale Italiana—the first step in the collaboration between Accademia HModa and the LVMH Group dedicated to ready-to-wear prototyping. Both initiatives share the goal of promoting values such as manufacturing excellence, the transmission of savoir-faire, a strong work ethic, and the promotion of craftsmanship as a strategic asset.
In recent years, Accademia HModa has significantly strengthened its training capabilities, recording steady growth in the number of programs offered, the involvement of partner companies, and the number of students. In 2025, the Academy trained over 250 participants through 12 distinct programs, for a total of 2,875 hours of theoretical and practical training delivered in Italy’s major fashion districts—Tuscany, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, Marche, and Campania—as well as making its debut in France, where, through “Accademia HModa France,” it now operates a fully integrated and fully operational training center at the recently opened “HModa 126” hub in Aubervilliers (Paris).
The model’s effectiveness is confirmed by employment outcomes: more than two-thirds of the students found employment upon completing the program, with an average time to placement of 54 days. This result demonstrates the structural alignment between the Academy’s training programs and the actual skills needs of the luxury industry.
“For HModa, education is a true industrial driver, not a secondary activity,” comments Claudio Rovere, founder and President of HModa. “The strengthening of our partnership with the LVMH Group and, more broadly, the structured dialogue we have initiated beyond the scope of HModa, represent for us an important recognition of the work carried out by the HModa Academy. Today, our ambition is to contribute in an increasingly concrete way to building the skills upon which the future of Italian and European fashion will rest, combining the new with the promotion and revival of artisanal savoir-faire.”
“The École de Souliers represents a key milestone for us,” adds Valentina Vaccarini, head of Accademia HModa. “With this project, we are strengthening a model that is no longer experimental but structural: working alongside luxury houses and international groups to build robust training programs capable of preparing professionals and guiding people toward real, skilled employment.”
“We are proud of this initiative, which allows us to continue working with the École de Souliers to build an academy of craftsmanship in Italy,” concludes Nicolas Carré, Industrial Director of Leather Goods, Shoes & Fashion Jewelry at Christian Dior Couture. “After ready-to-wear and footwear, we will also work in our leather goods districts to strengthen our dialogue with the regions where we operate and with the school and technical training system. The goal is to harness energy and skills to foster the development of artisanal savoir-faire in our ateliers and throughout the production chain.”
