An interview with Francesca Tur, co-director of the Master’s in Fashion Brand Management and Creation
We spoke with Francesca Tur, co-director of the Master’s in Fashion Brand Management and Creation, to gain a deeper insight into her professional career and what we can expect from the training programme she co-directs at ESDESIGN. Francesca has been named by Forbes as one of the 40 best futurists in Spain and considers herself fortunate to work in a field she loves, with teams she admires, and on projects from which she learns every day.
Hello, Francesca! How are you? First of all... tell us briefly who you are.
Hello! Well, I am Francesca Tur Serra, from Ibiza, and I’m happy. I am very lucky to do what I love, work with teams I admire, and projects I learn from.
I have the privilege of co-leading the Master’s in Fashion Brand Management and Creation at ESDESIGN alongside Mireia González, a leading professional who has been a key figure in my professional development. It is thanks to Mireia that I have been teaching for over ten years, and it is a pleasure to team up for this Master’s.
I was named by Forbes as one of the top 40 futurists in Spain, and I dedicate myself to analysing the current context and the "nows" from different perspectives: media, creativity, and teaching.
Through communication, I x-ray contemporary life at Tendencias.tv, a media outlet I co-founded with friends in 2006, which now operates as an online space and content production company. From a creative standpoint, I collaborate with projects, companies, and initiatives on strategic creative foresight for the future.
As you mentioned, in 2006 you created the Tendencias.tv project with friends. Where does it stand today?
How old were you in 2006? How much have you changed on a personal level? Imagine a project born in 2006. Imagine how much it has changed from what it was, what it was meant to be, and what it is now.
Today, it functions as an independent media outlet that x-rays whatever catches our eye, and a content agency that creates ad hoc narratives and stories. Evolution has been constant, teams have changed, and formats differ every day. We started by producing long-form, horizontal audiovisual content, and now we are in the era of short-form, vertical content.
Currently, we are a team of three women with modular collaborators whom we adapt according to the project. We work in a phygital way and engage in constant brainstorming so as not to lose our engine of change. It is part of our essence.
What did it mean to you to be named by Forbes Spain as one of the 40 best futurists in the country?
Honestly, it was a "oh wow" moment. I had no idea they were putting the list together, nor that industry professionals were curating the profiles to be selected. It was certainly a surprise.
It is a privilege to share the list with such leading professionals. Beyond who appears—and it's true that some incredible people are missing—the interesting part is seeing the different perspectives of those of us dedicated to analysing the present and the future.
The award helps show those who don’t understand what we do that this is a profession that pays the bills and allows us to develop and evolve.
Where does a trend hunter look for inspiration?
It’s an interesting and complex question. We dedicate ourselves to looking at raw signals and emerging impacts across different sectors and categories, organising them according to our analytical criteria.
Reviewing what is happening is an inexact sum of multi-channel inspirations. A constant review of people, profiles, and professionals in a conversational format. Asking questions and questioning the most basic things is key. Noting, selecting, and "clustering" is a methodical exercise we carry out daily. Making the review of the present a everyday task.
Asking questions and questioning the most basic things is key. Noting, selecting, and "clustering" is a methodical exercise we carry out daily. Making the review of the present an everyday task.
When designing the Master’s, what facets of the profession’s day-to-day life have you transferred to the programme?
Many things, but above all, that it is a Master’s that responds to the "now". There is a constant and continuous effort to understand the sector, what fashion brands and projects need, and to translate that clearly and directly through professionals who know how to communicate and connect with everyone involved in the programme.
We speak with the lecturers constantly to recalibrate the content and achieve the most authentic version of current fashion.
What would you highlight most about the Master’s?
The teaching staff. We are very lucky to have 9 professional profiles who know the sector and the industry with years of experience. Professionals we admire, not only for their projects and brands but for their way of facing the day-to-day, and their ability to constantly maintain and reinvent themselves.
What advice would you give to someone thinking about studying at ESDESIGN?
That it’s now or never—you only live once, so go with the flow. It’s important to follow your intuition, and it’s admirable when someone has the idea to stop and focus on improving their skills, fashion culture, and understanding of the industry and sector.
Thank you very much for sharing your experience with all ESDESIGNERS, Francesca. We are convinced your words will be of great help :)
