Rosita Missoni was co-founder of the legendary luxury fashion house Missoni, along with her husband, Ottavio Missoni (1921–2013).
- Died: January 1, 2025 (Who else died on January 1?)
- Details of death: Died at her home in Sumirago, Italy at the age of 93.
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Rosita Missoni’s legacy
Missoni and her husband were married in 1953, and they started their business the same year. They initially titled their small fashion label Maglificio Jolly. But within a few years, they had renamed it Missoni, and they had their first big success under that name in 1959 with a collection of shirt dresses.
The couple designed together throughout their career, including working to create their signature look, knitwear with colorful zigzag patterns. It was Missoni who first experimented with such colorful stripes on a knitting machine, and her husband built on her experiments to launch the brightly chaotic knitwear that became their bread and butter. By the early 1970s, the Italian fashion house was at its peak with its sought-after styles.
In the 1990s, Missoni began to transition control of the family design company to her daughter, Angela, while she focused on the family’s rising brand, Missoni Home. She brought the signature Missoni style to fabrics used for furniture, curtains, and other home furnishings.
Missoni on her early days in business
“We were so daring then. We had no money. But we had passion. I realize, looking back, we had a certain power.” — from a 2015 interview for Surface
Tributes to Rosita Missoni
Full obituary: The New York Times
