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THE

GREAT BIANNUAL MAGAZINE FOR WOMEN - ISSUE 01 FALL/WINTER 2015

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The Alpha Issue

EST

The Alpha Issue

Alpha is the first; the leader of a pack of wolves. It resonates within you and awakes something primal in you, the need to be the cream of the crop. But only one succeeds in being on top of the ladder.

The alpha woman is a truly powerful human being who is multifaceted, just like a diamond. Just like the diamond, she shines bright even in the darkness.

Just like the diamond, she is not afraid to cut anyone who gets to close to her or tries to steal her. And just like the diamond, she used to be just simple piece of charcoal that grew brighter and stronger and more fascinating to everyone around her because of the tremendous hardships and pressure in her life; she was built from the fire that constantly surrounded her. Thus, she has truly conquered her weaknesses and fortified her strengths.

Her sides are awe-inspiring to those who get the privilege of knowing her, because is truly that fascinating! Even though she has the power, she has a fiercely protective part of that strives to care for those that she loves; she is a dynamo, a power-packed woman with varied interests; she is very aggressive as well as just as soft when the situation calls for it; determined, she knows what she wants and she gets it, because she is unstoppable; intellectually impressive, she sometimes intimidating with the wealth of her knowledge; passionate, she loves deeps, hates with full force and does whatever she wants to do. She has completely embraced her power as a woman. She also has a dark side like every human being, something that she hides from the world, and has internalised it knowing that it is a necessity for darkness to reside in her if she was find the balance with the brightness.

She pretty much dictates trends. She is the focus. She is where everybody looks to get inspiration. She cares about her position and does whatever is necessary to maintain that.

We are all striving to climb to the top, but she only manages it. But what she knows is that the climb to the top makes the view completely worth it.

And that’s the view that will be emblazoned across this issue of The Greatest Magazine for women.

ISSUE 01 Fall / Winter 2015

The ALPHA Issue Turban.THALE BLANC Clutch. DONIAALLEGUE

EDITOR IN CHIEF MATTEO GRECO

FASHION DIRECTORS PALOMA MONTANARO RENUKA GIRISHKUMAR SHALINI MOHANTY YICHEN LIN

GRAPHIC DESIGNER YICHEN LIN

SPECIAL THANKS TO MARIE PIERRE MAXMILLIAN LINZ HARSHITA BARTWAL

PRINTER DOMUS ACADEMY

Dressed in Shadows Alpha is the first ; the leader of a pack.

It resonates within you and awakens something primal in you; the need to be the cream of the crop.

Photographs. Paloma Montanaro Model. Aleksandra Zabolotnaia Hair & Makeup. Naomi Location. Domus Academy

Top. LANDI

Top. LANDI / Skirt. AUGUSTIN TEBOUL / Shoes. MODEL’S OWN / Clutch. STYLIST’S OWN /

Coat. STYLIST’S OWN / Boots. MODEL’S OWN / Socks. OVS /

Top. ALICE TABURINI / Skirt. MESSAGERIE Shoes. MODEL’S OWN /

Dress. MESSAGERIE

alpha is the first ; the leader of a pack.

THE PRIVATE CHRONICLES Photographs. Paloma Montanaro Model. Shalini Mohanty Hair & Makeup. Shalini Mohanty Location. Porta Ticinese & Colone di San Lorenzo

Top&Pants&Shoes&Sunglasses STYLIST’S OWN

Dress. H&M / Earing.STYLIST’S OWN

Top. CUSTOMISED BY TAILOR / Skirt. H&M Sunglasses. STYLIST’S OWN / Watch. SWISS

MASCULINE EGO. FEMININE WAYS .

Top. FOREVER 21 / Sunglasses. FOREVER 21

i am not bossy...

I am the BOSS!!

Simply Marie Alpha interviews Marie Pierre Interview by Shalini Mohanty Photographs by Paloma Montanaro Location. Domus Academy

Clothes. MODEL’S OWN

“ You never get a second chance to make the first impression.”

