Roberto Cavalli and Gianni Versace two designers that changed my perspective of Italian fashion.

I never really knew too much about Italian designers, besides names and perhaps what some of their pieces looked like. Italian designers play such a huge role in fashion and its history, and two of those designers are Roberto Cavalli and Gianni Versace. Both of these designers are over the top and have made their mark not only in Italian fashion but fashion worldwide. People all over the world have heard of these names during sometime in their lives whether they are fashion followers or not. Both these designers have shown their designs on runways throughout the world, and their labels are still thriving and expanding to this day.

“Excess is Success” a quote Cavalli likes to live by. Cavalli grew up in Castelnuovo dei Sabbioni in a middle-class home. His father was a miner and his mother was a housewife and seamstress. A tragic incident occurred when Cavalli was only four years old; his father was gunned down by S.S men. Devastated his mother packed up their things and moved the family back to Florence. Cavalli was traumatized from this awful experience and was mute for approximately twelve years. He finally began speaking at the age of sixteen. As a teenager he studied painting and textile design at the Academy of Art in Florence. In the beginning his career in the textile design business, he started working for different designers and companies designing leather, denim, and t-shirts. He mastered a technique to print on leather that no other designer had at the time mastered. Designers everywhere wanted to know Cavalli’s method of printing on leather but simply could not figure it out, and he was not sharing his tricks with anyone.

He first showed his women’s collection in Florence, Italy in 1972. He was known for his flamboyant styles, animal prints, and sequined outfits. The Miss Universe Pageant would change his love and business life for good. He was asked to judge the pageant in 1977, where he met his second wife Eva and his future business partner. They were married in 1980 and their family grew as well as their business did. His design house began booming again in the 1990’s due to his denim line. He was the first to come out with stretch jeans, which were made with Lycra. This was exactly what he needed to boost his success and business. In the 1990’s he refused to change his styles for the times, and just stuck to his design aesthetics. One of his famous quotes is “For me fashion is a job, but I live for art.”  He is indeed an artist and a visionary with his many lines.

In 1998 he launched Just Cavalli, and from there his brand began to flourish. He has now expanded to underwear, eyewear, men’swear, children’s wear, jewelry, watches, shoes, babies, pets, and vodka. Eva has helped with the expansion of the brand and moving it to the next level. His children have also been very instrumental in helping him with his different lines. Cavalli has showrooms all over including Milan and New York. He has been recently recognized for dressing different celebrities. Some of his famous ventures are redesigning the Play Boy outfits, with his own signature on them. He also dressed Shakira for the World Cup and her famous performance of “Waka Waka.” Cavalli has surely made his mark on the face of fashion. One of my favorite quotes of his is". . . I need Florence, I live to come back here. I need to continue to breathe art, the air that is in Florence, to walk in my city, to walk in my streets. It's so charming--Pitti Palace, the Ponte Vecchio, Michelangelo's David. That is Florence. I love it," Cavalli said. He is passionate about where he came from, and I think his designs reflect his passion and the culture of Florence.

 “I am profound in my superficiality” a quote by Gianni Versace, which describes him and his design aesthetic. Versace was born in 1946 in Reggio Calabria, Italy. He had two siblings, his sister Donatella, and his brother Santo. While growing up, his mother was a tailor, where he acquired many of his design skills from. He loved designing clothes, and he began selling his pieces out of her shop. He became a fabric buyer were he learned all about textiles and the industry. In 1971 he moved to Milan where he designed for various different designers. In 1978 he started his first women’s wear collection and also opened his first Versace shop in Milan. The 1980’s were good years for him; his line flourished and his pieces were selling out all over. He expanded the line all over the world opening shops in big cities all around.  He started the Instante label, which was for a young and less affluent customer. Versace is known for is risqué pieces with vibrant colors and sexy cuts to enhance a woman’s body. In the 80’s he also cultivated many relations with different celebrities expanding his name even further to a more elite sector. His costumes for Elton John really shaped the name of his label and made his name better known.

Gianni Versace had a distinct style; he did not like to play it safe when it came to one’s individual style.  He used to say “Style makes sense, only if it’s yours.” His line has been referred to many times as vulgar. Despite what anyone thinks of his fashion, Versace has become a trademark in the fashion world, and he will never be forgotten for his work and the risks he took.  Tragically in 1997 he was gunned down and killed, in front of his house in Miami. Shaking up the fashion world and his clientele, the world was shocked and mourned the loss of an amazing and visionary designer. His empire was passed on to his brother and sister. Donatella is the head designer for the brand and continues to expand the brand. She was always in charge of keeping the brand young and hip, keeping the younger audience interested. Donatella continues to do this to date. Santo became the CEO of the company running all the business transactions. The Versace brand includes several lines: Gianni Versace Couture, Versus, Jeans Couture, ceramics, Versace collection, sports, accessories, and hotels. “That is the key of this collection, being you. Don't be into trends. Don't make fashion own you, but you decide what you are, what you want to express by the way you dress and the way to live,” Versace once said and, in my opinion, lived up to.

Versace and Cavalli are brands that are similar in the fact that they are both huge names in the fashion industry. They both made Italian fashion more recognized and well known. Versace became more global and moved to Milan whereas Cavalli stayed in Florence and did not expand quite as fast. Cavalli and Versace both refused to adapt their styles, and both stayed true to their design aesthetic. Versace and Cavalli have been compared by their design aesthetics over the years. Versace had been called the new Cavalli before he passed away. They are both risqué designers and known for their bold designs. They were both born in the same decade, so essentially they were competitors. The Versace label has become more worldwide, and although Cavalli has too, he is still in love with Florence and stays loyal to his city. They both have showed runway collections worldwide, and have designed for all different types of celebrities. To me they are both two of the most important Italian designers of our day, and although Gianni is no longer with us, his sister has continued his legacy. Donatella and Roberto are both visionaries who don’t like to stick to the rules of fashion, and both are known for taking risks. They both like their pieces to be flamboyant and out there. They both are known in fashion for different things, but they both are very similar in many ways. Both these brands are what I think of when I think of Italian fashion.