I have come across oikos in 2011, while I was in Dhaka doing research on social business’ best practices. Oikos felt immediately like a cheerful yet commited community I wanted to be part of.
I founded oikos Lille in 2012 at Edhec Business School, and joined some memorable oikos events: Barcelona Spring Meeting and St. Gallen FutureLab in 2012, Maastricht Spring Meeting in 2013 – cheers to those who were there and are reading this!
What made oikos an amazing student organization were its people. Pretty much all the oikees whom I met were engaged in sustainability-related challenges, such as: how can we make our university campus more environmentally friendly? How can we efficiently grow fruits and vegetables in urban areas? How can we make students aware of the fashion industry’s social impact?
I find oikos members to be driven by sustainability ideals, yet reasonable enough to rely on existing structures such as business schools, start-up incubators, government institutions, to make a change.
Oikos has definitely contributed to forge my leadership and project management skills, that I took into my professional life. In the last few years I worked both in the corporate world (Swarovki, Nissan) and in innovation consulting (Innosight). More recently, I founded my own company, Filanda n. 18. Filanda n.18 is a fashion label that aims at preserving traditional textiles from across the world and supporting the artisans behind. For the fashionistas out there, check the Instagram channel.
Having said that, the biggest oikos take-away are the friends that I made. Oikos is an amazing network of thought provoking and open-minded individuals who are always there to support each other. And here comes the time to walk the talk: if you would like to discuss any sustainable fashion projects or any career-related topics, do not hesitate to reach out to me. I am always available for an in-person or virtual coffee. Seriously, don’t be a stranger!
Cheers,
Francesca
Francesca Stocco was Founder and President of OIKOS LILLE, 2012-2013.
