FASHION DESIGNERS from Italy

Top 7

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Italian Fashion Designers of all time. This list of famous Italian Fashion Designers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Pierre Cardin (1922 - 2020)

With an HPI of 71.87, Pierre Cardin is the most famous Italian Fashion Designer.  His biography has been translated into 46 different languages on wikipedia.

Pierre Cardin (UK: , US: , French: [pjɛʁ kaʁdɛ̃]), born Pietro Costante Cardin (2 July 1922 – 29 December 2020), was an Italian-born naturalised-French fashion designer. He is known for what were his avant-garde style and Space Age designs. He preferred geometric shapes and motifs, often ignoring the female form. He advanced into unisex fashions, sometimes experimental, and not always practical. He founded his fashion house in 1950 and introduced the "bubble dress" in 1954. Cardin was designated a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador in 1991, and a United Nations FAO Goodwill Ambassador in 2009.

2. Maurizio Gucci (1948 - 1995)

With an HPI of 67.14, Maurizio Gucci is the 2nd most famous Italian Fashion Designer.  His biography has been translated into 27 different languages.

Maurizio Gucci (26 September 1948 – 27 March 1995) was an Italian businessman and the one-time head of the Gucci fashion house. He was the son of actor Rodolfo Gucci, and grandson of the company's founder Guccio Gucci. On 27 March 1995, he was shot and killed by a hitman hired by his former wife Patrizia Reggiani.

3. Donatella Versace (b. 1955)

With an HPI of 64.42, Donatella Versace is the 3rd most famous Italian Fashion Designer.  Her biography has been translated into 47 different languages.

Donatella Francesca Versace (Italian: [donaˈtɛlla franˈtʃeska verˈsaːtʃe]; born 2 May 1955), sometimes simply referred to mononymously as Donatella, is an Italian fashion designer, businesswoman, socialite, and model. She is the sister of Gianni Versace, founder of the luxury fashion company Versace, with whom she worked closely on the development of the brand and in particular its combining of Italian luxury with pop culture and celebrity. Upon Gianni's death in 1997, she inherited a portion of the Versace brand and became its creative director. She is currently the brand's chief creative officer. Along with her brother Gianni, she is widely credited for the supermodel phenomenon of the 1990s by casting editorial models on the runway.

4. Elsa Schiaparelli (1890 - 1973)

With an HPI of 62.87, Elsa Schiaparelli is the 4th most famous Italian Fashion Designer.  Her biography has been translated into 29 different languages.

Elsa Schiaparelli ( SKAP-ə-REL-ee, SHAP-, US also skee-AHP-, Italian: [ˈɛlsa skjapaˈrɛlli]; 10 September 1890 – 13 November 1973) was an Italian fashion designer from an aristocratic background. She created the house of Schiaparelli in Paris in 1927, which she managed from the 1930s to the 1950s. Starting with knitwear, Schiaparelli's designs celebrated Surrealism and eccentric fashions. Her collections were famous for unconventional and artistic themes like the human body, insects, or trompe-l'œil, and for the use of bright colors like her "shocking pink". Schiaparelli famously collaborated with Salvador Dalí and Jean Cocteau. Along with Coco Chanel, her greatest rival, she is regarded as one of the most prominent European figures in fashion between the two World Wars. Her clients included the heiress Daisy Fellowes and actress Mae West.

5. Roberto Cavalli (1940 - 2024)

With an HPI of 62.44, Roberto Cavalli is the 5th most famous Italian Fashion Designer.  His biography has been translated into 26 different languages.

Roberto Cavalli (Italian pronunciation: [roˈbɛrto kaˈvalli]; 15 November 1940 – 12 April 2024) was an Italian fashion designer and inventor. He was known for exotic prints and for creating the sand-blasted look for jeans. The Roberto Cavalli fashion house sells luxury clothing, perfume and leather accessories.

6. Gianfranco Ferré (1944 - 2007)

With an HPI of 58.25, Gianfranco Ferré is the 6th most famous Italian Fashion Designer.  His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Gianfranco Ferré (Italian pronunciation: [dʒaɱˈfraŋko ferˈre]; 15 August 1944 – 17 June 2007) was an Italian fashion designer also known as "the architect of fashion" for his background and his original attitude toward creating fashion design.

7. Sergio Rossi (1935 - 2020)

With an HPI of 54.38, Sergio Rossi is the 7th most famous Italian Fashion Designer.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Sergio Rossi (31 July 1935 – 2 April 2020) was an Italian shoe designer, who founded his own brand.