CHANGE OF THE GUARD: In the year of its 40th anniversary, Florence-based fashion and design school Polimoda has named a new president.
Niccolò Ricci, chief executive officer of the Italian sartorial brand Stefano Ricci, also based in Florence, has been appointed to the role.
He succeeds former Ferragamo chairman and CEO Ferruccio Ferragamo in the role. The latter was appointed president of Polimoda in 2006, to coincide with the school’s 20th anniversary.
“I would like to thank the institutions and members of Polimoda, starting with [Florence] Mayor Sara Funaro, for offering me this prestigious position, and outgoing president Ferruccio Ferragamo for the important work carried out over the past years,” Ricci said in a statement. “As a Florentine involved in the world of fashion, I will strive to strengthen the leadership Polimoda has achieved during its first 40 years of existence. Youth education is the key lever on which the entire manufacturing system must invest to ensure a future for this strategic sector for the country. My role will be to work to bridge the gap between studies and the professional activities of future leaders in fashion,” he added.
The school said Ricci’s tasks include strengthening the institution’s links with the fashion industry, as well as international universities, in addition to the expansion of the academic offering.
Niccolò Ricci
Massimo Sestini/ Courtesy of Stefano Ricci
Polimoda also touted Ferragamo for his leadership across two decades marked by the consolidation of the school’s positioning and awareness, as well as the opening of the Manifattura Tabacchi and Villa Favard campuses in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
Polimoda also renewed the school’s board, which includes, among others, Pitti Immagine CEO Raffaello Napoleone, former Ferragamo CEO Micaela le Divelec Lemmi, and Laudomia Pucci.
The school is under the direction of Massimiliano Giornetti, a former Ferragamo creative director.
