Roberto Cavalli, designer of the jet set for decades thanks to his python skins and flamboyant prints, died yesterday at the age of 83. Leopard prints and bare outfits had made them the darling of the international jet set from St. Topez to Portofino. The house he founded in 1975 confirmed the news in a press release, adding that the designer’s legacy would live on “through his art, his creativity, his love of nature, of animals, he loved life 200 to time.

Fausto Puglisi, the brand’s creative director since 2020, said carrying on the founder’s legacy was the greatest honor of his career. “You may not be here physically anymore, but I know I will always feel your spirit with me,” Puglisi said.

The couturier’s passion for Ferraris, cigars and horses, a fan of trendy St Tropez evenings and revealing a tanned torso à la Bernard Henri Levy, made him a sought-after character among the show biz paparazzo. Married to a Miss Universe finalist, owner, traveling mostly by his personal helicopter to reach his vineyard in Tuscany. Cavalli patented several methods of printing on leather, which attracted the attention of a few luxury houses, including Hermès. We offer our most sincere condolences to his family.

FM