2024-04-12 22:10:08
Italian fashion designer Roberto Cavalli died this Friday at the age of 83, Italian media reported.
According to the Italian agency ANSA, the designer died at his home in Florence (central Italy) after a prolonged illness.
“Dear Roberto, you can no longer be physically here with us, but I know I will always feel your spirit with me”, wrote Fausto Puglisi, creative director of Roberto Cavalli since October 2020, in a post on social media.
Fashion designer for 70s stars such as Brigitte Bardot or Sophia Loren, for whom he created attractive and ‘revealing’ looks, Cavalli continued to seduce celebrities of more recent generations, from Kim Kardashian to Jennifer Lopez.
Cavalli loved Ferraris, big cigars and tight shirts open over a perpetually tanned chest.
The Italian even married a Miss Universe finalist, owned a purple helicopter and a wine farm in Tuscany.
Friend of Sharon Stone and Cindy Crawford
The friends included Sharon Stone and Cindy Crawford, reported France-Presse (AFP).
His career also went through low points, such as in the 1980s, when his extravagant style seemed to go against the minimalism then in vogue.
He also found himself at the center of a long trial in Italy for a case of tax fraud, which ended with his acquittal. His company also began to record losses, forcing him to sell the majority of his shares in 2015.
Born on November 15, 1940 in Florence, the leather goods capital of the world, Cavalli was known for his patterned leathers and faded jeans.
In 2012, he told on his blog how in 1970 he was invited to a party and found himself face to face with the host, a fashion designer: wanting to look good, he told him that he was making leather prints. The designer asked him to return the next day with samples, and so Cavalli hurried to find a soft, fine leather on which to print floral patterns. The designer was won over and Cavalli’s career was launched.
Cavalli patented several of his methods, which attracted the attention of luxury house Hermès and fashion designer Pierre Cardin.
In the 1970s, he opened a boutique in Saint-Tropez, one of the jet set locations on the French Riviera, and presented his first collection in Paris.
Redesigned the look of the Playboy Bunnies
Afterwards, he returned to his hometown, where he presented his haute couture denim creations in the sumptuous setting of the Pitti Palace.
In 2005, she redesigned the look of the Playboy Bunnies, with a ‘leopard’ version.
Despite everything, his brand was gradually faced with financial difficulties linked to increased competition from houses controlled by the giants LVMH and Kering, and Cavalli left the artistic direction of his group in 2013.
Two years later, the Milan-based Clessidra fund bought 90% of the capital, but was unable to contain its losses.
Ultimately, Cavalli was acquired in November 2019 by Vision Investments, the investment fund of Dubai real estate tycoon Hussain Sajwani.
*News updated at 10:26 pm.
2024-04-12 22:10:08