Roberto Cavalli: The Lion Of Fashion
“From then on, in any of the brand's garments, plumages danced, animalier prints roared, sparkles bejeweled, and colors brought fashion to life.”
Before the Mob Wife trend and The Sopranos show took over fashion, Roberto Cavalli was the figure who brought the aesthetic to life. "Excess is success," was one of his main maxims. A legendary maximalist, Cavalli perfectly combined audacity, beauty,and sensuality in his designs.
Sadly, on April 12, the label’s company shared a statement that the designer had passed away in Florence at age 83. “The Roberto Cavalli company shares condolences with Mr. Cavalli’s family. His legacy remains a constant source of inspiration,” said Roberto Cavalli’s CEO Sergio Azzolari.
“From humble beginnings in Florence, Mr. Cavalli succeeded in becoming a globally recognized name loved and respected by all,” the organization communicated. “Roberto Cavalli’s legacy will live on via his art, his creativity his love of nature, animals and via his family whom he cherished.” To honor the designer, For Fashion's Sake revisits his fashion trajectory.
Born into a family of artists — among them his grandfather Giuseppe Rossi, a leading figure of the Macchiaioli movement —, Cavalli dreamed of becoming a painter. At 17, he enrolled at the Academy of Art in Florence to study art and architecture. However, he later channeled his artistic sensibility into fashion design. "I chose in one moment the direction of textiles; from textiles, I went to fashion," the designer told Vogue.
During the 1960s, Cavalli developed an innovative printing process on leather and denim through his work on textiles. This technique attracted many labels such as Hermès and Pierre Cardin which commissioned his work. He began hand-painting sweaters for a friend in the knitwear industry, which led him to create his own designs using traditional floral prints.
In the 70s, the fashion designer launched his eponymous brand. Cavalli unveiled his first collection at the Salon du Prêt-à-Porter in Paris. The collection was a success, whether because of the different textures and prints on the leather clothes or because the material also included colors - pink, blue, and so on.
Two years later, the Italian designer opened his first boutique, called Limbo, in Saint-Tropez, where he made what he called “young, crazy, summer fashion.” Actresses like Brigitte Bardot and Sophia Loren were among his clients. With a flamboyant style, his jackets, jeans and patchwork minidresses came into the fashion spotlight and were dubbed the absolute go-to for pure Italian glamour.
However, Calvin Klein's minimalism in the '80s and the Japanese deconstructionism of Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo caused a decline in Cavalli's sales, leading to factory closures and canceled shows. Back then, many weren't in sync with the boho feel of the late 1960s and early 1970s. As a result, the designer reinvented his clothes for different eras.
Although he enjoyed the various rebirths, his heart was always in glamour. Then in the mid-90s, when minimalism fatigue began to set in for some, Cavalli had another breakthrough.
He again revolutionized denim by putting Lycra in jeans to make them fit tighter and sultier. In 1993, after Naomi Campbell appeared with one of his new creations, stretch pants, his label went back on the scene.
Returning to the catwalk in 1994, his second wife - Eva Maria Düringer- was appointed creative director of the brand and became his main collaborator.
The popularity of the label's sexy, extravagant aesthetic has been credited to the runway comeback. From then on, in any of the brand's garments, plumages danced, animalier prints roared, sparkles bejeweled, and colors brought fashion to life.
As one of the biggest names in fashion, Cavalli's popularity has crossed oceans and continents. In 1999, the designer opened his first store in the United States. An astute businessman too, he then pursued an entrepreneurial path, selling perfumes, eyeglasses, children's clothing, and even vodka. The designer has broadened his horizons into the hospitality sector, with nightclubs and cafes around the globe. All this while maintaining his fashion line and another one — Just Cavalli.
“Slowly, slowly, I go from the jeans to the red carpet,” said Cavalli, who became a favorite of stars on the red carpet, such as Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, Victoria Beckham, Beyoncé, Aaliyah, Heidi Klum, Halle Berry, and Cindy Crawford.
Besides celebrity appearances, Cavalli’s designs made it to TV. In Darren Star’s show Sex and the city, Carrie Bradshaw - played by Sarah Jessica Parker - was forced to clean out her overstuffed closet to make room for her boyfriend’s clothes.
While their discussion over space later increases, she tells him, ‘It’s Roberto Cavalli! I threw it out and I love it. What more do you want?’ ” After the fight and the reconciliation, Carrie gets her Cavalli blouse back - amen! - and just like that, she goes from a lover of Fendi baguettes and a few other things to a lover of Fendi baguettes, a few other things, and Cavalli pieces.
But Carrie is no amateur when it comes to Cavalli designs. When she had her purple sequin Fendi baguette and a pair of Manolos robbed while walking in New York City’s Soho, she’s wearing a Cavalli giraffe-spot dress. When strolling through the streets of Manhattan with Miranda and running into their exes being friends, she's wearing Cavalli peony-pattern jeans.
With stylists and costume designers competing to get their hands on his pieces, his status has only grown. Now, people might know him simply by his first name. "Roberto" alone evokes the glamorous, wild, and daring aesthetic of the label.
Although some of his moments were less significant, they were still influential as they marked the peak of his mainstream popularity. For instance, in 2005 he was hired by Playboy to remake the Bunny costume, and in 2007 collaborated with H&M to release a more affordable collection. But no matter what, Cavalli has always been the man who considered zebra print a neutral, as David Colman's New York Times column "Possessed" wrote in 2004.
As a boho lover, animal print fanatic, excess enthusiast, and glam fan, the designer revolutionized the industry, aesthetics, and fashions that come and go, leaving impactful marks to this day.
In recent years, the resurgence of 2000s trends among Gen Z has brought Cavalli pieces back into the fashion spotlight. For example, Paloma Elsesser wore the same dress that Aaliyah wore to the MTV Video Music Awards in 2000, which was originally part of Roberto Cavalli's Fall/Winter 2000 collection. Additionally, Bella Hadid was seen wearing a vintage leather look from the Spring/Summer 2002 collection. This has led to an increase in demand for the label's products, particularly vintage items.
But in addition to past items, many modern ones also come into focus. Fausto Puglisi, who joined the brand in a pandemic fashion atmosphere, has been essential in keeping the essence of the brand intact. His work won over celebrities such as Zendaya, Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion, and Miley Cyrus.
After hearing the news on Friday, the creative director of the brand since October 2020 expressed his condolences. According to Puglisi, Cavalli's "... name will live on, a beacon of inspiration for others and especially for me." It can be said that the brand is in good hands.