Marie Pierre the course leader of Luxury Brand Management at Domus Academy

Clothes. MODEL’S OWN

Your career before being a professor at Domus Academy has been quite impressive. How did you get to this point?

At some point in my career, I felt that things were going really fast. I took a brief break, had my second daughter,the typical thing. And then the pre-mid life crisis began. I realised that going to the park everyday with my daughter was not something that I could do for a very long time. That’s when I started thinking about my next step. And I found my answer - I wanted to go back to school once again. I wanted to learn more. That’s what brought me to Domus and got me to enrol for the Masters in Business Design. And then I fell in love with design thinking, afterwards I was asked if I could teach a few business marketing classes in Domus. I tutored a few marketing classes after which we started the project of the Luxury Brand Management and that’s when they asked me if I was offered the designation of course leader. I was excited because the project was like my baby. This was three and a half years ago and since then I’ve hardly ever looked back. I did manage to keep some consultancy projects in the beginning but soon teaching became a full-time profession for me. But I don’t regret any of it because I like dealing with different issues. I enjoyed challenges with my clients.

And here in Domus, each of our workshop is like a consultancy job where we pretend that we are going to save a company by coming up with super innovative solutions.

Being in the fashion industry, are you sensitive about what people think about you?

I do care but mostly when it comes to my work. It’s this idea about balance; the idea of doing what you feel and think is right and also other people think about you. Sometimes I wish I could

do more because I’m a perfectionist and as all perfectionists, I do look out for what people say or think about my work. And it’s because I am more sensitive and passionate about my work. I invest a lot of my time and energy into it after all.

What are you most passionate about?

That would definitely be my job. I am not a born artist, and I don’t consider myself to be extremely creative. But it’s always a challenge being in Domus because I’m surrounded by genuine and authentically creative people. Despite all of that I’m still passionate about my job and I will always be because I love it so much.

What comes to your mind when I say the word alpha?

That would be alpha male rather than the image of a woman mainly because of the stereotype about women who are more sensitive about their personal life than career, and I’m not saying it as a criticism but just as a general observation.

So you wouldn’t connect yourself with the word alpha?

I think there’s a drive in me; if she’s a driven person then yes I connect myself with the term. Competition is always more for myself than to watch others and compete against them. That’s how I see an Alpha. I want to do what I want to. First and foremost I would do it for myself, I want to be proud of myself; then of course I’m happy if people are all also proud of me. But I

M A R I E

P I E R R E

“You never get a second chance to make the first impression”, which is true in the case of the bold and beautiful Marie Pierre, the course leader of Luxury Brand Management at Domus Academy. After graduating from a French business school, in management and economics she started working as a strategic consultant for Bain & Company, and then working for Club Med she moved to Italy and joined as the marketing director of an Italian company, taking care of the awareness of the companies among the Italian land of potential customers. She believes in simplicity and constant learning is what keeps her going. Getting to know her deeply in this interview just revealed how much of a dynamo she is.

don’t see competition as something to stand out from the crowd but to grow yourself. But I know that there is a fine line between the two.

Do you think confidence is something that comes easily to people? If yes then what would you suggest?

I think some people are naturally confident and its part of their DNA for instance, I feel like men in general are more confident probably because they care less about what people think about them. I think it’s something you can develop, the more you know yourself naturally you become more confident.

So are you saying that it’s the fear of the unknown and fear of what you can potentially do that makes you less confident?

Yes, part of it is that. So once you understand your limits and what you’re good at, even your character its like when people tell you that you know you can have a frame, you have more freedom. Once you have the frame once you have your limitations, you have something around you that you know that makes you aware of what your limitations are. Then you will know your limitations are so terrible parameter. I feel like I’m a very confident person but again it comes with experience and knowing yourself over because of this experience you look at your past and you have proof that you have done certain new things and not some other things which is ok.

How do you overcome your fears?

By going to bed and sleeping (laughs). It’s more by doing things.

I speak a lot too; I talk to a lot of people and I externalise my fears; I share with friends, I share with loved ones or it’s a mix of action and sharing with other people.

