Italian design legend Nino Cerruti passed away on Saturday 15th January 2022. According to Italian daily Corriere della Sera, he died in the hospital of Vercelli in the Piedmont region, where he had undergone hip surgery.
“The staff of Maison Cerruti in Paris and their colleagues in Hong Kong, China, Taiwan and their licensing partners join his family, Lanificio Cerruti’s colleagues, friends and all his fans in sharing their deep To express sadness at the death of Signor Nino,” read a statement posted on the brand’s official Instagram account on Saturday.
“Today we have lost the epitome of a true gentleman, a talented man, a revolutionary designer, a man ahead of his time, a garment philosopher, an extraordinary mentor to whom the entire fashion world owes so much thanks since he was born in 1967 founded his maison at Place de la Madeleine,” it continues.
Nino Cerruti took over the textile company founded by his grandfather in Biella in northern Italy in 1881 at the age of only 20 after the premature death of his father, modernized it and added clothing production. In the era of bespoke tailoring, he made waves with his first ready-to-wear collection for men in 1957.
Just ten years later, he founded his own Maison 55 years ago in Paris and is credited as the inventor of the deconstructed jacket and “casual chic” that emphasizes the movement and natural elegance of the wearer. Giorgio Armani worked for him for six years in the ’60s before founding his own eponymous brand in 1975.
In 1980, Cerruti was the first to integrate athletic apparel into the world of luxury. The characteristic fragrance “1881” was added 30 years ago. In 2001, Cerruti sold his fashion house to the Italian clothing group Finpart.
Cerruti was a passionate athlete, avant-gardist and visionary who, as early as 2005, criticized the state of the fashion industry at the time. “Where else do you find so much superficiality, egocentricity, so much ado about nothing? Such ignorance?” said the then 74-year-old in an interview with Stern magazine.
He also lamented that “the percentage of talented people had dropped drastically”, but he was also convinced that “the one who can breathe soul into a product is always indispensable” and proved this with his own example.
The details of the funeral will be announced by the family in the next few days.