April 12, 2024
Italian fashion designer Roberto Cavalli, known for his animal prints on leather and textiles, has died at the age of 83.
The fashion house that bears his name announced his death on the social network Instagram, but did not provide details.
Italian news agency ANSA said he died at home in Florence after a long illness.
Cavalli created his company in the 1970s. His clothes were worn by such stars as Brigitte Bardot, Sophia Loren, Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Lopez.
Roberto Cavalli creative director Fausto Puglisi said the designer will continue to be seen as an inspiration to others.
Cavalli was born on November 15, 1940 in Florence, famous for its leather production.
After launching his eponymous fashion brand in 1970, he soon invented and patented an innovative leather printing process.
Cavalli opened his first small store, Limbo, in the French city of Saint-Tropez in 1972.
In addition to animal prints, he was also known for his hippie-inspired dresses, sandblasted jeans (giving them a distressed look), and patchwork patterns on jeans.
In 2005, he was invited to update the minimalist “uniform” of the Playboy Bunnies, and even introduced one version in leopard print.
When asked what inspired him to use such prints in his designs, Cavalli replied in an interview with Vogue magazine in 2011: “I like everything that is created by nature.”
He also noted: “I began to understand that even fish have fantastically colored “clothes,” just like the snake and the tiger. I started to realize that God is actually the best designer, so I started copying God.”
Armani founder Giorgio Armani, among many others, paid tribute to the late designer, saying his “Tuscan inspiration” will be sorely missed.
In a statement posted on social media, Armani noted: “Roberto was a true artist, free and wonderful in his use of prints, able to transform fantasies into seductive clothing.”
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