3 questions for . . .Jean-Philippe Boudy, FashionNetwork founder

3 questions for Jean-Philippe Boudy, FashionNetwork founder  

 In 2001, Jean-Philippe Boudy, a photography, fashion, and internet enthusiast, decided to abandon his geophysics studies at the Université de Jussieu to create FashionJobs.com, the first employment site for fashion professionals. In 2003, the adventure continued when the young businessman started FashionMag.com, the free information site also dedicated to the fashion world. In 2016, the name, logo, and look changed. FashionMag.com became FashionNetwork.com, a forerunner of the new projects that put professionals together.  

What are the foundations of the FashionNetwork newsletter? What are the guidelines?
The fundamental element is the subscriber database, which has been growing for 16 years. But it’s also the network of journalists, their expertise, and the ability to mix local and international news. Every day, 750,000 professionals receive one of our newsletters. And every day we publish 300 articles around the world. We juggle between 10 languages (French, English, Italian, Spanish, German, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, and Turkish) and currently produce 15 daily newsletters sent to the four corners of the earth. Today 40 journalists work for FashionNetwork.com; that number will be 70 in two years. We are in the process of building the world’s biggest B2B fashion editorial structure. FashionNetwork.com is a pure player; B2B advertisements and FashionJobs.com lets us be independent, finance our activities, and continuously grow internationally.  

Through the FashionJobs lens, how do you see the evolution of the fashion job market? Are there new profiles?
Today, FashionJobs.com is the world’s leader in the sector. Over 6,000 businesses use our classified ads, which represent 18,000 job offers every month spread across 50 countries. And yet the fashion sector is not doing very well in western countries. Why is that? It’s due to the collapse of apparel prices for the past 10 years and the appearance of international retail leaders who are choking national leaders. We see a drop in the number of design and product positions advertised. On the other hand, there’s still a surge in jobs related to the internet, logistics, and retail. Another observation is that using freelancers is gradually becoming the obvious choice for small businesses, especially choosing the versatile profiles that are acquiring new skills.   This much said, as a specialist in the fashion, beauty, and especially luxury sectors, we see that our candidates appeal to the entire industry.

Today, a lot of businesses outside of the fashion world recruit people with fashion experience and expertise. It’s the case for, among others, Citroën, Monoprix, and Nespresso, three companies who want to convey an on-trend, cutting edge image in sectors where we somehow don’t expect it. It’s the same thing for a lot of interior design boutiques that are dedicating more and more space to fashion. FashionJobs.com is a community that sells a service. So when we talk about “fashion”, we use the word as a synonym for trends, meaning the latest new products. To better meet this demand, we recently started a new column, “Art de Vivre,” which covers home decor, tableware, hotels, and gourmet foods.  

You have an international presence. How is French fashion perceived around the world?
French fashion is considered the same as French food: premium, creative, and cutting-edge. And that’s a quality as well as a flaw. It’s not necessarily what sells the best, but it carries precious international prestige.