Rosita Jelmini Missoni has died at the age 93, taking with her an important slice of the Made in Italy trademark. In the 1960s, she founded with her husband Ottavio Missoni, (who passed away in 2013) the eponymous brand, an original example of the use of color and geometry, an art through which the couple revolutionized the knitwear industry.
Colors are what immediately come to mind when one thinks of the clothes conceived by their House. However. the creations of Rosita and Ottavio Missoni attracted attention because they were able to reinterpret knitwear through a decidedly experimental lens, giving expressive form to a seemingly very simple workmanship. From multicolored zig zags to waves, the fashion house’s geometries became recognizable worldwide.
It was 1948 when, in London, Rosita met Ottavio, an athlete with whom she fell in love during the Olympics that year, eventually marrying him and founding Missoni. The first fashion show came in 1966, within the walls of Milan’s Teatro Gerolamo, the beginning of a highly successful period for the brand.
The growth led the designer to win a series of prestigious awards over the years, starting with the Neiman Marcus Fashion Award, the fashion Oscar won in 1973, then the title of Cavaliere del Lavoro, received in 2014.
