Missoni Founder, Designer Ottavio Missoni, Dies at Home in Italy
Fashion designer and Missoni founder Ottavio Missoni died peacefully in his home in Sumirago, a town near the city of Varese, this Thursday, at the age of 92.
Missoni was discharged from the hospital May 1st after being treated for a respiratory problem, Corriere della Dera reported on its website.
Missoni's death comes after another tragedy in the Missoni household. In January of this year Missoni's eldest son and company CEO, Vittorio, 58, and Vittorio's wife went missing after a small plane carrying the couple and four others vanished while they were on holiday on a Venezuelan island. They are presumed dead.
Born in 1921, Missoni was also a track and field star and competed in the 1948 Olympics, competing in the 400-meter hurdles, where he met his wife, Rosita.
His wife and co-founder, Rosita, survive Missoni. The couple founded the fashion empire back in 1953 and first started designing tracksuits. Five years later, in 1958, the two presented in Milan their first collection, called Milano-Simpathy.
The Missoni's gained huge success in 1967, when Rosita simply requested the models to remove their bras as to not distract from the knitwear they were showcasing at a major fashion show in Florence, Italy. A very scandalous move at the time, the couple was not invited back.
The brand is known for its variety in patterns, including stripes, geometrics, zigzags and florals. The Missoni brand is also very popular amongst celebrities and has been worn by Jennifer Lopez, Demi Moore, Julia Roberts and Blake Lively, just to name a few.
In 2011, the Missoni's collaborated with Target, offering lower cost versions of their collection, which was well received as a huge success.
The Missoni's have also branched off to design tapestries, carpets and even costumes.
The company's wide success is known for reaching a huge amount of customers and the line is currently being sold at premier department and specialty stores around the world.