Roberto Cavalli (November 15, 1940 Florence, Kingdom of Italy – April 12, 2024, Florence, Italy). The business empire created by Cavalli and owned by Hussein Sajwani since 2019 is valued at more than a billion dollars.

Animal prints, a riot of colors and undisguised sexuality – it seemed that Roberto Cavalli was not afraid to make a revolution even when the world fashion was striving for minimalism and calm shades. And yet, Cavalli’s clothes never looked tasteless – they revealed the best features of the appearance of their owner, without overshadowing her. However, as Cavalli himself was modest – he was just repeating after God (judging by how many natural motifs there are in his collections – you can’t argue with that):

“God is the best designer in the world. I copy him” – Roberto Cavalli

The designer’s own life was not much different from the show he put on at the shows of the brand of the same name. Three marriages with recognized world beauties – Silvanella Giannini, Vice Miss Universe Eva Düringer and Playboy model Sandra Nilsson, six children, endless rendezvous on a yacht according to the best canons of millionaires and, most importantly, his brand, which was something more than just fashion.

“Surround yourself with love – because love will become the beacon of your life” – Roberto Cavalli
Roberto Cavalli spent his last days in a house in Florence – with his wife Sandra and son, who was born when the designer was already 83 years old.

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Pierre Balmain was born on May 18, 1914, in the city of Saint-Jean-de-Marienne. His father was the owner of a small clothing manufactory, and his mother was a style consultant! Since childhood, he was fascinated by the process of creating luxurious toilets.

In 1934, Pierre left for Paris, where he entered the Academy of Fine Arts, but left it without thinking, for an internship with Edouard Malin. From him, Balmain learned excellent tailoring.

In 1939, Pierre transferred to the workshop of Lucien Lelong. There he learned the art of hand embroidery with beads and bugles, and also mastered the technique of working with glass rhinestones.

Here he worked side by side with Christian Dior. They jointly conceived the idea of ​​creating a joint brand, but Dior did not dare, and in 1945 the history of the Pierre Balmain brand began.

Pierre Balmain created his models in an exotic style, the main element of the designer’s decor were arabesques – complex oriental ornaments of intricate plant and geometric interlacing. These patterns necessarily appeared in each new collection of the fashion designer.

In addition, Balmain’s signature style was considered to be embroidery with gold, bronze, pearls, as well as the use of fur, pastel-colored satin, silk and taffeta. All this was complemented by unrivaled handwork.

Missing the chic of social events, complex hairstyles and bright makeup, ladies began to order outfits for the revived balls from the house of Pierre Balmain with pleasure. It was Pierre Balmain, even earlier than Christian Dior, who began to sew dresses with a very narrow waist and a bell-shaped skirt.

He became one of the few designers who managed to be both expensive and incredibly popular. He conquered not only Paris, but also America, opening his salons in New York and Caracas.

For the first 25 years of the brand’s existence, Balmain adorned his name only on haute couture clothing. Already in the 1950s, Pierre Balmain was widely considered the king of French fashion and dressed such big-screen stars as Ava Gardner, Marlene Dietrich, Katherine Hepburn and Brigitte Bardot.

In the late 50s, Balmain shocked the world of high fashion by introducing cocktail dresses with exposed collarbones and knees, too revealing for that time. But customers liked this idea, and the new models were a success.

And in 1964, he created a tight-fitting transparent dress for Hollywood star Carol Baker.

In the 60s, minimalist designer Yves Saint Laurent began to conquer all the best positions in the fashion world. The Balmain era is over, the shine of a thousand Balmain beads noticeably loses to the original print in the style of Pablo Picasso’s paintings.

Pierre Balmain begins to produce watches, accessories and other luxury items for the first time.

Even before his death, Pierre handed over the management of the brand to his assistant, but he fails to achieve visible success…

The brand changes owners, creative designers (including Oscar de la Renta), in 2001 it changes the brand name from Pierre Balmain to Balmain, but… it loses and loses customers.

The former chief designer of the Paco Rabanne brand, Christophe Decarnin, came to the post of Balmain designer in 2005 and became art director in 2007, literally resurrected the fashion house from the ashes and returned it to its former glory.

In 2011, young designer Olivier Rousteing was appointed as the brand’s art director, and the first full-fledged spring-summer 2012 collection became an absolute triumph for Olivier: all fashion critics without exception saw in his work a harmonious symbiosis of the brand’s traditions and his own fashion ideas.

