Massimiliano Giornetti
Academic director of Polimoda
Massimiliano Giornetti is an Italian designer and educator who spent 16 years at Salvatore Ferragamo, leading its creative direction, and has headed the Florence fashion school Polimoda since 2021. He is now Polimoda's academic director and was appointed creative director of Drumohr in 2025.
| Role | Academic director, Polimoda |
|---|---|
| Leading Polimoda since | February 2021 |
| Ferragamo | 2000 to 2016, creative director from 2004 |
| Also | Creative director, Drumohr, from 2025 |
| Born | 1971 |
Who is Massimiliano Giornetti?
Massimiliano Giornetti, born in 1971, is a fashion designer and educator who moved from the creative leadership of a major Italian luxury house to the leadership of one of Europe's best known fashion schools. He is himself a graduate of Polimoda in Florence, where he studied fashion design in collaboration with the London College of Fashion.
Career
Giornetti joined Salvatore Ferragamo's men's division in July 2000. Four years later he took over creative direction of menswear, and in 2010 he added women's ready to wear, becoming creative director of the house. Polimoda describes him as Ferragamo's first creative director, a role in which he shaped the brand's contemporary collections over his 16 years at the company. He also received awards including GQ Spain's Man of the Year for best designer and international designer of the year from GQ Mexico.
After Ferragamo he worked on the international relaunch of Shanghai Tang. He returned to Polimoda in July 2019 as head of the fashion design department and was named director of the school in February 2021. Polimoda now lists him as academic director, alongside president Niccolò Ricci and a general manager appointed in September 2026. In 2025 he was also appointed creative director of the knitwear brand Drumohr.
Influence on the fashion business
Giornetti's influence today is largely through education. Polimoda trains designers, product developers and fashion managers, many of whom go on to work for Italian and international brands. Under his leadership the school emphasises:
- Design culture and authorship
- Professional rigour and industry relevance
- Close links with Italian luxury manufacturing
- Experience drawn from senior roles inside a luxury house
Why it matters
Italy's fashion industry depends on a pipeline of skilled designers and managers who understand both creativity and production. Giornetti's move from Ferragamo to Polimoda brings first hand knowledge of how a global luxury brand works into the classroom. His career also illustrates a growing pattern in the industry, in which former creative directors take on roles in education and in smaller heritage brands, keeping their experience active across several parts of the fashion system at once. For students, that means teaching shaped by direct experience of collections, supply chains and brand management.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Massimiliano Giornetti?
Massimiliano Giornetti is an Italian designer and educator. He spent 16 years at Salvatore Ferragamo, leading its creative direction, and has led the Florence fashion school Polimoda since 2021.
What does Massimiliano Giornetti do at Polimoda?
He became director of Polimoda in February 2021 after joining as head of fashion design in 2019. The school now lists him as academic director.