Moschino’s new artistic director dies 10 days after taking office

David Renne, the new artistic director of Italian fashion and luxury brand Moschino, died on Friday at the age of 46, the fashion house announced, ten days after taking up his post.

The Tuscan-born designer, who had twenty years of experience designing women’s collections at Gucci before joining Moschino, died in Milan of a “sudden illness,” Moschino said in a statement.

Renne, who began overseeing the women’s and men’s collections and accessories for Moschino on Nov. 1, was scheduled to present his first collection for the house at Milan Fashion Week in February.

“There are no words to describe our pain,” replied Massimo Ferretti, boss of Gruppo Aeffe, Moschino’s parent company.

“With David, we were working on an ambitious project, in an atmosphere of excitement and hope for the future,” he said in a statement.

“Even though he stayed with us only for a short time, David immediately came to love and respect himself. Today, we have the responsibility to continue what his imagination and creativity only imagined,” he added.

Renne was appointed in October to replace American designer Jeremy Scott, who resigned earlier that year after a decade as the brand’s artistic director.