Cashmere Queen Laura Biagiotti: a detailed biography of the Italian fashion designer
It was fashion designers from Italy who proved to everyone that you can be beautiful and stylish every day. One of these talented people was Laura Biagiotti.
Childhood and youth
Laura was born in Rome in August 1943. Her mother Delia, a professional designer, owned her own well-known atelier, where expensive high-end clothes were sewn for popular brands (Schuberth, Capucci, Barocco and others).
The atmosphere of beauty and fashion has surrounded Laura since childhood. She very early began to understand the properties of fabrics, often helped her mother in her work and was a diligent student.
The people around noted that the girl had a taste and outstanding abilities in the design business.
In addition to fashion, Laura was interested in art, literature, history. She dreamed of becoming an archaeologist since childhood.
Education and early career
Laura entered the University of Rome and graduated with a doctorate in archeology. After graduation, it became necessary to help her mother in running the family business, but this did not upset the girl. She worked with her mother for about 4 years.
Then for almost 7 years Laura was a freelance designer for several well-known brands. At that time, the popularity of cinema was growing, and movie stars were among the clients. The girl became more and more interested in working in the field of fashion.
Already at the beginning of the joint work between her and Angello Tarlazzi, a contract was signed for the production of clothes under the brand name with her name. After some time, Laura opened her own company.
Career milestones
Main stages:
- 1962-1965 work in the studio of the mother.
- 1965-1972 collaborations with brands such as Schubert, Baroque and others.
- 1972 Laura Biagiotti Fashions appears in Rome.
- 1974 Appointment to the position of the head of the company MacPherson Knitwear (Pisa).
- 1980 organization of the head office of his own company in Guidonia.
- 1982 release of the first perfume.
- 1987 the beginning of the release of men’s clothing, a little later children’s.
- 1988 holding shows in Beijing
- 1993 opening of boutiques in China.
- 1994 opening of stores in Bangkok and Moscow.
- 1995 Moscow show in the Kremlin with a demonstration of the cashmere collection.
- 1997 daughter Lavinia was hired to work in the family business.
- 2000 Opening of the Biagiotti Roma brand.
Iconic Biagiotti white for Valentina Marchei wearing a look from the Laura Biagiotti FW 21.22 Age of Women collection
Influence on fashion
Laura BiagiottiLaura founded a new, elegant and comfortable style. In all collections, the distinguishing feature of the models is the impeccable quality of the cut and fabrics (often knitted), as well as the simplicity of the silhouette and the presence of soft folds. The designer has always believed that clothes should be comfortable and comfortable.
Starting from the very first collection, she used cashmere an expensive, but very difficult and capricious material to work with. The products immediately attracted attention: they were incredibly stylish and beautiful, but at the same time warm, soft, spacious and cozy.
Previously, this fabric was rarely used, so cashmere became the “highlight” of the brand, and the fashion designer began to be called the “queen of cashmere.”
In addition to using cashmere as such, Biagiotti made cashmere products available for mass consumption. She was one of the first to cooperate with a chain of department stores in the United States.
The designer is called the Ambassador of Italian fashion. She was among the first of her compatriots to enter the Chinese market. She also became the first fashion designer from Italy who held a show in Russia.
Collections
The most famous first collections with which it all began:
- 1972 “MacPherson” (was developed back in 1965, consisted exclusively of cashmere items).
- 1981 Ripeste.
- 1984 Laurapiu.
- 1986 Jeans collection.
- 1987 “Biagiotti Uomo” (a line for men from knitwear, developed since 1985), a little later “Laura Piu`line” (for overweight women) and “Laura Biagiotti Junior” (children’s clothing).
Subsequently, the House of Biagiotti released collections annually, almost every season (in the format of autumn/winter and spring/summer).
Personal life
Laura with her daughter The girl met her future husband when she moved to Florence. In 1965, Gianni Signa became her business partner at the opening of a new company, and in 1972 already her husband. In the same year, their only daughter, Lavinia, was born. They moved closer to Rome in 1980 and lived in a reconstructed 15th century castle.
For many years, the spouses were united not only by work, but also by hobbies, for example, collecting paintings.
Gianni died in 1996 from leukemia. The widow did not remarry. The daughter supported her mother and was actively involved in the family business.
The designer’s favorite color was white a symbol of purity and elegance. In collections, she used it more often than others.
Death
Laura passed away in May 2017. On the evening of the 24th, she was brought to St. Andrew’s Hospital in Rome after suffering a heart attack.
The doctors managed to start the work of the heart, but despite the efforts of the doctors, brain death was eventually recorded. On the night of May 26, the patient died. Her daughter announced this on her Twitter, supplementing the news with a biblical quote.
Main achievements and awards
- 1972 The first unofficial recognition: the title of “Queen of Cashmere” from the New York Times.
- 1987 “Golden Lion” for achievements in the development of fashion collections, a little later the honorary title of “Commander of the Italian Republic”.
- 1992 Woman of the Year Award (presented in New York).
- 1993 Marco Polo award (given in Beijing for the promotion of Italian fashion in China).
- 1994 Frenio Fragene Award (for merits and achievements in the fashion world).
- 1995 The Knights of Labor award (knightly order of labor, awarded by the President of the Republic).
- 2000-2008 tenure as president of the Leonardo Committee (since 2009 honorary president).
- 2002 Award of the National Council of Italian Fashion.
- 2004 Elected to the position of Councilor of the Italian National Chamber of Fashion.
- 2006 an award from Ksenia Gorbacheva (given as the first Italian designer to hold a show in Russia).
- 2011 Leonardo Prize (given by the President of the Republic, for the first time in history it was awarded to a woman).
Interesting Facts
Presentation of the award
At her enterprise, its founder introduced a rule: all employees must wear things sewn in the same place. This was done not only for the purpose of advertising, but also for the sake of testing for convenience.
After the death of her husband, a fund was organized in his honor to support emerging fashion designers, which pays scholarships to young fashion designers who show decent results.
The Italian post in 2002 issued a stamp with the name of the fashion designer.
In 1998, the designer contributed almost a million dollars of personal funds to the restoration of the Cordonata staircase, designed by Michelangelo and leading to the Capitoline Hill.
The fashion designer was fond of golf, and also organized a golf club next to her castle and allocated a field for the game in its suburbs.
Brand today
Currently there are more than 60 boutiques, some of them in Russia. The brand is represented in the capitals and largest cities of many countries.
The brand’s product range includes:
- clothes for women, men and children;
- line for obese women (over 52 sizes);
- corrective underwear;
- home kits;
- hats;
- bags and other accessories;
- shoes;
- perfumery.