Elisava and TOUS set up a new teaching program to further design, innovation and creative entrepreneurship
Elisava has signed an agreement with TOUS, the jewelry firm that brings creativity and self-expression to the fore, to set up a unique educational program that will champion creative innovation and training among upcoming generations of professionals. The program anticipates introducing new courses of continuing education at Elisava based on the jewelry firm’s methodology, with special emphasis on innovation and design by advocating a transformative educational experience that inspires change.
This initiative, whose final road map will be worked out over the coming months, will be steeped in creativity and design, with the ultimate goal of introducing this concept across the board when future professionals come up with a business strategy: from the origin of products to the importance and the architecture of a retail space, through to branding and delivering an end-to-end customer experience. In addition, the project will forge new connections between the TOUS brand and global creative ecosystems, as well as furthering its commitment to making a contribution to society.
Through this project, the renowned Elisava design school and TOUS have taken on the challenge of setting up a teaching program of excellence, prestige and international outreach, which will showcase the role of design and creativity in real-life business, and it will strengthen the links between the academic world and the new job profiles expected in the creative industry.
The program will be mainly taught at Elisava’s facilities, but also on TOUS’ in order for the students to experience the reality of a business that draws on creativity, innovation and design at inspiring lectures given by TOUS’ managers and creatives, including Rosa Tous, in her capacity as the brand’s Vice Chairwoman and Reach and Relevance Officer, and Marta Tous, TOUS’ Art Director and director of SUOT Studio.
A natural turning point that was essential for keeping new generations in touch with the job market in the 21st century came about when TOUS introduced creative thinking to the company, as well as core attributes such as audacity, vitality and self-expression. This identity that sets TOUS apart from the rest, based on individual expression and the power of new ideas as the driving force behind growth, will set the starting point to inspire all students who may come into contact with the company’s unique culture.
This is because innovation, design and creativity have been TOUS’ cornerstone since the outset, as embodied in the whole host of its products, ideas, processes, projects and campaigns it engages in. This was seen in the recent launch of SUOT STUDIO, a creative platform for experimental jewelry set up by Marta Tous, which sparks a more innovative perspective in jewelry without losing sight of its roots in craftwork to result in a blatantly unexpected, groundbreaking concept.
The new program devised together with Elisava will enable the students to gain cross-cutting experience and know-how, as well as to acquire innovative, multidisciplinary skills to rise to the challenges of the current market, whilst making them feel that they belong to TOUS’ world. As the firm’s value proposition statement says: “the world of TOUS can’t be explained; it has to be felt”.
Carlos Soler-Duffo, TOUS’ CEO, claimed that “the agreement with Elisava, a leading school in design and innovation whose values we share, echoes the spirit of our new GEM strategic plan whose baselines – growth, elevate and mindset – are clearly reflected in the teaching program that we are developing together with the same ambition in mind”.
Moreover, this educational initiative will enable the company to continue making an even greater positive impact on society, as this forms the basis of its sustainability strategy. This path began when the TOUS School was set up. This is a socio-educational project focused on the trade and craft of jewelers that was spearheaded by Rosa Tous. This new program goes beyond working alongside Elisava, as it will attract new audiences and future craftspeople, whilst enriching its talented workforce.
In the opinion of Santiago Albert, Elisava’s Director of Master’s Degree and Postgraduate Courses, “we speak the same language and have the same vision for transforming creativity and design. Our know-how in training future designers and TOUS’ engagement with creativity is the perfect partnership for embarking on disruptive projects like this one”.
The partnership between the two organizations has been kicked off with a pilot project in which 22 students of various nationalities took part that was carried out at both Elisava and TOUS’ facilities. Following this pilot phase, which made clear the opportunity afforded by encouraging continuing education in response to general business demands, in the coming months Elisava and TOUS will set the scope of the program by placing the focus on design, the subjects taught and its global outreach.