Roberto Cavalli

Roberto Cavalli

Born on 15th November 1940, Roberto Cavalli is a fashion designer from Florence, Italy. He is famous for creating interesting and intricate prints. Moreover, he is known for his sand-blasted jeans which have become a standardized style for several jean manufacturers.

Roberto belongs to an artistic family, Giuseppe Rossi, his grandfather was one of the members of Macchiaoli Movement and his work can be seen in the Uffizi Gallery. Roberto’s mother was a seamstress.

In 1964, he married Silvanella Giannoni and has two kids from her. Before marriage the couple knew each other for four years. A decade later, Roberto and Silvanella divorced. Later, Roberto and Eva Düringer got married in 1980. She has not only been his enduring companion but a business partner as well. Eva was assigned the creative director’s job in Roberto’s company and the couple works together to manufacture some of the most amazing designs using different types of patterns, materials and embellishments.

In total he has five children, Christiana and Tommaso from his first wife and Daniele, Rachele and Robert from his second. Daniele is a fashion designer as well.

Roberto Cavalli enrolled himself to an art institute in his locality in order to concentrate on textile print. As a student, he created a series of floral prints using the knitting technique which caught the attention of key hosiery factories. In early 70s, he developed and patented a ground-breaking procedure of printing on leather. Gradually he began making patchwork patterns from an array of materials. With this kind of work in hand, he immediately got commissions from Pierre Cardin and Hermès. When he turned thirty-two years old, he displayed his debut namesake line for prêt-a-porter in Paris at the Salon. In addition to this, he exhibited his designs at runway shows at Palazzo Pitti, Florence. In 1972, he launched his first fashion store in Saint-Tropez.

In 1994 he presented his first set of sandblasted jeans in Milan. The same year, he opened more boutiques in the French Caribbean and Venice. His collections including beachwear, underwear, perfumes, watches, eyewear, accessories, children-wear and menswear are sold in more than forty-five countries across the world.

Apart from this, he was included in the jury panel of 1977 Miss Universe pageant where Düringer was a participant representing Austria and came second. The winning woman was the first Black to win a Miss Universe – Janelle Commissiong.

In 2007, the designer collaborated with leading female musicians, such as Jennifer Lopez, Spice Girls and Christina Aguilera. He designed costumes for their concerts and tours. Other collaborations include one with Diet Coke in 2008, when he had to design limited edition bottles.

In 2009, he came on The Martha Stewart Show and expressed his willingness to exhibit his photographic skills that feature images of exotic places in Africa and other nations.

In 2011, Roberto Cavalli’s collection was showcased in Barcelona fashion show at The Brandery catwalk. Two years later, he received an Honorary Master Diploma in Management of Fashion from Domus Academy located in Milan. This award was presented to him during a ceremony.

Along the way of his creativity, he faced some sharp criticisms in 2004 by Hindus because he produced a line of underwear for women that featured pictures of goddesses from Hindu mythology. Following the negative feedback, the collection was withdrawn and the designer formally apologized.