Are you an extrovert or an introvert?

I’m more of an extrovert.

What is strength for you?

It is not something physical at all. It’s not the first thing that comes to my mind, I think it as more emotional. I don’t think I’m a very spiritual person so now I think it’s a combination of emotional everything that is going to happen to you, the good and the bad and basically have to see how you cope with it we all get our toes off fantastic things and really bad things. I think that the people who can manage and digest emotionally are the stronger people.

So basically you’re more spiritual but you just don’t realize it because maybe you’re thinking religiously?

Yes exactly it’s a bit linked with religion sometimes also education like self awareness and especially being raised in a Catholic family, if you are spiritual I would think about religion immediately.

What’s leadership for you?

Leadership is very much linked with charisma; leaders must have charisma. Leadership is about vision and ability to empathise. A leader is someone that can lead the people and has the capability of consolidating people whether it’s a small team or a big company, it needs a good balance of left brain and right brain. But then again I have to balance, I have this obsession with balance, we women have these things, be it an alpha woman or other this obsession with balance. Let’s just say that I’m on a good track to being there not there yet but my life is getting better and I’m trying to achieve that balance.

Women seem have to achieve equality with men.

What’s your general opinion on gender equality?

I don’t know if there is such a thing like gender equality. I’m a frenchwoman, I live in Italy and I see a bit of misogyny here but I don’t want to put everyone in the same bucket. Otherwise also, biologically we are different, emotionally we are different, we don’t cope with the same thing in a similar manner.

fact that maybe I could travel more or I could do more, But I still think I’m fortunate enough to have had the life I have.

How do you want people to remember you?

I would love to be remembered for my caring and kind attitude; yet I don’t know if that’s what they will remember me by. Take for example some other interviews, they always say that they want to be remembered for being caring, they want to be remembered, loved and respected so if I could be loved and respected that would be great because that’s how I would want to be remembered as.

What makes you happy?

Good time with friends, seeing my children happy, good food with friendly people! I was going to chocolate, wine and cheese but let’s go with this for now (laughs).

The one thing that you can’t live without?

Behind every woman is...

Running. Definitely.

Now, this is the romantic side of me that believes that behind every great woman there’s a lot of love. It could be love from friendships; it could be from your family, your children; I think we women are made by the love and care from the people that we care about.

How do you manage your career and your personal life? Does it come effortlessly to you?

With experience I discovered that I have good organisational skills. I have managed the ups and downs quite well. The truth is that I have improved my balance in work and life, and quite better than how I managed it in the past. For a perfect balance, a lot of energy is what it takes.

Who inspires you?

My children inspire me because I want to be their role model so it’s more about the people in my direct environment.

Why not celebrities?

Because they do not feel real. I mean I can think of people that I admire but if I have to look up to someone I look for people who are more relatable and in general every celebrity or politician or famous people aren’t that relatable.

Scariest moment in your career?

How would you describe your style?

That was when I took a new job when I was 27. At that time I felt like I was a grown up and mature when I got that big promotion and my boss, who was the CEO of the company, said that I will be a little bit stretched but they thought that I could make it. It was the scariest moment ever because it felt too early even if I was capable of doing it.

Have you ever envied anyone have you ever in your life?

Not really, when you say that I envy her or I envy him or I envy their lifestyle; I am grateful for what I have. But then again sometimes you envy people for specific things like those people who travel more or are always on the go and been to so many places because of her job or her husband; she is living in so many countries. For me envying that would just make me reflect on the

Difficult question - as I am being surrounded by fashionistas (laughs). My style is very classic and I was going to say with a twist. But if it was a student of mine they would say what do you mean by a twist- what is that you can be- more specific, can you be more sophisticated in your description. I think color wise it’s always not too many flashy colors. I don’t want to be out there, but I want to be elegant. My style has also evolved a lot but it’s a bit eclectic in the sense that I could be very casual or minimalistic and elegant. So I would say classy but not too loud, and I hope I’m not too boring either.

“Competition is always more for myself than to watch others and compete against them.”

Clothes. MODEL’S OWN