3 questions for . . . Nelly Rodi Vice President for the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry's Design and Fashion Development Department

For three years, Nelly Rodi, founder of her namesake trends agency, has been the CCIP Vice President for the design, fashion and creative professions in Paris and the Ile-de-France region. She is also an administer for six different sector organizations such as the IFM. Nelly Rodi shares her 2014 plans and projects.

Thanks to your CCIP responsibilities, you’re involved in several operational organizations. Why did you accept this mission?

To spread the news! There wasn’t anybody to speak for the fashion, design and creative sectors within these government authorities. On 1 January 2011, I was elected for a five-year term to represent these industries with Jacques Leroux, the permanent delegate. I was also appointed to the Ile-de-France regional Chamber of Commerce. I feel this is an important responsibility. Today, capitals like London, Milan and New York boast about being design leaders. But Paris is the most obvious and legitimate choice for this title. I believe it’s essential to interact with entrepreneurs, shopkeepers and industrialists. This post has also given me the role of administrator within many organizations such as the IFM, ESCP (Europe Business School) or the Franco-Japanese Exchange Committee, and that confers a certain visibility when it comes to setting up projects or acquiring funds.

So you’ve crossed the line from forecasting to action! What are the latest projects you’ve set up and why?

It’s been two years since we started the Paris Shop & Design competition, an award that recognizes shop renovation projects in the capital. I believe our boutiques are strong ambassadors for France, both within the country and around the world. Paris keeps over 62,000 businesses alive, and the fashion and design sectors create around 15,000 jobs. We encourage them to stay up-to-date and to keep Parisian boutiques among the most attractive in the word. The prize is not just for the fashion sector. It includes design boutiques, restaurants, hotels and others domains as well.

Among the three areas the CCI invests in – businesses, shops and training – training, in its widest sense, is especially important to me. At a certain age, meaning mine, I believe that part of our responsibility is to teach and share. And as an elder (laughs) I can no longer spend my days and nights watching the brand landscape for the first signs of the next trends, I do what I can, in my own way, for this industry. That’s why I agreed to oversee ‘La Fabrique’, a new CCIP school that is ready to introduce around 400 students to the fashion professions. The school offers both basic and advanced training for all the industry posts requiring technical expertise: from manufacturing (fashion, leathergoods, upholstery) to merchandising.

You’ve been working with the CCIP for three years. Have you identified the next issues you want to tackle?

The CCIP has created a wonderful brand, ‘Signé Paris’, and we’re discussing this topic at length. I’m sure it’s possible to integrate the concept into the many events and products sponsored by ‘Paris, Capitale de la Création’, and to further promote our city.

But the brand shouldn’t be used casually or attributed to just any event. So we’re setting up precise guidelines. Additionally, I think we can strengthen Paris as a shopping and tourism destination by creating visits and maps with a fashion/design/creative theme. The maps and visits would be made available to tourists and business people. We could also envision a Parisian ‘Fête de la Mode’ during a specific time period. The festival would include all the creative disciplines and involve the city’s shops, businesses and museums. The activities would further everything Paris has to offer: tourism, business, and of course, culture.