The leading motifs of the collection are pure white, luxurious gold graphic embroidery, soft leather, light blue denim, torero fringe on the sleeves of jackets and dresses, embroidered floral prints and massive metal accessories.

And finally, here he is – the young, bold and talented Olivier Rousteing, who returned the Balmain brand to the Olympus of high fashion.

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The grande dame of American fashion, Pauline Trigère was born in 1908 to Jewish parents who had emigrated to France from Russia. Her parents were dressmakers, so Pauline believed that fashion was in her blood. Naturally, Pauline received her first lessons in cutting and sewing from her parents.

After graduating from college, she worked at the Martial et Armand salon on Place Vendôme in Paris, where she learned to design women’s clothing.

In 1937, Pauline, her husband (a Jew from Russia) and their two sons, fleeing the Nazi threat, moved to the United States, where in 1942 she founded Trigère Inc. to produce her own line of clothing.

Trigère’s career lasted more than 50 years and was especially successful in the 1950s and 1960s.

Pauline closed her company in 1994, but continued to work under the name P. T Concepts as a designer of various accessories, jewelry, men’s ties, and a line of scarves that included her signature turtle print.

What has Pauline given to women over the years in the fashion industry?

In 1967, Pauline introduced the first rhinestone bra. Trigere experimented with prints and added fur trim to her dresses, capes, and coats.

In 1961, she was the first major designer to hire an African-American model, Beverly Valdez, as a full-time employee in her store, causing some controversy. But Pauline stood up for her position and the right of black models to work on the catwalk equally with white ones. Trigere commented on the situation: “Because of Beverly, we only lost one client, but we don’t miss her.”

Pauline’s clothes were worn by Evelyn Lauder, Angela Lansbury, Bette Davis, Wallis Simpson, Jacqueline Kennedy and other famous women. Treasure was loved because the outfits she designed made women who did not have ideal figures stately and presentable.

Treasure is the author of some of the costumes worn by Patricia Neal’s character in the film “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”.

Pauline Treasure died in 2002, giving women around the world ideas that they still use when creating their wardrobes.

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The creation of the Paloma Picasso jewelry brand began with the fact that the daughter of the great master Pablo Picasso, Paloma, working in a theater studio as a costume designer, managed to very professionally and organically complement the outfit of one famous actress with a magnificent necklace… made of fake diamonds. This was the start of the career of the famous Frenchwoman.

Before working at the theater studio, Paloma Picasso graduated from the University of Paris. Throughout her life, she never parted with a jeweler’s tool. Her very first piece of jewelry turned out to be so original and bright that Paloma received a whole host of compliments and flattering reviews, which made her go to study in Greece. Here she spent several years in a jewelry house in Athens. Talented craftsmen shared their invaluable experience in how to use a jeweler’s tool to turn precious metals and stones into beautiful jewelry. The training was not in vain, after some time, Tiffany offered her a good contract. And already in 1980, the company “Paloma Picasso” appeared in the catalog of jewelry brands.

In addition to working as a jewelry designer at Tiffany & Co., Paloma founded her own brand with her first husband. In 1984, Paloma Picasso released bags, belts, and bed linen, and for this work, the American Council of Fashion Designers awarded Paloma the title of best accessory designer of the year. That same year, she signed a contract with L’Oréal to create three fragrances. For the first, called Paloma Picasso, she not only put her name on the bottle, but also starred in a campaign created by Richard Avedon.

Realizing that it would be stupid not to monetize her calling card — red lipstick, in 1987 she created the shade Mon Rouge for L’Oréal. Before the release of her own color, Picasso preferred only two options from Revlon — Certainly Red or Love That Red. And although she gave up her signature red lipstick long ago, she still remains one of the brightest women of her generation.

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In addition to clothing design, she designed textiles for interiors, using Zandra Rhodes prints on furniture and home furnishings.

Many fashion designers are typical introverts who have difficulty communicating and adore the color black. Zandra Rhodes is an exception to this rule. It is difficult to find a more cheerful and friendly person in the fashion world than this 80-year-old woman with pink hair, bright blue eyeshadow and a perpetual smile on her face.

Her obsession with bright colors manifested itself very early. Perhaps it was a reaction to the feeling of loneliness that Zandra experienced as a child, when she had no friends.

