Giannini studied fashion design at Rome's Fashion Academy before joining Fendi in 1997, from whence she joined Gucci in 2002.

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Mr. Ackermann studied fashion at Antwerp's Royal Academy of Fine Arts, whose alumni include Dries Van Noten, Martin Margiela and Ann Demeulemeester.

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Martin's is the best-known fashion academy in the world, with graduates including McQueen, the threads-in-shreds hit Hussein Chalayan, the lush stylist Antonio Berardi and McQueen's Gucci stablemate, Stella McCartney, the daughter of Paul, the former Beatle.

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