Fashion recruiters
since 1999.

We operate worldwide
from Milano and Shanghai.

About

Between Research is a niche head-hunting firm that specializes in selecting top talent and professionals for the fashion industry. Founded in Milano by Elisabetta Berla and Sabrina Damassa, the agency is today globally established with a highly dedicated and ever-growing team.

We thrive at identifying and recruiting executive roles from creative area to industrialization and sales. The agency’s expertise covers the entire industry, from luxury to high-street labels including Jewelry, Beauty, and Lifestyle.

Services

Head hunting

Our dedicated talent scouting plays a crucial role in efficiently connecting professionals with brands, adapting to the fast paced changing landscape of the fashion industry.

Design and development, production and R&D, communication and sales: our competence covers the full spectrum of the business areas.

Mediation Process

Our mediation service begins with the client briefing and ends with the signing of the hiring contract. The candidate research starts with a thorough selection of profiles aligning with the client’s requirements. The shortlisted profiles are promptly submitted, optimizing our client’s schedule while guaranteeing the appropriate number of interviews. Subsequently, we facilitate meetings with selected candidates, offering tailored support throughout the process to aid the client in making the final choice.

Organic Monitoring

We closely monitor leading fashion events and conduct real-time trend analysis, facilitated by the founders’ extensive industry network. As part of talent scouting, our team actively participates in major fashion contests and contributes to graduation juries among various international fashion institutions. This proactive involvement ensures we stay ahead of industry trends and effectively indentify emerging talents.

Direct Communication

The recruitment strategy involves direct contact, featuring personal interviews, comprehensive information acquisition, and careful candidate evaluation. We adopt a collaborative approach with our clients that ensures an efficient mediation process, resulting in the successful placement of the ideal candidate.

Evergrowing Database

The agency maintains a continually updated database legally housing details of over 10,000 international professionals, covering a wide range of skill levels. Privacy is prioritized, treating all database information as highly confidential.

Sustainable network

In light of the escalating global concern for sustainability and recognizing the fashion industry as one of the key sectors for change, we responded to the urgent call to action with an environmentally conscious commitment.

Conscious Community

We cultivate a sustainable community of professionals across various areas within the fashion industry, including R&D, design, development, communication, legal, marketing, and more. With a shared commitment to sustainability, we collaborate closely with brands to delve into their strategies, integrating a range of professionals in response to their needs. Working across European and Asian markets, we harmonize with the brand’s sustainability targets, while placing a central emphasis on efficient solutions for companies confronting the challenges of future change.

Knowledge for Change

Between Conscious is our blog through which we share expert knowledge on the theme of sustainability via interviews, articles and insights directly from the industry. Dedicated to students and professional alike, the platform also offers a broad range of formative opportunities, from masterclasses, lectures and consultancy services for companies.

Visit now: betweenconscious.com

Counseling

Today wellbeing is a central challenge for organizations. After gaining insights into team structures and dynamics for years, we have integrated counseling as the ideal method to help companies achieve performance goals while committing to a healthy work environment.

Between Wellbeing

After carefully building work team for years, we developed Between Wellbeing, a counseling program designed to assist companies in the creation of a positive and collaborative work environment as the long term solution to achieve their performance objectives. Through the implementation of additional expertise in our toolkit, we’ve been able to successfully integrate this practice in our offer.

Open the program

Team

Elisabetta Berla

Milano Born, Elisabetta entered the fashion industry soon after receiving her degree in Art History from University of Barcelona. The collaborations with many renowned international companies such as Romeo Gigli, Issey Miyake, and others, eventually led to the creation of her own fashion headhunting company. Since 1999, she’s the co-founder of Between Research. In 2021, she expanded her expertise to counseling by earning her professional counselor diploma.

elisabetta.berla@betweenresearch.com

Sabrina Damassa

Sabrina earned a diploma in Modern Languages for Interpreters and Translators at the university of Trieste. After completing a one-year course at the Sorbonne in Paris, she ventured into the world of fashion by working at Condè Nast for four years. She then gained extensive experience over 12 years with Romeo Gigli, where she managed international communication, media planning, and the brand image of retail locations. In 1999, alongside managing the press office for Cristiano Fissore, she co-founded Between Research in Milan.

