Ottavio Missoni, the founder of Italian fashion house Missoni, has passed away aged 92 at his home in Sumirago, Italy.He leaves behind his wife Rosita and children Luca and Angela.
The fashion designer famed for his geometrical knitwear was born in Dubrovnik on February 11th 1921. After representing Italy at the 1948 Olympic Games, Ottavio founded his fashion company in 1953 with the help of his wife Rosita. The brand mainly specialised in athletic wear to begin with inspired by Ottavio’s past. Their first collection was shown in 1966 in Milan and the brand’s colourful geometric prints soon became the fashion house’s trademark.
Today three generations of the Missoni family work for the company, daughter Angela is Creative Director, son Luca works in the technical division and granddaughter Margherita is a brand ambassador starring in ad campaigns. Ottavio’s passing comes just months after the tragic disappearance of his son (company CEO) and daughter in law, whose plane to a Venezuelan island disappeared mid flight and remains to be found.
The label which stretches to 40 stores across the world had a turnover of 59 million GBP in 2012. The designer last visited Dubrovnik in August 2012 to attend the opening of an exhibition on his work at one of Dubrovnik’s galleries.
