Roberto Cavalli Biography, Age, Net Worth, Family, Height Career, Fame, Brands, Cause Of Death 2024

Roberto Cavalli, born on November 15, 1940, and passing away on April 12, 2024, was a renowned Italian fashion designer and innovator.

He gained recognition for his use of exotic prints and for pioneering the sand-blasted denim look.

The brand Roberto Cavalli is synonymous with luxury, offering a range of high-end clothing, fragrances, and leather accessories.

Early Life

Cavalli hails from Florence, Kingdom of Italy. His grandfather, Giuseppe Rossi, was a talented artist and a part of the Macchiaioli Movement, with his artworks being displayed in the Uffizi Gallery.

Tragically, Cavalli’s father lost his life in 1944 during the Cavriglia massacre [it], a brutal Nazi attack on civilians, when Cavalli was just four years old.

Despite this tragedy, Cavalli pursued his passion for art by enrolling in the local art institute, where he specialized in textile print.

Even as a student, his exceptional flower prints on knit fabrics captured the attention of prominent Italian hosiery manufacturers.

Career

During the early 1970s, he created a revolutionary printing technique for leather and obtained a patent for it.

This led him to experiment with various materials and create stunning patchworks.

He introduced these innovative techniques in Paris and quickly gained recognition from renowned fashion houses like Hermès and Pierre Cardin.

At the age of 32, he unveiled his first eponymous collection at the Salon for Prêt-à-Porter in Paris.

The collection made its way to the prestigious catwalks of the Sala Bianca in Palazzo Pitti, Florence.

His Milano Collezioni showcased unique denim jeans, intarsia leathers, brocade, and wild-animal prints.

In 1972, he inaugurated his first boutique in Saint-Tropez.

In 1994, Cavalli introduced sand-blasted jeans in Milan. By the end of the same year, he had opened boutiques in Saint Barth, Venice, and Saint-Tropez.

Alongside his globally distributed main line, Cavalli also designed RC Menswear and the youth-oriented diffusion line Just Cavalli, which was launched in 2000.

Today, Just Cavalli encompasses a wide range of men’s and women’s clothing, accessories, watches, jewelry, perfumes, eyewear, underwear, and beachwear.

Additionally, Cavalli created the Angels & Devils Children Collection, the Class line, shoes, and two underwear collections.

In 2002, he inaugurated his first café-store in Florence, infusing it with his iconic animal prints. Soon after, the Just Cavalli café at Torre Branca in Milan and another boutique on Via della Spiga were opened.

In July 2011, his company’s collection was showcased at the catwalk of The Brandery fashion show in Barcelona.

On 18 June 2013, he received an Honorary Master Diploma in Fashion Management from Domus Academy in Milan.

The prestigious award was presented during a ceremony, followed by a lectio magistralis delivered by Cavalli himself.

Personal Life and Death

Cavalli’s personal life saw several significant milestones. Firstly, in 1964, he tied the knot with Silvanella Giannoni, and they were blessed with two children.

However, their marriage ended in divorce in 1974. Moving forward, in 1977, Cavalli had the opportunity to meet Eva Düringer while serving as a judge at the Miss Universe pageant.

Their connection grew stronger, leading them to exchange vows in 1980. Throughout their marriage, they welcomed three children, and Düringer also became Cavalli’s business partner.

They collaborated until they decided to sell the business. Unfortunately, their marriage came to an end in 2010.

In a surprising turn of events, in 2023, Cavalli joyfully announced the arrival of his sixth child. This time, the child was born to his partner, the esteemed Swedish model and actor Sandra Nilsson.

Tragically, Cavalli’s life came to a close on 12 April 2024, at the age of 83. He passed away at his residence in Florence, Italy, after battling with poor health for an extended period.

Brand

As of January 2014, Cavalli resumed his position as men’s creative director, taking over from his son, Daniele Cavalli, for the 2014 fall collection, with Martyn Bal appointed as his right-hand man.

Additionally, on 24 January 2014, Gianluca Brozzetti (CEO) and Carlo Di Biagio (COO) announced their departure from the fashion brand.

In May 2014, Cavalli engaged with Investcorp, an investment firm in the Persian Gulf, to explore the possibility of them acquiring a stake in his fashion brand.

The brand has had the privilege of working with numerous top models such as Jessica Stam, Eva Riccobono, Laetitia Casta, Natasha Poly, Mariacarla Boscono, Karen Elson, Karolina Kurkova, and Ivan Olita, among others.

Former Acne Studios creative consultant Paul Surridge took over as creative director for the brand in May 2017, succeeding Peter Dundas.

In 2019, DAMAC Properties’s Hussain Sajwani successfully acquired the Italian fashion group Roberto Cavalli.

Criticism

In 2004, Cavalli faced severe criticism from the Hindu community for promoting a collection of feminine underwear, designed for Harrods, that featured images of Hindu goddesses.

As a result, the line was eventually withdrawn and formal apologies were issued.

Additionally, the Maktab Tarighat Oveyssi Shahmaghsoudi school of Islamic Sufism accused Cavalli of plagiarizing their “sacred emblem” for the branding of the Just Cavalli line.

The Sufi school initiated legal proceedings in Europe with the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM).

On May 16, 2014, the OHIM ruled in the first instance, rejecting the School’s request to invalidate the Just Cavalli logo.

The Court determined that the two logos were distinct and did not bear any similarities. Despite this decision, students from the Sufi school continued their protest.

Net Worth

According to Marca, Cavalli had an estimated net worth of $500 million as date of his death, 2024.