Looking back at fashion designer Roberto Cavalli's love life and children as he passes away at 83

Italian fashion designer Roberto Cavalli passed away on April 12, 2023, at the age of 83. News of his death was confirmed by Italian news agency ANSA, which revealed that he died in his Florence residence. The fashion house that bears his name also took to their official Instagram account to pay tribute to the industry legend.

Roberto Cavalli’s creative designer, Fausto Puglisi, expressed gratitude to the fashion icon in an Instagram post by saying,

“It is the greatest honour of my career to work under your legacy and to create for the brand you founded with such vision and style.”

The text on the Instagram post also read that Cavalli “believed that everyone can discover and nurture the artist within themselves.”

From Brigitte Bardot to Victoria Beckham, Britney Spears to Jennifer Lopez, the designer was adored by numerous celebrities. His creations were known for celebrating a luxurious, hedonistic lifestyle. He was best known for his signature leopard print.

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Roberto Cavalli is survived by six children

Roberto Cavalli married Eva Maria Düringer, an Austrian model, in 1980. However, they ended up getting divorced. Prior to that, he was married to Silvanella Giannoni.

Cavalli had five children from the two marriages —Tomaso, Cristina, Robert, Rachele, and Daniele.

He went on to date Swedish model Sandra Nilsson in 2014. A British news outlet reported that the latter is 45 years younger than Cavalli. She was reportedly once Playboy’s Playmate of the Month.

Last year, Nilsson and Cavalli welcomed a child together, a son named Giorgio, who was named after Cavalli’s father. The designer had once spoken about his father and revealed that his death left him mute until the age of 18.

In a previous interview, Cavalli had stated:

“I didn’t have an easy childhood. My father was shot by the Germans in July 1944, in a raid on Castelnuovo dei Sabbioni. He was a surveyor, he worked for a mine in the Valdarno… I didn’t speak until 18. But life has been kind to me, [and I have been] rewarded… for everything.”

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A look into Roberto Cavalli's illustrious career as the fashion legend dies at 83

Roberto Cavalli launched his label in 1970 after graduating from Florence’s Academy of Art. He was initially known for his revolutionary method of printing on leather, and he showcased the same in Paris when he featured a pink leather evening gown in a fashion show.

He initially opened his first small shop in Saint Tropez’s Limbo in 1972 and went on to become a memorable figure in the fashion industry.

Roberto Cavalli eventually found himself experimenting with denim. In his autumn/winter 1994 collection, he showcased the first ever pair of sand-blasted jeans. In the years to come, he also worked with Lycra to create stretch jeans.

The designer eventually became synonymous with animal prints. Speaking about the same, he told Vogue in 2011:

“I like everything that is of nature… I started to appreciate that even fish have fantastic coloured ‘dress,’ so does the snake, and the tiger. I start to understand that God is really the best designer, so I started to copy God.”

Due to his eye-catching and flamboyant designs, he went on to become a designer for the Playboy Bunnies in 2005, when he introduced a new version of leopard print.

The designer was best known for his lavish lifestyle. Roberto Cavalli was the owner of a 32-acre Tuscan estate that included a vineyard, racehorses, tanning machines, Ferraris, and an assembly of animals, including a tiger, monkeys, iguanas, parrots, and a Persian cat. He also had his own helicopter and a superyacht.

Numerous celebrities, including Jennifer Hudson, Adriana Lima, and Victoria Beckham, among others, took to the internet to pay tribute to the late fashion designer.