The Lead On, Creatively series highlights TCU College of Fine Arts alumni, students and faculty who are putting their passion into practice.
Madeline Butz ’22 is a Fashion Merchandising alumna. She will be one of two students from the College of Fine Arts featured as a future leader in “The Story of Us: An Immersive TCU Experience,” a special exhibit for TCU’s 150th anniversary. Butz shares her experience in Women@Dior and Gucci Program for Scholars.
Empowerment & Leadership in the Fashion Industry
Women@Dior is an international mentoring and educational program designed to advance professional development and success for young women. Butz was one of 25 women invited to join the American sector’s year-long program. Participants are paired with a mentor to explore a career in the fashion industry and the importance of women’s leadership for a sustainable future.
Butz at the Women@Dior conference in New York.
During the program, Butz had the opportunity to attend a conference in New York where she gained unique insights into the Dior corporate headquarter and networked with professionals in the Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy corporation.
The program will conclude in March 2023 with the “Dream for Change” project, an opportunity to put what they have learned into practice and support women’s empowerment. The top five groups will present their final ideas in Paris at the global conference.
Her group project, “A Mother’s Dream,” aims to help women flourish in their professional opportunities and resolve zero-pay maternity leave, up to 12 weeks of unpaid time off to care for a newborn child. The project aims to connect new mothers with a personal assistant through a digital platform during this period.
“My team consists of four girls from the U.S., Mexico, Colombia and Spain, which helps to broaden our ideas and create an impactful project.”
Couture & Global Solutions
Butz also participated in the Gucci Program for Scholars, an 8-week program of informational and interactive sessions to learn about the couture house. “This was a great experience because it was a group of 13 scholars from schools around the country and in different majors.”
Butz and fellow team members proposed business solutions to Gucci executives in preparation for the challenges the luxury industry will encounter in the next three years regarding omnichannel relations and providing a seamless customer experience across in-store and digital mediums. She was mentored each week by Catherine Dueck, the vice president of merchandising.
“I was able to cultivate important professional and personal relationships. While in the program, I studied abroad in Florence, Italy, which augmented my learning by visiting the Gucci store and museum. I also connected with a fellow TCU alum who works at Gucci now.”
Post-Graduation Plans
Butz is looking forward to pursuing a career in the fast-paced fashion industry. She encourages students to “take all the opportunities you can and use your connections! Find experiences to help you reach your goals rather than just doing something to do something.”
We can’t wait to witness Madeline Lead On in her future endeavors!