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Franco Moschino, a native Italian, was born in 1950 in the town of Abbiategrasso, near Milan. Sadly, Franco's father died when Franco was a young boy of four. Franco developed a keen interest in art and drawing as a young child.
Pursuing his love of art and drawing, Franco Moschino attended the Accademia di Bella Arte in Milan to study art and painting in 1967. However, in order to finance his education there, he began to sketch fashion designs and illustrations for fashion magazines and houses. Eventually, his clever designs caught the eye of fashion designer Gianni Versace.
In 1971, Franco Moschino began his fashion career with Gianni Versace as a sketcher, when he was asked to draw for a publicity campaign. His sketches were for a collection of ready-to-wear, Genny and Beged'Or, two of Versace's collections at that time. His contribution to the Versace house of fashion continued until 1977. In 1976, Franco also took on a position as a designer with another Italian fashion house, Cadette.
In 1983, Franco left Versace and opened his own company, Moonshadow, on Via Ceradini in Milan, under his label, Moschino. His first showing was wildly successful, as was his second show. Moschino was well-liked by the press for his playful nature and flaunting of the so-called norms of fashion.
Although established fashion houses looked on in horror at the sensational acclaim garnered by Moschino, the adoring fans clamored for more. More is exactly what Moschino gave them- more powerful and evocative combinations and creations, more irreverent styles, and more out-of-this-world fashion.
Although Moschino wanted people to laugh at fashion, he knew they took it too seriously to laugh for long. However, Moschino grasped the challenge anyway, and he created thought provoking fashions replete with original messages through text on cloth or visual puns for his adoring public.
Next, Moschino Couture! was launched. In 1986, his masculine line began with an introduction of men's fine underwear, Uomo. A fine oriental fragrance for women, "Moschino,� was introduced into the world of fashion in 1987. In 1988, his first boutique opened on Via Sant'Andrea in Milan, Italy.
Then, a Moschino fragrance, light, floral, and fruity in scent, was released under the name, "Cheap and Chic.� In 1994, a collection, Ecouture, launched specifically for the purpose of using only environmentally friendly dyes and fabrics was created by Moschino.
Sadly, Moschino died before his time at the tender age of 44. Rosella Jardini, the chief designer, and Marco Gobbetti, the chief executive grasped the reins after Moschino's death to lead Moschino's Fashion house, still located in Milan, Italy. Together they strive to continue Moschino's fashions in the fun and truly extravagant way that Franco had so popularized.
Moschino's clever sense of the inane shined through in almost everything he did and said. His sense of fashion flouted the norm, the contemporary, the classic, and the established. Willing to take that walk out onto the gangplank and tempt the tides of fate, Moschino proved time and time again that he was indeed the man of fashion with an exciting twist. His sense of style was uncanny, his sense of cut and proportion perfect, and his sense of what the public was willing to buy right on the mark.
Women of all ages love his designs, especially his clever use of attachments that are out of the ordinary, artwork that is reminiscent of childhood favorites, and a playful disregard for the expected. Moschino fashions are Italian elegance coupled with a unique and youthful taste of fun.
His untimely death in 1994 has left the fashion world bereft of his enigmatic and dazzling personality, eclectic fashion statements, and avant-garde visions. His goal was to set the fashion world on its ear by upsetting the norm and instead he achieved a high level of success that he found embarrassing. Before his death, Franco Moschino founded a non-profit organization to which part of the Moschino proceeds go.
Moschino, a charismatic, innovative, and imaginative man, was a gift to the world of fashion. His eclectic array of fashion items includes jeans, casual wear, eveningwear, shoes, ties, lingerie, eyeglasses, watches, and perfume. His legacy and interpretation of fashion continues without him as his fashion dynasty expands to more products and continues to produce new and clever fashions.
Image of Moschino from 10 years of kaos, 1989
Article by Susan M. Keenan / lifeinitaly.com
designboom.com
