At the age of 93, Rosita Missoni, co-founder of the luxury fashion house Missoni, died in Italy. This was reported by the newspaper La Repubblica.

According to the report, Missoni passed away on January 2. The details of her death have not been disclosed.

Rosita Missoni was born on November 21, 1931. In 1953, she married Ottavio Missoni. That same year, they opened a shop together, which later grew into the iconic Italian luxury fashion house.

The signature feature of the Missoni brand became its colorful zigzag pattern, and its primary material was knitwear.

«We could only make stripes at first, but then we started doing horizontal and vertical ones, gradually adding more complex stitches, plaids, and jacquards,» Rosita recalled. «Then we found Raschel machines that made zigzags, and that was it. My grandparents used to sew colorful shawls with large rose patterns and long hand-tied fringes, like the ones used for lampshades.»

The global popularity of the Missoni brand was boosted by a controversial 1967 show at the Pitti Palace in Florence, where models walked the runway in transparent tops without underwear. By the early 1970s, Missoni knitwear was being hailed as the best in the world.

At various times, the fashion house’s clothing was worn by actors such as Jennifer Lopez, Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts, Sharon Stone, Alain Delon, and many others. The brand’s ambassadors included actress Drew Barrymore in 2006 and actress Leighton Meester in 2011.

Photo:  Daniele Venturelli/WireImage