The Alternative School for Creative Thinking

29/05/2026

Hello, world, meet Sonya Dang, new media personality and our next-gen speaker at “BRANDS TALK. IDENTITY & CULTURE. ASIAN CREATIVITY”, TheAlternativeSchool CREATIVE MBA’s hottest event, happening on June 17.

A Romanian-Vietnamese new media personality, model and Gen Z public voice, Sonya brings the perspective of a generation for whom identity is no longer a single passport, but a living construct shaped by languages, aesthetics, communities and digital platforms.

Her story sits at the very intersection this event wants to illuminate: Romanian upbringing, Vietnamese heritage, European education and a global-native sense of self.

With Young Lady, the new chapter of the LadiesFirst series, launched at TheFutureOfBeauty to promote exceptional female talent abroad and now calling for applications from brilliant voices under 35, selecting Sonya Dang as guest speaker is no coincidence.

We invite you to explore the carousel and follow her stories on identity, brains & beauty, her life as a model, law student and future diplomat, and her citizen-of-the-world kind of life.

For those interested in attending the event, drop a line at [email protected]

07/05/2026

So, what about ?
Four unpredictable keys decorticated it, layer by layer.
Peroni blue seemed to echo spontaneously throughout The Great Hill’s expressive private art collection, as if everything had been aligned to the pixel.
“Before creating beauty, one must first become a voracious consumer of culture.” Said Alex Duarte, in “Beauty as Structure.”
“I knew I would always be a photographer when I chose to leave the 6633 Arctic Ultra, although the hardest part was already behind me, for I wanted to capture the celestial light show, even though taking pictures at -30°C meant excruciating pain in my fingers”, confessed Adi Bulboacă in his talk “On Inaccessible Beauty”
“Chanand was born from a personal insight: the beauty market was saturated with products built mostly on marketing claims. For us, with California Prop 65 standards at its core, beauty means health and science. Conceived as a time-saving ritual, it restores confidence, with an impeccable complexion as natural consequence,” shared Cristina Scomoroscenco, in her “Brains Behind Beauty” story.
“When beauty is part of national identity, private diplomacy can rewrite the narrative, adding brains to it and proving the claim. For the past decade, Ladies First has done exactly that: lobbying for Romania on the “See It Be It” map and challenging clichés about Romanian women beyond London, Paris, Rome to Tashkent, Cairo, Colombo and Pattaya. That mission now continues through Young Lady, our newest platform empowering exceptional local talent under 35.”, shared Tedi Migdalovici.
A few snippets from the afterglow, in the words of our influential audience, are in the comments & more at the link in bio.
Pictures: MEALCHEMY / Iulian Ratescu
Peroni TheGreatHill

21/04/2026

A chemist, an exploratist, a nomadic researcher, and a private diplomat walk into a bar…

It sounds like the beginning of a joke. In fact, it’s the beginning of a very real conversation.

This Thursday, they will meet not in a bar, but at the Great Hill bistro-art gallery, to unpack the colossal elephant in the room called beauty - that magnetic force linked to prosperity, attention, desire, and perception. Less a decorative attribute than a cerebral inside job, beauty remains one of the most powerful currencies of our time.

Joining us for this edition of initiated by TheAlternativeSchool CreativeMBA:

Cristina Scomoroșcenco - our secret speaker, now revealed; scientist and co-founder of CHANAND

Adi Bulboacă - acclaimed photographer and athlete of extreme conditions

Alex Duarte - lecturer, surfer, researcher, and speaker extraordinaire

Teodora Migdalovici - private diplomat, creativity educator, Ladies First founder, and proud wearer of multiple hats

These four contemporary nomads will go beyond scratching the surface of this endlessly fascinating phenomenon to reveal useful truths that may seem obvious, yet often go unnoticed. Expect, as always, a generous dose of exclusive insights and previously unreleased content.

A special thank you to Peroni for fueling this research-meets-learning-meets-high-style-networking encounter for bright minds and to for being such a fabulous host.

RomanianTalent LadiesFirst YoungLady

21/04/2026

01/04/2026

, alongside PERONI & THE GREAT HILL, presents: THE FUTURE OF BEAUTY 2026

Is beauty a weapon? A shortcut to prosperity? A tool of seduction? A category moving billions across the globe? A prerequisite for affluence ? A must for confidence ?
An irresistible attribute, or even an immersive experience making brands more lovable, from banking to FMCG to automotive, interior design or retail spaces ?

How is beauty valued on the world’s stock exchange when it shapes self-esteem, identity, relationships, performance, and the way we show up in the world, as individuals or brands ?

Business intelligence at its best

Alongside professionals acting as curators and opinion shapers of what beauty means today - kudos to Adi Bulboacă, Alexandre Duarte, Tedi Migdalovici and our secret speaker: a true business diva who built an empire around beauty, starting from Romania and expanding across continents - we will explore possible answers at 2026, a new, enchanting chapter of our insight-foresight .

For two hours, we will look at beauty beyond cliché, via awarded case studies and personal, insightful stories asking whether it has a national identity, how cultural codes define and reshape its standards, and how brands extract these signals to anticipate the next major cultural shifts.

Who’s in ?

Brand managers. Marketing professionals. Creatives. Academics. Diplomats. International relations professionals. Leaders from banking, FMCG, beauty, retail and adjacent industries. Opinion leaders. Entrepreneurs. Anyone interested in how beauty shapes identity, trust, desire, and influence - consider yourselves invited.

Powered by: Peroni & The Great Hill
If interested, read more on The Alternative School website and drop us a line at: [email protected]

Places are limited, so access will be granted by invitation or participation fee, on a first come, first served basis.

A dedicated number of places are granted via scholarship for those who performed Module & solving BAM briefs, being therefore enrolled through their interest in performing internationally.

30/03/2026

Martie, reinterpretat de ilustratori români pe val: între dezmorțire, feminin, reverență pentru maternitate, primăvară contemporană, cod local, ironie fină și puțin Gen Z glitter.

De aplaudat perspectivele lui , .bodarev.art, , , .selaru, , .burca, , .olaru, care reușesc, de fiecare dată, să propună un unghi imprevizibil pentru o temă aproape clișeu.

illustrationartists RomanianTalent, RomanianIllustrator, SpringIllustration, illustration printshop illustrationprints printondemand smallbusiness freelanceillustrator blackandwhite madewithlove localartists supportlocal inspirational illustratorartist joy RoCreativity