Roberto Cavalli...40 Years of Greatness

Last week, David Tlale was designer of the week here on Thetcf.com. This week I chose Roberto Cavalli, because his work is TRENDY, CHIC and FABULOUS!!! Also, he is celebrating his 40th anniversary of his clothing label, so that made it even more right to pick him as designer of the week.

Below is a recent interview he did to celebrate his 40 years in the business. Check it out.

The genius of Roberto Cavalli is that he lives exactly as he should. He is not a subtle man, and he doesn't make subtle clothes. Cavalli lives a leopard-print life.

Take, for example, his casa on a hill overlooking Florence, Italy. A 14th-century watchtower, it has four birdcages housing colorful macaws and a hysterical cockatoo, dozens of crystal balls, walls of classical portraits, a Julian Schnabel plate painting of his wife, Eva, a cellar full of Cavalli wine and Cavalli vodka, a tanning machine, and a bedazzled motorbike. Down the hill is Cavalli's ultramodern photo studio, a techtastic palace with light-up floors. Photography is his latest obsession; he's off to New Guinea next week to shoot "the last cannibal tribe."

Cavalli has been living large since 1970, this year celebrating the 40th anniversary of his fashion label. He began to hit his stride in the late '60s in Florence, where he came up with an innovative technique to print on leather. In 1970, he made his runway debut in Paris with leather evening gowns and swimsuits, followed by embellished jeans, and now he sits atop an empire with an estimated worth of well over $1 billion.

What does he know now that he wishes he knew then?
"Eh, good question," he says, puffing on a nicotine-filled electronic cigarette, glowing blue at the tip. ("I start to cough," he explains, "so I do this.") "I know many things. Forty years ago, I expected all the world. I was very enthusiastic, but I didn't understand that you have to follow the system. The big fish run the show." But now you're a big fish. "I'm a middle fish, but there are small fish that are poisonous." He smiles cryptically.

Cavalli, 69, is still pondering his place in fashion's Amazon when he's interrupted by the arrival of a lion cub for this photo shoot. "Ah, mio amore!" he says, jumping up and giving the cub a cuddle. "Where was I," he says, trying, unsuccessfully, to balance the lion on his lap. "Today, I'm very happy about myself, because I realized my dreams. I learned how to understand what people want. With time, fashion has become part of my DNA."

Another constant has been Cavalli's marriage to the chic, and very patient, Eva. They have been married for 30 years, meeting when he was judging the Miss Universe Pageant in 1977. She was Miss Austria. Today, they design the Cavalli collection together and take their bow as a duo every season. "When we met, I didn't know working in fashion would become the biggest love of her life," Cavalli says. What's the secret to a long-lasting marriage? Chuckle. "Next question." Who's the boss? "No boss. She's a woman. She's wonderful. She loves my taste, I love her taste. We never fight over the collection." But it's hard to leave fashion at the studio door. "Sometimes it's not easy when you come home and want to eat," he sighs... click here to continue reading

Originally posted 10/12/10

Posted in: Celebrity Fashion, Fabulous, Repost, Roberto Cavalli, Trendy