On the second anniversary of the passing of Davide Renne, visionary Creative Director and distinguished alumnus of the school, Polimoda has established the Davide Renne Scholarship to celebrate his life, talent, and creative legacy.
The annual scholarship is dedicated to supporting outstanding students of the Undergraduate in Fashion Design program — young talents who embody the freedom, curiosity, and vision that defined Renne’s creative journey. This initiative is not about looking back but looking ahead: an invitation to transform memory into creative energy, shaping a new generation of designers capable of thinking with empathy and imagining with courage.
Today, at Polimoda’s Villa Favard campus, in the presence of Director Massimiliano Giornetti, the Renne family and friends, and members of the academic community, the first award was presented to Carter Hamilton Mills, a third-year student in the Undergraduate in Fashion Design program. Selected for his academic excellence, creative sensitivity, and dedication, Mills embodies the values that made Davide Renne a defining figure in the world of fashion.
In remembrance of his friend and colleague, Director Massimiliano Giornetti stated:
“My bond with Davide goes beyond fashion. Since school, we were united by wanting to explore what we didn’t know yet. Art, literature, and music. He had an attention to detail that made him so extraordinary in his work. Above all, I was always struck by his strong desire to collaborate, to build together with others. Some of my most intimate memories with him are those of Saturday mornings spent at the Marché aux Puces in Paris. Finding small objects, his fascination with the past was a way to understand the future. We both saw history as a semantic bridge to tomorrow.”
He then added:
“I always admired the way he remained true to himself. He was untainted, despite his professional growth and the significance of the role he held. It was his natural inclination to help new generations of creatives that inspired the creation of this scholarship in his memory. It is a way to keep his passion alive through the eyes of those who, thanks to this opportunity, will be able to study at Polimoda and carry forward his spirit of research and beauty.”
Born in Follonica, Tuscany, in 1977, Davide Renne studied at Polimoda before embarking on a brilliant career that led him to collaborate with Alessandro Dell’Acqua and, later, to spend nearly two decades at Gucci, where he served as Head of Womenswear Design alongside Alessandro Michele. In 2023, he was appointed Creative Director of Moschino, a role he embraced with enthusiasm — the culmination of a journey marked by talent, sensitivity, and vision. His sudden passing on November 10, 2023, left a profound void in the fashion world and within the Polimoda community, who continue to remember him with deep respect and affection.
A designer distinguished not only by his vision of fashion, but also by his profound humanity, kindness, wit, and determination.
The Davide Renne Scholarship is more than a tribute — it is a passing of the torch. Davide’s energy, freedom, and vision continue to live on in the hands of those who will design tomorrow.
Through this initiative, Polimoda renews its mission: not only to educate designers, but to preserve and advance the culture of design as a tool for transformation.
In the name of Davide Renne, talent becomes storytelling. Memory becomes future.
