Roberto Cavalli, a fashion designer, was born in Florence, Italy in 1940. His background is largely responsible for his artistic talent. Cavalli’s grandfather was an impressionist painter who was widely celebrated. Therefore, his artistic talent is not a surprise. Roberto Cavalli has a rich history for his brand, which spans for more than forty. As such, Cavalli has been able to come up with exquisite collections for his fashions as will be evident from the fashion shows he has held recently.
The history of Roberto Cavalli’s brand dates back to 1957 when he enrolled in Florence’s Art Academy. As opposed to becoming a painter like his grandfather, he preferred to venture into textiles and later into fashion. In 1970, Cavalli started off by printing on leather hence making leather gowns which had been printed. He made use of the glove skin, which he obtained from the French tannery. In 1972, Roberto Cavalli founded Saint-Tropez, his first boutique because he felt that the place would be a likely destination for people who loved fashion (Cavalli & Piggot 2010, p. 12). Cavalli adopted the use of artistic techniques later in the 1990s. It was during this time that he designed the printed jeans for the first time. During the winter of 1994, he was able to showcase jeans that were sandblasted and in 1995, he invented the stretch jeans (Jeffers 2011, p. 96).
Cavallis innovations made him popular especially in denim’s market. He made his greatest stride in 2000 when he launched the Cavalli jeans, which he eventually named as ‘Just Cavalli.’ His collections during the spring of 2002 were endlessly embroidered, slashed with a mixture of roses, stripes, and prints from wild animals (Cerimedo 2011, p. 72). Thereafter his brands were characterized with bohemian glamor; wild prints and exotic elegance, which saw his collections, sell in large numbers (Bernado 2010, p. 121). For instance, he designed textiles, which had seductive cuts accompanied with substance and style. According to Riga (2012, p. 25) these unique features attracted celebrities like Christina Aguilera, Lenny Kravitz, Jennifer Lopez, Mary J. Blige, Kate Moss and Victoria Beckham to buy his products. Additionally, Roberto has diversified in other fashion areas other than in textiles. For instance, the fashion designer launched the Roberto Cavalli Vodka in 2005. In fact, he expanded his brand to things like restaurants, member’s clubs, and wines thus affirming that he was indeed a designer for the elite lifestyle.
In 2008, the designer also came up with a Diet Coke bottle, which had a limited edition. Cavalli’s brands became widely renowned as was evident from the celebrity Cheryl Cole when she wore an outfit that had been custom by Roberto during her television show in the UK. She appeared sexy, confident and strong which is the image that Cavalli’s brands have been associated with over the years. Moreover, the designer added a touch of leopard prints was employed to develop an attractive outfit. In 2012, Cavalli also managed to launch his second line of his high-street clothing wear. Roberto has also designed sunglasses labeled “Just Cavalli” that give women a sophisticated look and Generally, Roberto Cavalli’s brands are associated with boldness, sexuality, eroticism, a strong approach, and an attractive color.
One of Roberto Cavalli’s recent fashion shows was the Pre-Fall show held in 2014. During this show, he placed a lot of emphases on flowers, felines and fancy things as depicted from his designs. The winning outfit made by Cavalli had definitive contours with slinky silhouettes and the Lurex stripes typical of that of a tiger. Additionally, the hips of the minidress were flipped. The brightest moment of his collections in the pre-fall fashion show came from exotic beadwork together with a beautiful set of garden prints. The eveningwear was exquisite as it came in the form of a python patchwork in a long sleeve dress with lace that is mocha-colored together with a crocodile motif. Two cocktail frocks with irregular beads that were overlapping also formed part of the evening wear and thus showcasing Cavalli as a truly talented designer.
Another fashion event held by Roberto is the one held in Milan on February 24th, 2014. During this, show models stalked around what appeared to be a fiery lake and the sophisticated lambskin they wore gave the models an elegant outlook. There were certain patterns of scarlet flames that appeared in their black evening gowns together with their flapper dresses, which were beaded. Bottega Veneta, a celebrity who attended the show was impressed by Cavalli’s choice of green, emerald, red, and the beige used to adorn the shearling coats as it gave an elegant touch to his entire collection. Singer Ellie Goulding also attended the Milan fashion even, and this was a great advantage for Cavalli as news about the collection displayed in that event would reach far and wide. Usually, the prints that formed part of his brand were included in his collections only that during this event he had extended the prints to the tuxedo jackets and the slim trousers.
Another hot look that could be spotted from Roberto’s collections during the Milan event was a dress that burst outwards. The dress looked lovely on the model because of the concentric folds that appeared to hug the model’s figure so beautifully. There was a variety of this brand ranging from the quilted version to the crepe. Snakeskins and fur skirts characterized some of the dresses in the collection. Rather than just employing the use of printed leather in his collections, some of the dresses were made of shredded leather that was expected to make them unique and the public found this design quite appealing. Martin (2011, p. 110) is of the view that the eyeliner pencil heavily applied inside the rim of the model’s eyes together with the light skin moisturizer they applied helped to make Cavalli’s models conspicuous as it assisted in enhancing their appearance.
The third fashion show analysis is the one that dealt with ready to wear garments in 2014. Lee Miller’s outfit was the main fashion theme during the event given that she was an American photographer believed to have to have acted in the seduction series in the 1920s (wwd.com). Cavalli’s collection was particular about the style used in the 1920s rather than on the model’s personalities. For example, the evening gowns were broidered with Zelda together with drop-waist dresses. Additionally, the outfits displayed their masculine appearance of women as seen during the 20th century (Okonkwo 2007, p. 56). In this case, Cavalli made use of the leather and tweed clothes to enhance this masculine outlook. Even so, Cavalli made the night beautiful as the flames were woven to become jacquards that created a blazing effect during the show especially when the models paraded around a ring of fire.
In January 2014, Roberto took part in the Cavalli Men’s RTW Fall 2014, which was an event aimed at showcasing men’s wear. As expected, Roberto’s collections had a bold and sophisticated look that was ideal for the Cavalli man (wwd.com). The leather pants had jacquard effects together with the metallic embellishments that were present on quilted sweaters. The men’s silk shirts were accompanied with scarves that were matching with an alternative of ties, which could be tied round an individual’s waist (Coad 2008, p. 80). Furthermore, the men’s outfits had a mixture of graffiti and animal patterns, and this suited the event’s theme given that most of the collections were inspired by street art. Consequently, models walked around boxes painted with graffiti and industrial frames.
Conclusion
Roberto Cavalli is indeed a very talented fashion designer as evidenced from the high level of creativity displayed by his designs. He has a rich history in design, and this has enabled him to come up with a good image for his brand. The label “Just Cavalli” found on some of his designs is in itself a brand that makes it easier for his products to sell. He was able to design textiles and even diversified to other products like wines and sunglasses. In a nutshell, the strength of Cavalli’s brand has made him popular, his brands continuously sell. This strength is evident in his latest fashion shows because he comes up with products that are unique, sexy, bold, erotic, and attractive. It is no wonder that celebrities have a high preference for his brands. Therefore, in order for a designer or any other entrepreneur to stay relevant in the market, there is a need to innovate just like what Cavalli did and managed gain a competitive edge in the fashion industry.
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