MILAN — The news of Rosita Missoni’s death at age 93 led to fond memories of the designer, whose unbridled vision and flair for color and patterns left an indelible mark on the worldwide fashion industry.
“I have learned with great sadness of the death of Rosita Missoni, the other half of a couple that I have always looked at with respect and admiration for having created an inimitable style,” said Giorgio Armani. “Rosita, with her good taste, her strong character and vision, is an example that continues to be an inspiration. This is how I remember her.”
Carlo Capasa, chairman of the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, said that Missoni, together with her late husband Ottavio, known throughout the industry as Tai, is credited with writing a unique page in the history of fashion.
“Rosita Missoni was both a strong and sensitive woman, who together with her husband Ottavio created one of the most beautiful and unique stories of Italian fashion, [defined by] an unmistakable style and an authentic approach, very creative and at the same time rich in great humanity that she was able to convey to the world alongside her beautiful family,” Capasa said.
After the couple married in 1953 in Golasecca and settled in Gallarate, they set up a small knitwear workshop they called Maglificio Jolly. Tai Missoni had begun dabbling in fashion six years earlier when, along with his friend and teammate Giorgio Oberweger, he produced wool tracksuits to be worn by the Italian Olympic team in London. His trainer had a small knitting company in Trieste, a city in northeastern Italy, and together they made the first wool tracksuits which, he marveled later in his typical understated way, met with strong demand. Later, the Missonis rose to the fore on the international stage as “color geniuses” and were the first to make coordinating separates in different patterns, a zigzag top with a polka dot skirt, for example.
New York-based fashion journalist Marylou Luther recalled first meeting Missoni in 1953, shortly after she and Tai had founded Missoni. At that time, in order “to see their collection, you had to travel to their headquarters/home near Gallarate. Once there, you became a member of their fashion family,” Luther said.
The couple’s explanation of why it was impossible to create knits with vertical stripes — unless you had Missoni know-how and equipment — was one of Luther’s most memorable fashion moments. So much so, she wrote one of her fashion advice Clotheslines columns about the importance of choosing vertical stripes if you want to appear thinner, whereas horizontal ones were “fattening.” Luther added, “Vertical stripes were thinning. But where were they? Answer: Only at Missoni.”
Julie Gilhart, founder and president of consulting firm Gilhart & Co., said: “Rosita Missoni was truly legendary. My first real job in fashion was at Neiman Marcus, where I worked under the iconic buyer Benita Downing, who discovered the Missonis for the store. She once told me the story of Rosita and Tai arriving at her hotel in Paris on a rainy night with a suitcase of their soon-to-be iconic knits.”
The couple’s perseverance was remarkable, she said. “They exemplified the best in how to run a fashion business, with hard work, determination, loyalty, and a deep sense of family and joy. Rosita was a force for all things good, someone I’ll always reflect on as a model for how to live and work well in the fashion business.”
New York-based designer Diane von Furstenberg echoed this and said that although she didn’t know Rosita Missoni well, she had so much respect for Rosita and her husband. “They represented the best of Made in Italy!”
The Missoni family built their home in Sumirago, a verdant town in northern Italy. There Rosita would welcome her children, grandchildren and even great grandchildren and cultivate her flair outside of the studio. She was a dedicated porcini mushroom hunter who also tended to her kitchen garden and henhouse and loved cooking.
Beginning in 1996, Tai and Rosita gradually passed control of their fashion empire to their children Luca, Vittorio and Angela, handing the design responsibilities to their daughter. For many, the Missoni label is the emblem of a successful family business, which was run with passion and dedication for decades. That rang true for the community and extended family they built around their label.
Industry leaders like Joan Burstein, founder of Browns in London, remembered Rosita fondly as a dear friend. “She was a wonderful matriarchal, warm, hospitable and generous woman. I will never forget her lunches at Sumirago with Tai, Angela, Luca and Vittorio.”
Laura Larbalestier, former buying director at Browns, remembers Missoni and Burstein hitting the dance floor together at Burstein’s 90th birthday at Claridge’s in 2016. “They were really close friends and definitely similar in their approach. They really loved fashion. The joy they got from it was what kept them working for so long,” said Larbalestier.
Geoffroy van Raemdonck, former Neiman Marcus Group chief executive office and luxury retail expert, said: “I had the privilege of knowing Rosita Missoni for many years. Her warmth and creativity left an indelible mark on everyone she met. It was a privilege to celebrate her remarkable contributions in person at the Neiman Marcus Awards in Paris in 2023 — an unforgettable moment that underscored her impact on our industry. She will be deeply missed, but her brilliance will live on.”
Michele Norsa, who spearheaded the acquisition of Missoni as industrial partner of FSI, becoming vice president of the company until 2020, described her as “a wonderful person, sweet, influential, well-respected, affectionate and hospitable, in love with flowers and colors, she greatly inspired the world of Missoni Home. We will miss her very much.”
Some of the industry’s personalities remembered Missoni on social media, too, including designer Lavinia Biagiotti, who shared images of both her and her late mother Laura with the fashion house’s cofounder. “Sending a warm hug filled with brotherly affection to Angela, Luca, and all the family in memory of our dear Rosita,” read the caption. “A wonderful mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, an extraordinary woman, visionary entrepreneur, an icon of style, elegance, and creativity, and an irreplaceable friend for life.
“Our families have always shared a bond that transcended work, filled with genuine warmth and mutual admiration,” Biagiotti wrote. “Rosita’s legacy is woven into the fabric of fashion history: her unmistakable colors, vibrant patterns, and visionary spirit are pillars of Made in Italy. Thank you, Rosita, for your beautiful friendship that has brought me much comfort even after the loss of my mother, Laura, and for all the wonderful things you have given us through your life.”
Filippo Grazioli, who served as Missoni’s creative director from 2022 to earlier this year, also shared an image of the brand’s cofounders that was captioned: “A true genius. Rosita Missoni has always been a significant source of inspiration for me. I want to remember her for her unique style, the modernity of her creations, the bold use of color, and the freshness that defined the essence of Missoni.”
