Roberto Cavalli was born on November 15, 1940 in Florence, Tuscany. Born to a legacy of famous painters and artists in the family, it was in his destiny to follow in their footsteps. Cavalli began to truly hit his stride in the late ‘60s in Florence, inventing a new and revolutionary method of printing on leather and creating patchworks of different materials.
Like most great designers, Cavalli, dubbed “the king of excess,” has been a genius at melding the personal with the professional and the man with the brand. The decadent, glamorous lifestyle – picture endless summers on huge yachts, fast cars and private plane, sun kissed skin, champagne fountains and gold on everything – carries over to the brand which millions flock to for a taste of the luxe over-the-top lifestyle.
Cavalli designs are erotic, bold and confident and this philosophy or aesthetic approach extends well beyond his line for women. Cavalli has done it all from launching his menswear line, RC Menswear and his youth directed line, Just Cavalli in 1998. Another facet of the Cavalli legend is his well documented passion for women and the creation of the ‘Cavalli woman’. To go along with his bold designs, Cavalli doesn’t shy away from causing a bit of a stir with his statements and has been known to say some truly outlandish things as well as verbally taking on some of fashion’s crème de la crème.
Check out FIB’s Special Feature Film on Cavalli, the man and the brand, above!
Film by Flur Witte
To read more about Cavalli check out FIB’s Masters of Fashion vol. 34 Italians, available now at Amazon and all good book stores!
Read all about Cavalli in our feature article “Cavalli: The Bold and the Beautiful” here!