Roberto Cavalli

Bio:
Roberto Cavalli (born November 15, 1940 in Florence, Italy) is an Italian fashion designer. As a child, Roberto stuttered but was cured of this affliction when he felt a surge in confidence with his newfound fascination with girls. While studying at the Academy of Art in Florence in 1957, Roberto decided to not become an artist, switching his focus to textiles. Roberto’s fashion career started in the 1960s, when one of his art prints got the attention of an Italian knitwear line, which gave him a job as a textile printer. In the 70’s, Roberto invented and patented an innoventive printing procedure for leather. He presented his first namesake collection in 1972 at the Salon for Prêt-à-Porter in Paris. He opened up his first boutique that year in Saint-Tropez. While Roberto’s business was quiet during the 1980s,  he found success at the start of the 1990s when he introduced the first san-blasted jeans in 1988. He used these signature textiles in his autumn/winter 1994 collection. The popularity of these innovations launched Roberto to fashion superstardom. Roberto launched Cavalli Jeans in 2000. Roberto has worked with some of the music industry’s biggest female artists, including Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera and Cheryl Cole.

Best Known For:
Roberto is best known as a fashion designer to the stars, having invented the sand-blasted jeans and for his innovative textile conceptions.

Personal Life:
Roberto’s grandfather, Giuseppe Rossi, was an artist involved in the Macchiaioli movement. Roberto married his first wife, Silvanella Giannoni, in 1964. They had two children together – Tommaso and Christiana — before divorcing in 1974. Roberto was a judge at the 1977 Miss Universe pageant. He met his second wife, Eva Duringer, during the event. She was the contestant representing Austria, ultimately coming in second. They have three children together – son Robert, and daughters Rachele and Daniele.