sabrina.damassa@betweenresearch.com

Angelica De Vito

Upon graduation in 2002 in Business Administration at the Bocconi University of Milan, Angelica started working, as Product Manager for Mazzucchelli1849, a worldwide leader in eyewear. In 2005 she moved to Shanghai working as Jr Analyst for Value Partner, an international management consulting firm. In 2007 she joined Between Research as a talent acquisition manager. She travels between Shanghai and Milan where Between opened a branch in 2014. Since 2017 she teaches the module “Personal branding” at the master course in fashion design and luxury management at Domus Academy and some other fashion masters in Milan. She became a partner in 2014.

angelica.devito@betweenresearch.com

Francesca Salone

Francesca graduated in Chinese language and cultural mediation in Milan in 2012. After working as an event coordinator in cultural institutions, she spent two years in southern China as a tutor at language institutes. Upon returning to Italy, she worked at Expo Milan 2015 and the Milan Triennale, focusing on fashion events. In 2017, she joined Between Research as a talent acquisition manager, merging her passion for Chinese language and culture with fashion and team dynamics. She became a partner in 2023.

francesca.salone@betweenresearch.com

Allegra Riccadonna

Allegra graduated in Foreign Languages and Literatures in Milan in 1996 and already during her studies began her commercial career at Tod’s, where she remained for 10 years working across all 3 brands of the maison. After a period of sales consultancy at Gucci, Tory Burch, and Moncler, in 2017 she joined the Between Research team with the task of expanding its scope towards business-oriented profiles, namely commercial, retail, marketing middle/executive figures, thus combining her professional skills with her keen attention to the human dimension of interpersonal relationships within work teams.

allegra.riccadonna@betweenresearch.com

Fabrizio Carbonara

After completing a Master’s in Philosophy, Fabrizio ventured into corporate HR, gaining experience at e-Work and later Accenture. He then moved to London in 2011 to work as a Headhunter for k2 partnering solutions. Returning to Italy in 2014, Fabrizio directed HR at a consulting firm that merged with Deloitte Digital. He also began offering counseling, training, and coaching services, specializing in performance improvement. Since 2022, Fabrizio holds a Bachelor’s in Psychology and continues to help individuals and teams redefine their goals and enhance their well-being. In 2023, he began collaborating with Between Research and played a key role in launching the Wellbeign project.

fabrizio.carbonara@betweenresearch.com

Cherie Ding

General Manager of Between Research (Shanghai), Cherie holds a Master’s in fashion management from Domus Academy in Italy. Her journey with Between began in 2010 in Milan, where she played a pivotal role in the company’s expansion into the Chinese market. Leveraging her expertise, she crafted a unique business model tailored to China, contributing significantly to the success of Between Research in the region. She became a partner in 2014.

cherie.ding@betweenresearch.com

Pin Lu

Pin, a distinguished graduate of CREAPOLE – ESDI, brings nearly six years of fashion education and experience from Paris. Upon returning to Shanghai, she advanced her career in fashion marketing and communication while also teaching fashion design and communication. In 2023, she joined Between Research as a Senior Consultant, specializing in sustainable fashion development, education, and communication. Additionally, she serves as an expert member of the China Fashion Association.

pin.lu@betweenresearch.com

Ran Xia

Ran holds a Master’s Degree in Media and Communications and has five years of media experience. Passionate about fashion, she currently works for Between Research as a market researcher and program editor for the Between Conscious Program.

ran.xia@betweenresearch.com

Giuseppe Di Stefano

Giuseppe has a Master degree in Far East Institutions and Relations at the University of Napoli “L’Orientale”. After a 7 years experience in Italy as a journalist with a keen focus on Environmental and Sustainability topics, he moved to China working as a Marketing and Communication manager in the local start-up environment. In Shanghai he started cooperating with Between Research as a consultant for the content strategy of the Between Conscious Program.

giuseppe.distefano@betweenresearch.com

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Contacts

Milano

Between Research
Via Francesco Viganò 4
20124 Milano
T +39 0229014402

Shanghai

Between Research
4F, #8, Lane 622 Middle Huaihai Road,
Huangpu District, 200020 Shanghai
T +86 21 63331257 

General Inquiries

hello@betweenresearch.com
T +39 02 29014402

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