The Roberto Cavalli Comeback
Roberto Cavalli was born to be an artist—exotic, elegant and seductive. Sexy cut-outs and body-enhancing designs keep fans of his designs feeling flawless as well as classy. His revolutionary style has influenced pop stars, models and actors for decades.
Roberto Cavalli studies animal fabric in his studio. (Photo / robertocavalli.com )
In 1940 Cavalli was born in Florence, Italy, with artistry already flowing in his blood, as his grandfather was an artist who exhibited at the Uffizi Gallery. Cavalli studied textile prints at the Academy of Art in Florence and then began his career as a textile printer for a knitwear company in Italy. He started his own denim, leather, and t-shirt design company in the 1960s.
Roberto Cavalli’s collection in 1972 at the Pitti Palace. (Photo / robertocavalli.com )
His brand took off in 1972 when he presented his contemporary printed leather collection at the Pitti Palace, which earned commissions from Hermès and Pierre Cardin. Cavalli’s popularity of the 1970s eventually calmed down in the 1980s with a shift in fashion.
However, he swept the fashion world off its feet again in the 1990s with printed denim and sand blasted jeans. These innovations helped define the style of the 1990s and the Y2K era. He launched Cavalli Jeans in 2000.
Despite the famed success of his printed fabrics though, Cavalli is most known for being the “King of Fashion Animalier.” If you have seen any of Cavalli’s work since the 2000s, you may have picked up on his wide use of animal prints.
He told British Vogue in 2011, “It’s not really that I love to use animal print, I like everything that is of nature. I started to appreciate that even fish have fantastic colored dress, so does a snake, and a tiger. I started to understand that God is really the best designer, so I started to copy God.”
In 2014, his brand began to fall off. Cavalli’s company started reporting losses due to poor debt provisions. They sold 90% of the company to an Italian investor, and Cavalli sadly retired from the brand. In the years following, Roberto Cavalli became a whisper. In March of 2019, the company filed for bankruptcy, and a Dubai real estate investor bought the company in 2020. Since then, the company hired designer Fausto Puglisi to bring the brand back to fame.
Miley Cyrus in Cavalli for her new album’s promotion video. (Photo / Instagram @roberto_cavalli )
From Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez, Bella Hadid and Lizzo, style icons all over have worn Cavalli’s designs. Miley Cyrus can be seen wearing a Cavalli leopard print cat suit in a promotion for her new album “Endless Summer Vacation”. Vanessa Hudgens wore a Cavalli textured black gown to the Vanity Fair Oscar 2023 after-party, and Taylor Swift’s midnight blue, crystal dress worn at the 2023 Grammys was also Cavalli.
Taylor Swift in Robert Cavalli at the 2023 Grammy Awards. (Photo / Instagram @roberto_cavalli )
The Roberto Cavalli climb back to fame has been star-studded and fantastic. Who will Cavalli dress next?
Written by McCain Bracewell
Copediting by Mia Romans
Graphics by Ritika Sharma