Franco Moschino
1950-1994Born in Abbiategrasso, Italy.
Moschino believed that fashion should be fun and he demanded laughs with the slogans he applied to clothes and advertising: 'Waist of Money' and 'Warning: fashion shows can be damaging to your health'. That his protest became fashion itself was testament to the garments they adorned: chic formal suits and evening dresses. As a boy Moschino would go into his father's iron foundry and create images in the dust on the walls. While studying life drawing at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Milan, Moschino undertook design and illustration commissions for fashion houses and magazines. After graduating in 1971, He worked for Gianni Versace until 1977, before moving on to Cadette, where he spent five years as a designer.
The Moschino label got off to a flying start when the designer showed his first women's ready-to-wear collection in Milan, in 1983. His provocative and challenging style, influenced by the theatre, captured the public's imagination and commercial success followed. Within the first year Moschino had achieved a turnover of US$3 million, a record amount for a new designer, and by 1990 the company was generating US$156 million.
An expert tailor, Moschino liked to make visual puns. He created a dinner suit with a knife and fork appliquéd on the bodice; his blazers had windmills for buttons and many of his clothes parodied the woman who purchased them. Today, Moschino produces not only a couture line, but also the Cheap 'n' Chic collection and a fun range of jeans and bright separates for the younger set. Following it's success in Europe and the US, Moschino's wild and wacky creations were introduced to Hong Kong and the rest of Asia. The designer's philosophy was to make people stop and think and with collections that are eye-catching, unexpected and ironic, he certainly earned his title of Clown Prince of Fashion. After his tragic death in 1994, each garment was sold with a manifesto stating that enviromental concerns is 'the only true fashion trend' - the Moschino legend lives on.