A Networking Event for Students

FLORENCE — Polimoda has opened its doors to introduce its talents to the industry. 

The Florence-based leading fashion school held the Business Week networking event from May 13 to 17 with 289 international graduating business and design students from both undergraduate and master’s programs. Human resources employees from 107 luxury fashion companies (43 international) conducted interviews.

The interviews were held online until Thursday, while on Friday in-person sessions were hosted at the Manifattura Tabacchi campus. On the second floor and attic, the design students displayed their portfolios allowing companies to engage with their creations, while on the first floor the business students conducted one-to-one interviews.

Among the participating companies were Bottega Veneta, Max Mara fashion group, Christian Dior, LuisaViaRoma, Loro Piana, Givenchy and Salvatore Ferragamo.

WWD sat down for an interview with the Polimoda director, Massimiliano Giornetti, to talk about the impact of this week on the students, the importance it has for Polimoda and how the school prepares the students during the year. 

“The Business Week certainly represents a very important event, clearly for students but also it is the emphasis of the reason why Polimoda started in 1985: to create a space for research, a space for experimentation in which the strong connection with the fashion industry creates a smooth transition for the students from the training to the inclusion in a company,” said Giornetti.

He highlighted the importance of having both formats, online and in person. The first one grants students coming from more than 70 different countries the possibility to apply their talent not only in Italy or Europe but also overseas.

Giornetti said the Florentine stage represents a bridge between the students’ past and cultural background and their future career path, which begins with this event. “It is the first big meeting but it represents only the beginning of a path that will evolve,” he said.

Throughout the year, lessons and reviews of the collections are scheduled to help students build a functional curriculum in relation to their talent and abilities. According to the director, who attends the design reviews himself, “we create matches between companies and students thanks to our ability to get to know the students during the year and be aware of their talent, a strong point of the school.”

He said the school has developed new courses to develop professionals in areas adjacent to fashion, such as art directors or stylists.

The two business weeks held twice a year (there’s a smaller one in November), represent an essential resource for the career office “since there are moments to sit down with companies and adapt the focus of the courses, of student recruitment and also consider some changes that are important within the companies themselves now when changes are faster than before,” he explained.

“Fashion is a big world but also a small world where the human connections are stronger than LinkedIn rather than a CV,” Giornetti said he often tells his students. 

The final fashion show represents a great showcase for the selected fashion design students. But after the pandemic, its importance was in doubt, Giornetti said.

“The models, the catwalk, the silence before the beginning, the lights turning on…It seems like a religious expression, it seems like a liturgy. We understood that it still makes sense, because without the human aspect it is very difficult to describe a garment,” he said.

The consensus from students, asked about what they expected from this week, was that they don’t want to just be liked but to show themselves. “We want someone interested in our work and personalities. A company who reflects our values,” said one student.

Thanks to self-awareness and to the techniques learned, the students were ready to see “what’s in the world out there,” he said.