ESSEC Global MBA x The Hopenclass: Sound Status and Style: Unveiling The Mutual Influence of Hip Hop and Luxury

In this interview, Sissi Johnson and Lanre Shonoiki, co-founders of The Hopenclass , told us about the initiative started a yea...

Could you tell us a little about The Hopenclass?

Lanre Shonoiki: This partnership with Essec coincides with The Hopenclass' one-year anniversary. We started as a hotline at the beginning of the pandemic supporting #Classof2020 as well as academics, and young professionals in over 15 countries.

The Hopenclass is now a creative think tank and phygital academic hub. We are home to an eclectic community of hybrid and traditional thinkers, learners, and educators with the objective to unlearn and overstand culture through talks, courses, and workshops. In less than a year our initiative has been entrusted by institutions such as Harvard, Goldsmiths, and now ESSEC to sensitize their students on the future of education and the fashion and luxury industries.

Tell us about the partnership with ESSEC Global MBA ?

Sissi Johnson: In alignment with the mission of The Hopenclass to complement traditional education, this exclusive collaboration with ESSEC serves as an inspection of the History, Present State, and Future of the relationship between Hip Hop and Luxury. It’s a love-hate affair that dates further back than the recent embrace of streetwear by the Luxury Industry. During this academic residency, The Hopenclass will unearth the influences of Hip Hop on the Luxury industry, through a series of industry talks and case studies, exploring the process and output of these collaborations.

What is in store for the participants & the key takeaways for them?

Lanre Shonoiki:

Gain multicultural awareness through the lens of Black American culture
Learn new approaches to marketing strategy development
Understand the strategic creative appointments and collaborations at leading luxury maisons
Apply cultural diplomacy: Appreciation vs Appropriation
Appreciate the role of storytelling in shaping consumer behavior
Understanding rappers as influential high net worth individuals
Learn the role of music and its underlying culture in communications for luxury brands

How is this important for the future of luxury education?

Lanre Shonoiki: Brands in the luxury industry have struggled over the past decade to find a lasting refresh to their legacy images. Caught between a need to remain aspirational and exclusive, and caution to not buy into fads.

Sissi Johnson: Albeit conflicted, the luxury industry may not have the choice but to embrace Hip Hop: an industry edgy enough to add a shine, old enough to last a long time, and hip enough to connect with a new generation of Gen Z and millennial global consumers.

We also spoke to Patti Brown, Program Director, Global MBA what does she have to say about this partnership:

Patti Brown: Innovation and excellence in Education is the signature of the ESSEC MBA Experience; A partnership with The Hopenclass was a natural progression in this constant challenge of the status quo that is helping us improve and ultimately transform the educational landscape. By ignoring the fundamental influence of the Hip Hop Culture in Luxury you are failing to provide your participants with the whole story, Hopenclass is giving us the holistic view that we were missing and we are very grateful.

About the founders: Sissi Johnson is a Business Executive and Scholar focused on Culture and Innovation acknowledged as a "global game-changer" by Condé Nast for her work in academia, luxury, and creative industries. For 10 years, Sissi has learned, unlearned, researched, and taught critical fashion studies, luxury, business, and innovation around the world at postgraduate level. Her multimedia portfolio is featured in curricula internationally, including at New York University. Sissi has spoken at the University of Oxford on “The Currency of Image: How Art, Music, Film can reframe Narratives and Identity” and consults world-leading brands such as Kering, Nespresso, and SONY on consumer marketing and cultural innovation. Her collaboration with LVMH French haute jewelry Maison Chaumet on the "Trésors d'Afrique" collection is their largest since 1780 and a case study of cultural appreciation in the luxury industry. In 2020, she co-founded The Hopenclass with Lanre Shonoiki; a Chemical Engineer and Analyst in the oil, energy, and investment banking sectors turned Marketer and Entrepreneur. Originally from Nigeria, Lanre completed his MBA at INSEAD in Fontainebleau in 2016.