Roberto Cavalli: The Legacy of a Fashion Visionary
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Roberto Cavalli passed away at the age of 83 last week in Florence after a long illness. Since his beginnings in the 1970s to today, he never ceased to explore the connection between nature and sensuality with a certain flair for spectacle and grandeur.
The fashion world bids a final farewell to the man who dressed Naomi Campbell, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Kim Kardashian, JLO, and even Taylor Swift this year.
A proponent of maximalism, Roberto Cavalli was also passionate in his personal life. Indeed, at 83, he was a young dad… of a one-year-old boy.
The King of Panther is no more, but fashion will always remember him.
His Boldness
Beyond his bold creations that seek the sensuality and power in the women he dressed, Roberto Cavalli succeeded in his career mainly due to a trait of his personality: his boldness. Let me explain. Let’s go back: young Roberto is in his twenties and already loves to wander through Italian social soirées. The Florentine, full of fashion dreams, meets a stylist at one such event.
The stylist then offers to show him his creations, and Roberto Cavalli presented his work for the first time. The revolutionary process invented by the young man to impose prints on leather was a success and marked the launch of his career.
He chose to come to Paris, where he worked for Hermès and Pierre Cardin, and at 30, he presented his first ready-to-wear collection.
His Love for Nature
Before becoming passionate about animal prints, Roberto Cavalli is, first and foremost, a lover of nature. Amazed by the colorful richness of animals and wildlife, he decided, as he puts it, to “copy God because God is truly the best stylist.”
Among his prints, the leopard of course, but also the zebra, cheetah, snake, and tiger.
In addition to animals, Roberto Cavalli also worked with floral prints and plants like palm trees.
His love for nature also comes from his family heritage. He became interested in the art of photography, painting, and travel at an early age.
He must have been happy to see his favorite print, the leopard make a comeback in the spotlight.
Roberto Cavalli and His Embraced Bling
What can be said is that he had a flair for everything that was bling. In 1972, as Saint Tropez -until then a small fishing village- began to become the place to be for jetsetters, Roberto Cavalli opened his first boutique there. It was also around this time that he dressed Brigitte Bardot with his famous leopard print.
A lover of cigars, Ferraris, and glamorous parties (yes, it’s a bit cliché), Roberto Cavalli had garnered the affection of the biggest stars and other designers. Giorgio Armani even paid tribute to him in a post expressing his admiration: “I cannot imagine a vision of fashion more distant from mine than that of Roberto Cavalli, yet I have always had a lot of respect for him: Roberto was a true artist, wild and wonderful in his use of prints, capable of turning fantasy into alluring garments.”
Often nicknamed “The King of Bling”, he had a motto: “try to make life as unboring as possible,” and what can be said is that he succeeded!
His Love for Women
One cannot speak of his Italian exuberance without mentioning the women in his life. And let’s be honest, there have been quite a few. Between his muses like Christina Aguilera in the 2000s, his notable appearances with Heidi Klum, Victoria Beckham, and Cindy Crawford, one can say he was well surrounded.
His personal life is nothing to envy either. Father of six children from three different women, he had been in a relationship with Swedish model Sandra Nilson since 2014.
We conclude with a few of his pieces to shop right now on Modalova.
Cavalli also encompassed the JustCavalli line, more affordable and designed for a slightly younger audience. After all, for Roberto Cavalli, youth is a state of mind!
Shop the Cavalli Look on Modalova
- For Women
- For Men
Image of the day Roberto Cavalli
