Italian designer Rosita Missoni, the co-founder of the renowned fashion house Missoni, has died at the age of 93. The family-owned company announced her peaceful passing on January 1st, 2025, describing her as “a visionary figure in the Italian and international fashion world.”
The deceased, together with her husband, Ottavio Missoni, had launched the Missoni brand in 1953. The brand quickly became famous for its colorful knitwear featuring geometric patterns and stripes, including the signature zigzag motif known as fiammato.
Born near Varese, Italy, into a family of textile artisans, Rosita studied modern languages. In 1948, she traveled to London to improve her English and met Ottavio, who was competing in the Olympics as part of the Italian 400 meters hurdles team.
The Missoni brand gained international acclaim for its distinctive patterns and innovative use of textiles, and is often compared to modern art. A notable moment in the brand’s history occurred in 1967, known as the ‘battle of the bras.’
During a fashion show at the Pitti Palace in Florence, Rosita instructed models to remove their bras to avoid ruining the intended color and pattern effect. Under the runway lights, the outfits became transparent, causing a sensation but despite the controversy, Missoni soon graced the covers of major fashion magazines like Vogue, Elle, and Marie Claire.
Rosita served as the creative director for womenswear until the late 1990s, when she passed the role to her daughter Angela.
As time went on, the Missoni brand expanded into home collections and hotels. In 2018, Italian investment fund FSI invested 70 million euros in the company for a 41% stake. In 2023, Missoni selected Rothschild as a financial adviser to check out a potential sale of the company.
