Kering partnering again with Michelle Obama for her book presentation

By

Godfrey Deeny

Published
Apr 10, 2019

Fashion and luxury gorup Kering will again partner with Michelle Obama when the former First Lady presents the French edition of her autobiography, Becoming, in Paris next week.

 
Obama had originally planned to present the book on December 5, but cancelled that event apparently to return to Washington to attend the funeral of former president George Bush Senior.
 
The one-time First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS) had previously planned to unveil her tome at the Seine Musicale, in west Paris. Now, she will discuss her book on April 16 in the AccorHotels Arena in east Paris.

Kering will partner the event, where 350 young women will be invited to attend a discussion on the best-selling Becoming, published in French by Editions Fayard.
 
“I’m an ordinary person who found herself on an extraordinary journey. In sharing my story, I hope to help create space for other stories and other voices, to widen the pathway for who belongs and why,”  said Michelle Obama in a release from Kering, the world’s second largest luxury conglomerate.
 
Obama is a noted figurehead in the movement for women’s empowerment, an idea close to the corporate philosophy of Kering, which has created the Women in Motion program of the Festival de Cannes, to highlight the role of women in cinema. 

"I am extremely proud to provide partnership support for Michelle Obama’s Paris appearance, as an illustration of the core values and beliefs we share in common,” added Kering CEO François-Henri Pinault, whose group includes Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga and Bottega Veneta, among other luxury marques.
 
Michelle Obama served as First Lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School, she began her career in the Chicago law firm Sidley & Austin, where she met her future husband, Barack Obama. Michelle and Barack Obama currently live in Washington and have two daughters, Malia and Sasha.