Her youth fell on the 60s. At the art college where she studied, she was praised for her boldness and creativity, but for the general public her explosive palette seemed too innovative and eccentric. But in the 70s, the bright colors and abundant decor that Zandra often used to decorate her models were in demand.

By the beginning of the 80s, Rhodes had become a real icon of British fashion. Princess Diana wore her clothes (though not as bright as the artist herself, but in soft pastel colors). Zandra created several stage outfits for Freddie Mercury. For example, his famous pleated blouse “bat” was originally part of a women’s wedding dress designed by Zandra.

Zandra was never interested in momentary fashion trends – she always had her own style and her own aesthetics, which had more to do with art than with fashion itself. And this aesthetics surrounds the artist everywhere – first of all, in her London home, where the Museum of Fashion and Textiles, created by her, is located on the lower floors, and she herself lives upstairs in the penthouse.

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John Galliano is a genius of the fashion world, a world-famous fashion designer, who creates not only world-famous clothing models, but also jewelry and costume jewelry, which we would like to introduce you to today.

In 1981, the future fashion designer entered the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. His 1984 graduation collection, “The Incredibles,” inspired by the French Revolution, was purchased in full by avant-garde clothing store Browns.

Soon Galliano creates his own label and launches production. At the end of the 80s, he was already a recognized avant-garde among British designers. Many of his ideas were used for mass production a few years later.

Despite his talent, John Galliano went bankrupt in 1990. Soon he arrived in Paris penniless. He slept on the floor of a friend’s apartment and worked hard creating new collections. In 1994, he met Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of the American edition of Vogue. She introduced him to a socialite from Portugal, Sao Schlumberger, and agreed with her that she would provide her mansion in the center of Paris to display Galliano’s collection. The show shook the entire fashion world. Galliano becomes famous in fashion circles.

In 1995, John Galliano was invited to the position of creative director of the Givenchy House. He becomes the first British designer to head a French Haute couture house.

In 1996, he moved to the Christian Dior House, which he headed until March 2011, breathing new life into it.

During his career, he was recognized 4 times as “the best British designer” – in 1987, 1994, 1995 and 1997, in 1998 he received the prestigious award from the Council of Fashion Designers of the United States, in 2001 he received the Order of the British Empire, and at the end of 2008 he received France’s highest award is the Legion of Honor.

John Galliano created his first jewelry collection together with Valente Gioiellieri, and its show took place in March 2008 as part of the pret-a-porte fall/winter 2008-2009 collection from John Galliano. The three main themes that inspired him to create this collection were the dagger, the flower and the coin.

The designer’s favorite piece of jewelry is a precious dagger with a removable scabbard from the “Daggers” collection made of pink and white gold with a blade inlaid with amethysts and white diamonds.

Models from the “Flowers” ​​collection are decorated with rubies, white diamonds, thin gold thread and red corals.

The “Coins” collection uses black amber, carnelian, lapis lazuli in combination with white and brown diamonds and sapphires. This collection includes rings and pendants. Some of the rings have weapons inscribed on them.

After the success of this collection, John Galliano continued his work creating jewelry, including for the House of Christian Dior.

In recent years, the designer has moved away from imitating jewelry, creating something that is determined not by materials, but by the idea of ​​​​fashion.

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The famous vintage brand “Collins of Texas” was founded in 1946 in America. Original leather and box bags, decorated with designer metal fittings, large stones and paintings, were produced in Medina, Texas.

Miss Enid Rossler (Enid Collins when married) was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. She spent 22 years creating and designing her bags for the Collins of Texas brand, which she and her husband Frederick Collins founded just after World War II, when they moved to a small ranch in Texas near Medina. Both of them were creative people. Enid studied costume design in the arts and crafts department at Texas Woman’s University. Frederick was an engineering draftsman whose hobby was animal sculpture.

Combining their talents, they began to create leather bags, hand-painted and stitched with ornamental metal elements made by Frederick. The living room on their ranch soon became a workshop where they made orders for their friends and small shops in the area.

A fashion designer friend of theirs suggested that they present samples of bags to a salesperson at the Neiman-Marcus department store. They did this and, to their great joy, received their first order for $500 to make bags and belts. This was the beginning of the founding of their brand.

