"With time, Fashion has become my DNA" - Roberto Cavalli
Early Life
Roberto Cavalli was bron on November 15, 1940 in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. He was born to Giorgio and Marcella. His father Giorgia was a mine surveyor and his mother was a seamstress. His grandfather, Giuseppe Rossi, was an artist and he was member of Macchiaioli movement and his work is exhibited in Uffizi Gallery. Being born in to an artistic family, Roberto Cavalli started an interest in art from his grandfather.
Because of his interest in arts, he joined Academy of Art in Florence in 1957. He later changed his decision and went into textiles. He used his arts knowledge to design textiles. He made a number of flower prints on knit which caught the attention of major Italian hosiery factories. In 1964, Roberto married his first wife Silvanella Giannoni and had two children, Christiana and Tomasso.
Success Path
The year 1970 turned his life as he had this idea to print on leather. He used glove skin from a French tannery and started to print. He noticed that it was possible to make evening gowns with leather, particularly in pink. That was the eureka moment for him. He patented that leather printing technique and earned high commissions from other design houses including Hermes and Pierre Cardin. He presented his first namesake collection at the salon for Pret-a-Porter in Paris. As the money was floating in, he started his first boutique in Saint-Tropez, a small fishing village in Italy in 1972. He believed that village would become a fashion hub. It was the first step on the road to empire which would later grow to an billion dollar company.
After 10 years of marriage, Silvanella and Roberto divorced in 1974. In 1978, Roberto was asked to judge a Miss Austria contest where he found his second love of his life. The runner-up of the competition was 18-year old Eva Duringer. He fell in love with her. The pair began dating and wed two years later. They had three children, Rachele, Daniele and Robin. Eva also became the business partner of Cavalli and the couple ran the company very well together. She used to manage ad campaigns and license works of Cavalli empire.
Before Eva, Cavalli empire struggled as new designers like Versace and Giorgio Armani were dominating the fashion world leaving behind Cavalli. After Eva, Cavalli again concentrated on his falling empire. He devised a method of printing patterns onto stretch denim, Cavalli launched a jeans line which boosted his revenues. He began showing his dresses line in Milans Fashion week in 1994. Very soon his abbreviated Chiffon dresses and signature Zebra-print items were appealing to an entirely new generation of celebrities which includes Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera, British soccer star David Beckham and rap mogul Sean "P. Diddy" Combs.
In Milan in 1994, Cavalli Presented the first Sand-blasted jeans which was very popular. The same year in December, he opened boutiques in Saint Barth, French Caribbean, followed by others in Venice and Saint-Tropez. He worked with Lycra to invest stretch jeans in 1995. In 2002, Cavalli jeans renamed as Just Cavalli. Just Cavalli today comprises of men's wear, women's wear, accessories, eye-wear, watches, jewelry, perfumes, underwear and beachwear. He expanded his empire in every possible direction related to fashion. In 2009, he opened first flagship stores in Paris and Las Vegas. In 2009, he appeared on 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, Cavalli's collection was showcased in Barcelona fashion show at The Brandery catwalk.
