Italy: Missoni co-founder dies as millions pay tribute to Italian fashion visionary

Rome: Missoni co-founder Rosita has died aged 93, marking a sorry day for Italian fashion.

The remaining co-founder of revolutionary Italian fashion brand Missoni, Rosita Missoni, former widow to Ottavio, has died, aged 93. Tributes pour in from across Italy and the world as the innovative genius will forever be remembered as one of the catalysts of modern Italian fashion.

Born Rosita Jelmini, in Lombardy in 1931, she had met Ottavio in London in the summer of 1948, whilst he was gearing up for an Olympic final in the 400 meter hurdles and she was learning English at a local boarding school.

The couple then married in 1953, and shortly after decided it would be apt to open a knitwear store, back in Italy. The small store encapsulated the pair’s adulation for fashion and sought to bring their dreams to life of one day changing the perception of Italian fashion to the world.