Ferragamo steps down as Polimoda president, Ricci takes over

After 20 years at the helm of Polimoda, Ferruccio Ferragamo is stepping down as president of the Florence-based fashion school. The transition comes as Niccolò Ricci has been appointed as his successor, marking a generational handover at one of Italy’s leading institutions for fashion education.

Ricci was named president on Monday by the school’s shareholders’ assembly, in the year Polimoda celebrates the 40th anniversary of its foundation. Chief executive of the luxury menswear brand Stefano Ricci since 2007, he will serve a three-year term.

The change in leadership is accompanied by a formal recognition of Ferragamo’s long tenure. Florence mayor Sara Funaro announced that the city will award him the Fiorino d’Oro, Florence’s highest civic honour, in acknowledgement of the work carried out during two decades as president. According to the mayor, Ferragamo’s commitment and vision were central to Polimoda’s growth and to its consolidation as a national and international reference point for fashion education.

Ricci said his priority will be to strengthen the link between academic training and professional practice, with a focus on preparing young people for careers in the fashion industry. He described education as a strategic investment for the future of the sector and said he intends to build on the position Polimoda has achieved over its first 40 years.

Among the most recognisable figures on the new board are Raffaello Napoleone, long-time chief executive of Pitti Immagine and a central figure in Italy’s fashion fair system; Laudomia Pucci, vice-president vicario and member of the historic Pucci family, closely associated with Florence’s fashion heritage; and Alberto Scaccioni, confirmed on the board representing CFMI (Centro di Firenze per la Moda Italiana), a key organisation coordinating major fashion events in the city. Their presence reflects Polimoda’s strong links with both Florence’s institutional fashion ecosystem and its international industry networks.

Alongside the new presidency, Polimoda also renewed its board of directors. The board includes representatives of the school’s institutional partners, among them the Comune di Firenze, the Comune di Scandicci, the metropolitan authority of Florence, industry bodies and international partners such as the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Messages of appreciation for Ferragamo and support for Ricci’s appointment also came from local authorities in Scandicci, where part of Polimoda’s activity is based. They described the transition as a moment of continuity, with the school moving into a new phase while building on the foundations laid over the past two decades.

Founded in 1986, Polimoda is an international higher education institute specialising in fashion, design and luxury management. Based in Florence, with teaching sites in the city and in nearby Scandicci, the school offers undergraduate, postgraduate and executive programmes taught in English and attracts students from dozens of countries.

Established through a partnership between local institutions and the Fashion Institute of Technology of New York, Polimoda has developed a model that combines academic training with close collaboration with fashion companies, positioning it as one of Italy’s main centres for professional fashion education.

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