Soon they could no longer cope with orders on their own and were forced to hire additional labor. They also needed to expand their workspace, so they rented a workshop in Medina.

Enid created designs for bags, jewelry and belts, and also trained employees. Frederick’s engineering background helped him find faster and better production methods. He also handled business matters for the company while Enid worked on advertising brochures and sales promotions. It was an effective working partnership, even though they were no longer married.

The first leather bags were lined with canvas (matting) and decorated with hand-made metal decorative elements. Then Enid decided to decorate bags with printing, and one of her friends showed her the principle of silk-screen printing. The designs were decorated with stones, rhinestones and sequins. And it became obvious that the more glitter, the higher the sales.

All designs had their own name, each told its own story, each had something special and personal that the future buyer could choose for himself. Here are some names of classic designs – “Money Tree”, “Night Owl”, “Sea Garden”, “Love”, “Crew”, “Cable Car”, “California Running Cuckoo”. She also did an amazing episode of Zodiac. There are over 100 designs that Enid has created. Her early works were typically marked with the “EC” logo in the lower right corner of the outside of the bag or box.

As the business grew, there was a need for less expensive designs, so Enid came up with the idea of ​​a decorated wooden box bag. A mirror was inserted into the lids of these boxes. But this design was adopted very slowly. Then came the design of bags with papier-mâché and designer jewelry. Enid Collins’s latest contribution to fashion was cocktail and evening handbags, richly decorated with stones and gold leather handles.

The tiny workshop grew into two factories, one in Medina and one in Friedericksberg. Together they employed almost 200 people. Sales were made all over the world, and the demand for bags from the famous Collins from Texas grew steadily. Enid was the chief designer until 1970, when the company and all rights were sold to the Tandy Corporation.

Now bags of this brand are very popular among collectors and vintage lovers around the world. And their owners don’t even always decide to use them for their intended purpose. Rare designs that were produced in limited editions are especially prized. Enid Collins bags have a bright and memorable image, and are excellent examples of fashion style of the 50s and 60s of the last century.

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Baume & Mercier: “to produce watches of the highest quality only”

The Baume & Mercier brand belongs to the Richemont group, one of the world’s leading companies in the field of luxury brands. The Group includes many of the most prestigious jewelry and watch houses, such as Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Officine Panerai, Piaget, Vacheron Constantin, Jaeger-LeCoultre and others. The craftsmen of each manufactory do everything to preserve the heritage and traditions of jewelry and watchmaking, founded in the 19th century.

At the same time, designers are constantly finding new solutions that meet the spirit of the times and the challenges of our time. After all, the watch house Baume & Mercier is the sixth oldest in the world! Its history began in 1830 in Geneva, and since then the creators of the collections have followed the constant principle voiced by one of the founders of the company: “to produce watches only of the highest quality!”

The history of the Baume & Mercier watch house dates back to 1830, when Louis Victor and Joseph Celestan Baume founded the Baume Brothers company in the small Swiss village of Le Bois. Over time, the company has gained international recognition due to the excellent quality of its watches and the innovations used in their production.

Between 1885 and 1910, the manufacture received many awards, including the prestigious award at Kew Observatory in England for the best chronometer movement. In 1910, William Bohm, grandson of Louis Victor, took over the family business. He settled in Geneva, where he began collaborating with Paul Mercier, a charismatic and influential figure of his time.

A talented businessman of Russian origin (Pavel Cheredichenko – that was his name before he accepted Swiss citizenship and took the surname of his French mother), Paul Mercier – and William Bohm, who treats the intricacies of watchmaking with the utmost care – their qualities harmoniously complement each other .

This partnership led to the creation of the Baume & Mercier brand, Geneva, in 1920 – a period of unprecedented growth in technical and design thought. Strictly following the traditions laid down by his grandfather and father, and passionately devoted to the principle of “producing watches of only the highest quality,” William Bohm ensured that Baume & Mercier received the Hallmark of Geneva in 1921, the highest degree of recognition in the world of haute horlogerie. Today, Baume & Mercier watches are sold in more than 100 countries, on 5 continents, in 3,000 stores.

Baume & Mercier and the Phi symbol

In 1963, the watch house decided to find a symbol that would become a distinctive sign of the company and would be in complete harmony with the main idea of the brand. Such an emblem in 1964 became the Greek letter Phi – the “golden number” (this is what Leonardo da Vinci called Phi in his manual “Divine Proportion”). This letter was used by Greek architects to achieve ideal proportions – because it is geometrically symmetrical. And Baume & Mercier watches match this impeccable balance.

