Andrea Felsted, Columnist

Emma Watson in Gucci Boardroom Is Sign of the Fashion Times

Kering's recruitment of the Harry Potter star isn’t celebrity window dressing. It's about sustainability.

June 17, 2020 at 1:16 PM UTC

Andrea Felsted is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering consumer goods and the retail industry. Previously, she was a reporter for the Financial Times.

Fighting for equality.
Photographer: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

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Gucci owner Kering SA has shaken up the relatively staid world of the corporate boardroom by appointing Emma Watson, the British actress, as a non-executive director. But the recruitment of the Harry Potter star isn’t celebrity window dressing: Watson is a champion of sustainable fashion, so her advice to the French luxury behemoth will be valuable.

Her every move is followed by the world’s media, and what she does will be associated with Kering from now on. She is a vocal equality campaigner, as was seen this week with her tweets of support for trans people.