Mariuccia Mandelli
Mandelli in 1989
BornJanuary 31, 1925
Bergamo
DiedDecember 6, 2015
Milan
NationalityItalian
Occupation(s)Fashion designer and entrepreneur

Mariuccia Mandelli (January 31, 1925 – December 6, 2015) was an Italian fashion designer and entrepreneur. Mandelli established her ready-to-wear fashion house, Krizia, in 1954 by bringing suitcases of samples to shops in Milan out of her Fiat 500. The Guardian has called her the "godmother of Italian fashion."[1] According to the New York Times, Mandelli was one of the first female fashion designers to create a popular line of men's wear.[2]

Career

Mandelli was born in Bergamo on January 31, 1925.[3][2] She had a talent as a seamstress and an interest in fashion, but studied to be a teacher based on her mother's advice.[2] Mandelli worked as a teacher for several years until her friend, Flora Dolci, offered use of a flat in Rome for six months rent-free.[1][2] She purchased an old sewing machine in the early 1950s and founded her label, Krizia, in 1954 by selling clothes from her Fiat 500.[2]

In 1964, she unveiled her first black-and-white collection at the Palazzo Pitti in Florence, which earned a Critica della Moda award.[1][2] The fashion house grew rapidly during the 1960s and 1970s. Under Mandelli, Krizia released a version of shorts cut "very short" in 1971, now seen as an early form of hot pants.[1] Krizia grew into a $500 million business at its height during the 1990s.[2]

By the end of the 1980s, she bought land in Punta Volpe, Costa Smeralda, and hired the architect Gianni Gamondi to build a luxurious seafront loggia. The property was listed on sale by Sotheby's in 2022.[4]

Mariuccia Mandelli died at her home in Milan on December 6, 2015, at the age of 90.[1][2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Mariuccia Mandelli obituary". The Guardian. 13 December 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Fox, Margalit (7 December 2015). "Mariuccia Mandelli, Italian Fashion Designer, Dies at 90". New York Times. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  3. ↑ Langer, Emily (9 December 2015). "Mariuccia Mandelli, innovative Italian fashion designer, dies at 90". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  4. ↑ Zagaria, Di Elisa (9 May 2022). "La spettacolare villa di Krizia in vendita in Costa Smeralda". ELLE Decor (in Italian). Retrieved 27 September 2022.
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