On Friday April 12, the fashion world lost a legend with the passing of Roberto Cavalli. Aged 83, the legendary and unapologetically flamboyant Italian fashion designer passed away at his home in his native of Florence, following a long illness.
Cavalli first became renowned and celebrated during the early 1970s for his use of bold animal prints, helping shape the aesthetics of the quintessential jet set lifestyle. At the helm of his own namesake label, Cavalli shaped and redefine red carpet glamour and was adored by celebrities like Victoria Beckham and Jennifer Lopez, who embodied with Cavalli woman with an effortless ease. Since 2020, Fausto Puglisi has been the creative force behind the label who paid tribute to the late designer with an Instagram caption that read: “You were a Lion dear Roberto! You were the Rockstar, You were Sex , You were the Party, Your life… Your life was larger than life. An inspiration. The wildest ONE! You were untamed Freedom ! FOREVER. Rest in peace. Yours. Fausto Puglisi”.
Read below the tributes from theFashionSpot’s forum members:
“NO WAY… R.I.P Legend! Sad news.” [DK92]
“Wow. Another legend. Rest in peace.” [Mrs.T]
“Whoa, didn’t foresee this. Loved how Roberto Cavalli used to dress himself with those see-through outfits when he came to wave his hands at the end of the show. Rest in power, dear.” [penny609]
“Rest in Peace Sir Cavalli.” [Not Plain Jane]
“RIP. I know he was sometimes seen solely as the king of Euro trash fashion, but he hit some really high notes and I particularly enjoyed the 2009-2014 era when Cavalli branched out a bit. I haven’t really followed or been taken with where the label’s gone since he stepped down about a decade ago sadly, but perhaps someone in the future can bring the line back to prominence.” [Fiercification]
“Oh man, he was one of the greats! No one could do slinky, tacky, FUN fashion like him. RIP Mr Cavalli! Your designs were fab.” [AnaD]
“What an icon. No one did glamour like Roberto Cavalli did. His women were unapologetically feminine and sexy. He had no restraint, and he did what he wanted without any regard for anyone’s opinion. That type of designer doesn’t exist anymore. Now it’s all Ego with no substance. It’s such a shame his brand didn’t evolve after he left. Hopefully they will strike gold some day with a new designer that can truly modernize the brand. The legacy of the house is too iconic to fade away.” [GivenchyHomme]
“Brought a lot of beauty to this world. RIP.” [Alquimista]
“RIP. His work really defined an era of red carpet glam.” [thenewclassic]
Read more reactions to the passing of Roberto Cavalli and pay your own respects over on theFashionSpot forums, here.
