January 03, 2025 01:39 PM IST
As Italian luxury fashion house co-founder Rosita Missoni dies at 93, we look at how the brand has shaped up over the years.
Italian knitwear designer Rosita Missoni, who co-founded the luxury label Missoni with her husband Ottavio Missoni, has died at the age of 93. He died at his home in Sumirago. Their brand page shared her obituary and wrote, “The Missoni family and the Missoni Group announce the passing of Rosita Missoni, a central figure of Italian fashion.”
The designer was known for his patented zigzag patterns and repurposed knitwear.
She started her business in 1953 with her husband Ottavio Missoni. Rosita met her husband Ottavio during a trip to London in 1948, who was then competing with the Italian 400 meters hurdles team at the Olympics. Together they decided to set up a small knitwear workshop in the basement of their home in Galleret.
Italian knitwear designer Rosita Missoni, who co-founded the luxury label Missoni with her husband Ottavio Missoni, has died at the age of 93. He died at his home in Sumirago. Their brand page shared her obituary and wrote, “The Missoni family and the Missoni Group announce the passing of Rosita Missoni, a central figure of Italian fashion.”
The designer was known for his patented zigzag patterns and repurposed knitwear.
She started her business in 1953 with her husband Ottavio Missoni. Rosita met her husband Ottavio during a trip to London in 1948, who was then competing with the Italian 400 meters hurdles team at the Olympics. Together they decided to set up a small knitwear workshop in the basement of their home in Galleret.
The brand did its first show in the year 1966. And the husband-wife duo became famous worldwide after a controversy broke out during their performance at the Pitti Palace in Florence in 1967. It was also known as the Battle of Bray. Rosita observed that the models’ bras were visible through their tops which was a distraction and hiding the patterns on the tops. That’s why he asked the models to remove their bras while walking the ramp. Little did he realize that the models exposed more than they wanted under the ramp lighting and this incident created quite a stir.
Missoni forever changed the way we look at sportswear and athleisure. It was one of the first fashion houses to take inspiration from sports to create a modern clothing line. They were the first to introduce track pants with side zips so they could be worn with sneakers.
Rosita’s interest in fashion waned in the 1990s and her daughter Angela took charge of the brand.
