M10-S5 - Building Conscience and Purpose in Startups
Noir / Illuminati II: Defining Socially Responsible Affordable Luxury Clothing Objectives : Building social / environmental responsibilities into new ventures. Sustainable development as value proposition and competitive advantage. Managing the opportunity overload. Prioritizing on the basis of the value chain and competitive advantages. Assignment : Read the case Noir / Illuminati II (IMD-3-1909) Preparation Questions : 1. What do you think about the Noir / Illuminati II customer proposition? Is socially responsible luxury an internally consistent proposition? 2. How important is it to separate the two components of projects, i.e. the fashion house and the high end cotton fabric producer? What are the issues there? 3. Where do you see the strengths and weaknesses of the company? 4. Can you build a fashion brand on guilt? Or is it what most companies do when they build on “feel good” factors? What are the psychological issues at play? 5. How would you advise them going forward?
