(ANSA) - Milan, September 21 - Italian fashion icon Roberto
Cavalli has struck a deal with Milan that will see him showcase
his latest collection against the backdrop of one of the city's
most famous monuments next week.
In an unusual move, the Milan city council has agreed the
Tuscan designer famed for his animal prints can unveil his
spring-summer 2011 line in front of the 19th-century Arch of
Peace.
In exchange, Cavalli will donate 100,000 euros towards the monument's restoration, a project that has been hampered by lack of funds.
"I want to help Milan and its fashion industry," explained Cavalli.
"I want to make Milan more attractive to foreign tourists. When they arrive, I want them to feel happier and more catered to". Work on the arch, which is often described as a small version of Paris's Arc de Triomphe, began in 1806 and was eventually completed in 1838. Originally commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte, construction work stalled following his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, but the Austrian Emperor Franz Josef I ordered its completion.
The arch's clean, neoclassical lines will are likely to provide an interesting contrast to Cavalli's typically showy, complex designs at next Monday's event.
Although partly tempted by the restoration funds, Milan has also agreed to the deal in recognition of the Italian designer's lengthy career. Cavalli not only turns 70 this year, he also celebrates four decades in the fashion industry, which Milan will mark with an exhibition at Palazzo Morando.
The event will bring together a selection of photographs by the designer, who has been snapping images for years.
"Marco Glaviano is to blame," joked Cavalli, referring to the prestigious Italian fashion photographer.
"He saw my photos one day and told me they were lovely for their spontaneity, which I perhaps let go to my head a bit. "But I'm not a photographer, I never have been and don't want to become one.
I simply take pictures and enjoy photographing what I see".
Cavalli started exploring links between fashion, art and painting while still a student at the Florence Academy of Art.
By the mid-1970s he was a well-known name in France, having fine-tuned a revolutionary process that made printing on lightweight leather possible.
But his beatnik-influenced use of patchwork, denim and leather initially won him little popularity in the then hidebound houses of Italian fashion.
Although he enjoyed a successful international reputation, it was only in the 1990s that he became fully accepted in his native Italy, when his growing popularity elsewhere finally convinced him to take his catwalk extravaganza to the Milan fashion collections. Cavalli is closely associated with the glamour of Hollywood actors and musicians, having dressed Jennifer Lopez, Lenny Kravitz, Cindy Crawford, Sting and Beyoncé among others over the years.
Some commentators have dismissed him as a 'guru of glitz' with a talent for appealing to footballers' wives and jewel-laden superstars but his popularity shows little sign of waning.
The fashion house he founded in 1970 has gone from strength to strength, and this month announced net profit of 1.9 million euros for the first half of 2010.
In exchange, Cavalli will donate 100,000 euros towards the monument's restoration, a project that has been hampered by lack of funds.
"I want to help Milan and its fashion industry," explained Cavalli.
"I want to make Milan more attractive to foreign tourists. When they arrive, I want them to feel happier and more catered to". Work on the arch, which is often described as a small version of Paris's Arc de Triomphe, began in 1806 and was eventually completed in 1838. Originally commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte, construction work stalled following his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, but the Austrian Emperor Franz Josef I ordered its completion.
The arch's clean, neoclassical lines will are likely to provide an interesting contrast to Cavalli's typically showy, complex designs at next Monday's event.
Although partly tempted by the restoration funds, Milan has also agreed to the deal in recognition of the Italian designer's lengthy career. Cavalli not only turns 70 this year, he also celebrates four decades in the fashion industry, which Milan will mark with an exhibition at Palazzo Morando.
The event will bring together a selection of photographs by the designer, who has been snapping images for years.
"Marco Glaviano is to blame," joked Cavalli, referring to the prestigious Italian fashion photographer.
"He saw my photos one day and told me they were lovely for their spontaneity, which I perhaps let go to my head a bit. "But I'm not a photographer, I never have been and don't want to become one.
I simply take pictures and enjoy photographing what I see".
Cavalli started exploring links between fashion, art and painting while still a student at the Florence Academy of Art.
By the mid-1970s he was a well-known name in France, having fine-tuned a revolutionary process that made printing on lightweight leather possible.
But his beatnik-influenced use of patchwork, denim and leather initially won him little popularity in the then hidebound houses of Italian fashion.
Although he enjoyed a successful international reputation, it was only in the 1990s that he became fully accepted in his native Italy, when his growing popularity elsewhere finally convinced him to take his catwalk extravaganza to the Milan fashion collections. Cavalli is closely associated with the glamour of Hollywood actors and musicians, having dressed Jennifer Lopez, Lenny Kravitz, Cindy Crawford, Sting and Beyoncé among others over the years.
Some commentators have dismissed him as a 'guru of glitz' with a talent for appealing to footballers' wives and jewel-laden superstars but his popularity shows little sign of waning.
The fashion house he founded in 1970 has gone from strength to strength, and this month announced net profit of 1.9 million euros for the first half of 2010.
