Gianfranco Ferré Dead at Age 62

Wow, there have been a lot of deaths this year in the fashion world. The above photo is of Gianfranco Ferré and Nan Kempner who also recently passed away. The following news is from Fashion Week Daily:

Gianfranco Ferré, perhaps best known as the “architect of fashion” for his sculpted shapes, structured forms, and for his groundbreaking career at Christian Dior, died Sunday evening after suffering a massive brain hemorrhage. The Italian designer was 62.

Ferré was taken to the San Raffaele hospital in Milan on Friday after suffering the hemorrhage. A statement was released by Ferré’s family Sunday night confirming his death.

The acclaimed designer was born on August 15, 1944 in Legnano in northern Italy and started his career in 1970 as an accessories and jewelry designer. From 1972-1974, he moved on to clothes as a raincoat designer. His unofficial title as Italy’s “architect of fashion” was in large part due to his degree in architecture, which he earned in 1969 from Milan’s Polytechnic Institute that inspired his designs.

He started his own company Baila in 1974 and launched his first signature women’s collection in 1978, but it would be 11 years later when Ferré would leave a lasting mark on fashion. In 1989, he was tapped by Bernard Arnault, chairman and chief executive officer of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, to be the top designer at the house of Christian Dior. He succeeded Marc Bohan. At the time, it was almost unheard of for a non-French designer to lead the venerable Parisian house. Ferré stayed on at Dior until the fall of 1996 (his last collection for the house was Spring 1997), when he announced he would be returning to Milan to tend to his own women’s and men’s collections.

Ferré’s style was based on simple and structured lines, and the white blouse became his most famous trademark. His suits were used by businesswomen around the world looking for an elegant, conservative look. For evening, Ferré often made important dresses with ample skirts supported by layers of crinolines.

In a statement released by his office, Giorgio Armani characterized Ferré as a civil man. “The image that comes to my mind when thinking of Gianfranco Ferré is a man of dignity and calm with a sense of responsibility which always accompanied him,” Armani said. “We knew each other for many years, although not very well, as we both started our careers in what was a special moment for Italian fashion. However, I always observed his work and particularly admired him for his coherence and the intellectualism and artistry upon which he based his fashion philosophy until the end. The greatest sign of his character was in that constant expression of absolute independence.”

Likewise Linda Fargo, now senior vice president, store presentation and women's fashion director at Bergdorf Goodman, said her fondest memory of Ferré came from her days at I. Magnin in San Francisco, Calif., where she was vice president of visual merchandising. "We had a dinner for him one season," she recalled, "and he did the most beautiful white blouses with the collars and cuffs. They were always so consistently beautiful."

In the last few seasons, the very private Ferré had sought to rejuvenate his brand’s image, tapping Julia Roberts and the European rock singer Skin to star in his advertising campaigns. This past February, Ferré held court at his company’s expansive Milan headquarters on Via Pontaccio when he threw a big bash that featured a live performance by Skin.

In 2002, Ferré sold Gianfranco Ferré to It Holding, but he stayed on as creative director. His Spring 2008 men’s wear collection is scheduled to be presented on June 24 in Milan. It remains unclear whether Ferré’s design team will present a fashion show in his absence.

Ferré is survived by a brother and sister-in-law.

Photo: NYSD circa 2005