A fashion designer opened his door and spent two hours with a group of high school business students. This is real-world learning at its most powerful.

At Leysin American School, we believe the most powerful classroom is out in the world. Our PreMBA program was built on the conviction that high school students are fully capable of engaging with real businesses, real challenges, and real stakes, and that the only way to truly test that belief is to give them guidance and opportunity. The PreMBA program offers a rigorous, real-world introduction to business strategy, brand consulting, and entrepreneurial thinking, with students working directly with real companies and real founders, developing skills in research, communication, and professional practice that prepare them for university-level business programs and beyond.

Recently, a group of LAS PreMBA students traveled to Paris for four days of deep, hands-on immersion into the world of Sébline, a successful French fashion brand they had been consulting for as part of their capstone project, Project 2050. This was just another example of the world class experiential learning that LAS offers.

Arriving in the Heart of Paris

The students arrived at their hotel on Place de la République, a historic square at the civic and cultural heart of the city. The choice of location was no accident. Understanding how place, history, and identity shape branding is central to the work this team had been doing all semester. Standing on that square, surrounded by the vibrant, multicultural energy of modern Paris, the abstract concepts from the classroom became vivid and immediate.

A Journey Through the City's Creative Infrastructure

On their first full day, students visited Les Ateliers de Paris at 19M, a renowned collection of workshops serving the haute couture industry. The current exhibit explored the intersection of fashion and fine art which is directly relevant to the semester-long analysis this group had been conducting on Sébline, a brand that operates at exactly that intersection of craft and concept.

The team then walked through the Tuileries Gardens, along the Seine, and past the Louvre, not as tourists, but as students actively engaging with the cultural environment in which their client is building his brand. A film crew documented the journey, capturing footage that will serve as an archive of the consulting process for Project 2050 and demonstrating what learning in the field truly looks like at LAS.

Scarcity, Placement, and a Sale in Real Time

One of the most striking moments of the trip came during a visit to By Marie, one of the boutiques that carries Sébline shirts. The students went to observe firsthand how Charles Sébline distributes his brand: quietly, selectively, and through partners who share his philosophy of discovery over promotion.

While the group was there filming, one of the only two Sébline shirts on display was purchased by a customer.

This moment crystallized months of research as students witnessed a living demonstration of how product scarcity and product placement are intentional and interconnected. As a student, Ruston '27 said "One of the most inspiring things on this trip was to see a Sébline shirt being purchased before our very eyes. To see that the brand that we are helping is selling without any major marketing all on its own was extremely inspiring..." 

As the program's teacher noted afterward: "It brought the business model they have been studying to life in a way my classroom would struggle to replicate."

Into the Archive: Fashion, History, and Craft Traditions

On day two, following recommendations from Charles Sébline himself, the team visited the Palais Galliera for its exhibition "Weaving, Embroidering, Embellishing: The Crafts and Trades of Fashion"—a historical and contemporary look at the French fashion traditions that inform contemporary designers like Sébline.

From there, the group visited Ultramod, a specialist fabric and trim supplier with roots going back to the 1830s. A source of both material and inspiration for Charles, the address holds real significance in his creative process.

Meeting the designer, Charles Sébline in Person

What the students did not know when they arrived at Ultramod was that Charles Sébline had agreed to meet them there. He arrived and stayed for two hours.

Having worked closely with Yves Saint Laurent and then Tom Ford, Charles Sébline has an impressive breadth of experience which he generously shared with our students. His profile has been growing steadily, particularly after being featured on Emily in Paris and worn by celebrities and prominent figures such as Cate Blanchett and Queen Rania of Jordan. Sébline has been described as a designer's designer—quietly respected rather than loudly celebrated. His work is firmly in the realm of "quiet luxury," where quality, design, and craftsmanship are valued over obvious labeling or aggressive marketing.

In a space that is genuinely part of his craft, Charles answered the students' questions directly, walked them through his thinking with full engagement, and treated them as the serious young consultants they had become. After months of intensive research, the students arrived with focused, specific questions, and asked thoughtful follow-ups. They held a real conversation with the founder of the business they had been analyzing.

To gain access to such high caliber, unique businesses such as Charles Sébline is priceless, and it's something LAS is known for. Meeting the founder, Charles, in person, in a space that matters to his creative process and craft, brought the educational experience to another level, giving the students' research a human dimension and deepened their sense of responsibilities as business consultants. This is the kind of encounter that defines the LAS approach to education. Our students study the world from by entering it and contributing to it. 

Why Experiential Learning Matters and What LAS Is Building

The Paris trip was not a field trip. It was a consulting engagement conducted on location, with a real client, in the city where the client's brand was conceived and lives. It was a culminating experience in the inaugural year of the LAS PreMBA program, a curriculum deliberately designed around real stakes, real businesses, and real people. At Leysin American School, experiential learning is the heart of the academic program which is structured around the principle that genuine understanding comes from genuine participation.

The Paris PreMBA Team, navigating the program's first year with the curiosity and rigor of working professionals, rose fully to the occasion. We could not be prouder of what they built, and what they will carry with them long after Project 2050 is complete!