Serge Carreira, attending a dinner held by the French Minister of Culture, when he worked for Prada
Serge Carreira is the Director of Retail Merchandising at Miu Miu in Paris, and has also worked for Prada; he shares with us his insights into the fashion industry.
What was your path to Director of Retail Merchandising at Miu Miu?
I have a pretty standard academic journey as I studied law and then studied Public Service at Sciences Po [in Paris]. At the same time I started doing internships – including two or three at the Galeries Lafayette and once I graduated I was offered an internship at Barneys New York and that’s what I did. Back in Paris, I started working at the Galeries Lafayette, where I stayed until 2005 and then I joined Prada; first to manage retail merchandising for France and then to take care of the ready-to-wear of Miu Miu for the World.
Have you always been passionate about fashion?
If I did these studies it’s that I had never formulated the wish of working in fashion but thinking back I remember looking at magazines when I was young so there was certainly the existence of a desire. So thanks to internships I knew I wanted to work in fashion.
Miu Miu Fall/Winter 2015-2016 Collection
What tips would you have for young people wanting to start working in this sector?
Most importantly, be curious. Try to understand instead of judging, and I believe that this is very important especially in the long term; fashion is a question of taste but at the same time you have to try and understand phenomena beyond “I like or I don’t like” because fashion isn’t just that. Also, be interested in what happens beyond fashion, because fashion is the reflection of society; what is sometimes interesting in fashion is its shape, but what is always interesting is its meaning, which gives it its importance.
For your job in particular, what qualities would you add?
You have to be, at the same time, organized and able to understand a creative environment. Trying to understand and the rationality and the irrationality of creation isn’t always easy.
-Marianne Demarolle
Images courtesy of dianepernet.typepad.com, wearesodroee.com, Ottica Moderna