For over 170 years, the watchmaking excellence demonstrated by the Bohm brothers in 1830 has been honed with each model released under the Divine Proportion mark. Each collection expressed its era, becoming the hallmark of Baume & Mercier. Today, the Watch House, which has been proud of its commitment to the traditions of fine watchmaking for almost two centuries, boldly looks into the future, keeping up with the times and instantly responding to the challenges of the third millennium.

The Baume family moved to the Swiss Jura Mountains, where in 1610 Paul and Jean Baume founded the district of Le Bois. Since then, this area has become the center of offices and factories for the largest companies in the Swiss watch industry. 1830 Victor and Pierre Baume found the company “Brothers Baume”. Their unchanging principle of “quality + innovation” is still the slogan of the masters. 1893 Triumph of the Bohm brothers’ watch at Kew Observatory in England: the most prestigious award for the best chronometer movement. The company competed in competitions organized by the Kew Observatory and in 1887 won the highest award for its split-seconds chronograph. And in 1893, the tourbillon from the Baume brothers received an unprecedentedly high score – 91.9 out of 100 maximum possible.

Between 1885 and 1910, the Watch House received many awards, including five gold medals at exhibitions in Paris, London, Philadelphia and Geneva. 1920 The Baume & Mercier brand is born. William Baume, a talented watchmaker, grandson of one of the founders of the company, and Paul Mercier, a great admirer of art, officially registered the Baume & Mercier brand. 1921 Less than a year after the official registration of the company, it receives the Hallmark of Geneva – the maximum degree of recognition in the world of haute horlogerie.

It was William Bohm who secured this award for Baume & Mercier, strictly following the traditions laid down by his grandfather and father, and passionately devoted to their principle of “producing only watches of the highest quality.” 1973 The Golden Rose Award in Baden-Baden is awarded to Galaxie women’s watches.

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Aigner stands as a beacon of timeless yet modern elegance across leather, fashion, accessories, jewelry, and fragrances, embodying enduring style, superior quality, practicality, and global prestige.

Etienne Aigner 1904–2000

As a boy, Etienne Aigner delighted in handling scraps of leather, unaware that this early passion would evolve into his life’s work and secure his international renown. He soon began crafting diverse leather goods, growing increasingly captivated by the material’s remarkable attributes. Soft, flexible, and sensual, yet equally robust and dependable, Etienne Aigner found himself drawn deeper to leather with each passing day.

Consequently, in 1950, the then-obscure young designer Etienne Aigner unveiled his inaugural collection in New York, causing a sensation within the fashion industry. Thus, the Aigner brand was launched, instantly capturing the hearts of discerning consumers. By 1965, the Etienne Aigner corporation was established, manufacturing commenced, and boutiques opened globally. Currently, approximately 120 Aigner stores operate, offering an extensive selection of leather items (handbags, trunks, footwear, belts), apparel for both genders, and a broad array of accessories (scarves, neckties, suit details, timepieces, parasols, gloves, eyewear, gifts, and more).

However, Etienne Aigner’s vision for leather extended beyond these categories, eventually leading to the creation of Aigner fragrances, inspired by various leather types. This further highlights the singular adaptability of this natural substance. In 1972, the perfume house Etienne Aigner (Aigner) Cosmetics GmbH was founded, and its aromas are now recognized worldwide.

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William De Lillo was a Belgian-American designer who worked for the jewelry company Cartier before opening his own studio in 1968. After moving to the United States, he worked with jewelry magnate Harry Winston before being hired by Miriam Haskell. Ten years after opening his studio, in 1978, he was given the opportunity to hold a personal exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where, in addition to the author’s jewelry creations, his brutal sculptures of various sizes and geometric shapes were presented.

Tired of the pace of New York life, William Fe Lillo returned to France for a while, working with fashion houses such as Schiaparelli, Chanel and Nina Ricci. He then moved back to the US and settled in Arizona, where he composed exclusively for the soul until his death in 2011.

Jewelry from the William DeLillo jewelry brand is more than just beautiful, expensive, rarely circulated items, most of which are in museums and private collections. These are rare finds, a “little treasure”, and having them is truly a huge success!

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