David Zajtmann

David Zajtmann serves as Professor and Coordinator of Academic and Research Projects at Institut Français de la Mode (IFM), specializing in business strategies within couture/fashion companies and collective strategies for creative cities in the global fashion industry.

Education:

• PhD in Management Science, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne
• Research Master (DEA) in Industrial Economics, Université Paris Dauphine
• Graduate of Sciences Po Paris
• Former student at Institut Français de la Mode (IFM)

Research Interests:
His work investigates how concentrated creative activities in cities like Paris, Milan, and London drive global fashion dominance through economic and sociological mechanisms. Key focuses include tacit knowledge transfer, reputation systems, authenticity validation, and urban cluster dynamics within fashion ecosystems. As President of IFFTI's Research Committee, he bridges academic theory with industry practice, particularly examining Paris's historical and contemporary role as a fashion capital.

Publication Trends:
Zajtmann's research consistently analyzes Paris's structural advantages in fashion through longitudinal studies of professional organizations, haute couture evolution, and brand valuation. His publications reveal three dominant trends: (1) institutional analysis of fashion governance bodies, (2) historical transformation of Parisian couture business models, and (3) economic frameworks for measuring creative capital in urban clusters. This interdisciplinary approach merges management science with cultural economics.

Current Work:
He is authoring the forthcoming book Haute couture and the Parisian fashion industries (Editions EMS, late 2025), which examines the institutional foundations of Paris's enduring fashion leadership through financial, organizational, and cultural lenses.