PAYING HOMAGE: On the anniversary of Davide Renne’s passing, Polimoda, the Florence-based leading fashion school, has chosen to honor his memory by establishing the Davide Renne Scholarship. This annual award is dedicated to supporting emerging talents in fashion design, specifically students enrolled in the undergraduate in fashion design program.
The scholarship, entirely funded by the school with the approval of the Renne family, will be awarded yearly to a deserving student from the second, third or fourth years of the undergraduate course. The award covers the tuition fee for the current year — 18,000 euros — and each of the following three years.
The ceremony was held at Polimoda on Monday morning, attended by the designer’s family, director Massimiliano Giornetti, members of the academic community and students. The event presented the recipient of the inaugural scholarship, Carter Hamilton Mills, a third-year student in the fashion design undergraduate program. Mills was selected for his academic excellence, creative sensitivity and dedication, embodying the values that made Renne a fundamental figure in the fashion world.
In remembering his friend and colleague, Giornetti said: “I have always been fascinated by his ability to remain true to himself. Unspoiled, 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 me to conceive this scholarship in his memory. A way to keep his passion alive through the perspective of those who, thanks to this opportunity, will be able to study at Polimoda and carry forward his spirit of exploration and beauty.”
Born in 1977, Renne studied at Polimoda before starting his professional career, collaborating with Alessandro Dell’Acqua and spending nearly two decades at Gucci, where he served as head of womenswear design alongside Alessandro Michele. He was appointed creative director of Moschino in 2023 before his sudden death on Nov. 10, 2023.
