Rosita Missoni (née Jelmini; 20 November 1931 – 1 January 2025[1]) was an Italian knitwear designer. She and her husband Ottavio Missoni co-founded Italian luxury fashion house Missoni.[2]
Rosita Missoni | |
|---|---|
 Rosita in 2019 | |
| Born | Rosita Jelmini 20 November 1931 |
| Died | 1 January 2025 (aged 93) Sumirago, Italy |
| Occupations |
|
| Board member of | Missoni |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3, including Vittorio |
| Website | www |
Early life
editRosita Jelmini was born in Golasecca, northern Italy, on 20 November 1931.[3] Her family were textile artisans based in the Milan region who specialized in the manufacture of shawls[4][5]
Career
editShe met Ottavio Missoni in 1948 when he was participating in the London Olympics,[6] and married him in 1953.[4]
In 1953, she and Ottavio started a small knitwear store in Gallarate. The business would become the fashion house Missoni. They later moved to Sumirago where they built a factory. They were part of a group of Italian designers whose ready-to-wear clothing became popular globally in the 1950s and 1960s.[6] The brand became famous for its colorful knitted garments with zigzag patterns, made on "Raschel" machines like those used by Rosita Missoni's family for making shawls.[6] Rosita Missoni cites Sonia Delaunay as one of her inspirations.[7]
From 1997, the couple's children, Angela, Luca, and Vittorio Missoni, took over the management of the fashion house, sharing the creative and financial aspects,[6] while Rosita Missoni developed Missoni Home and dedicated herself to interior design by reusing old patterns.[4]
Personal life and death
edit
She and Ottavio Missoni married in 1953.[3] They had three children, all of whom became involved with the Missoni business; their son, Vittorio Missoni, was CEO until his death in a plane crash in 2013.[3] Ottavio Missoni died later that year.[3]
Rosita Missoni lived in a house in Sumirago since 1970, which she decorated in a colourful and exuberant way, with a certain proportion of pieces found at flea markets.[8] She regularly received journalists there.[8]
Missoni died at her home in Sumirago on 1 January 2025, at the age of 93.[3]
References
edit- ^ "Addio a Rosita Missoni, con lei il mito delle trame multicolori". 2 January 2025. Archived from the original on 4 January 2025. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
- ^ Blazio-Licorish, Tonya (2 January 2025). "Rosita Missoni Matriarch, Cofounder and Designer of the Missoni Luxury Brand Dies at 93 [PHOTOS]".
- ^ a b c d e Wertheim, Bonnie (2 January 2025). "Rosita Missoni, Who Turned Zigzag Sweaters Into High Fashion, Dies at 93". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- ^ a b c "Rosita Missoni, cofondatrice avec son époux de la maison de mode éponyme, est morte à 93 ans". Franceinfo (in French). 2 January 2025. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
- ^ Champenois, Sabrina (3 January 2025). "Mode : avec la disparition de Rosita Missoni, l'Italie perd sa reine de la maille". Libération. Archived from the original on 3 January 2025. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
- ^ a b c d Conlon, Scarlett (2 January 2025). "Italian fashion designer and 'colour genius' Rosita Missoni dies aged 93". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
- ^ "Les nuances de Rosita Missoni pour le printemps à la maison". Madame Figaro (in French). 22 May 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
- ^ a b Conlon, Scarlett (3 April 2022). "Inside the joyful Lombardy home of Rosita Missoni". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 9 January 2025.