Emilio Cavallini Italian designer Country: Italy

Biography of Emilio Cavallini

Emilio Cavallini is an Italian designer, particularly known for his collections of stockings and tights. He was born in 1945 in San Miniato, a small historic town in the province of Pisa, Tuscany. Cavallini studied at the University of Florence from 1964 to 1966, but dropped out due to his passionate interest in the fashion world. He then headed to 'Swinging London', where he was captivated by everything new and unconventional.

During his time in London, Cavallini met Mary Quant, the designer credited with popularizing the miniskirt. This marked the beginning of Cavallini's love for stockings and tights. He was one of the first designers to offer patterned tights to women. He developed tights with black and white patterns, polka dots, stripes, animal prints, skulls, abstract motifs, and various mesh designs. Cavallini particularly enjoyed incorporating glowing patterns into his designs.

In 1970, Cavallini opened his own company, 'Stilnovo Spa', in his hometown of San Miniato. Aside from collaborating with Mary Quant, the young designer began working with more renowned brands such as Dior, Celine, Roberta di Camerino, Balenciaga, Gucci, Alexander McQueen, and others.

In 1980, Cavallini registered his own trademark, 'Emilio Cavallini', for his tights collections. The brand experienced instant success, particularly in Italy where the designer gained immense popularity. Cavallini expanded his designs to include not only hosiery but also footwear, leather accessories, swimwear, and avant-garde clothing for young women and men.

Cavallini's company opened flagship stores in Florence, Milan, Rome, Paris, Düsseldorf, London, Hong Kong, and Tokyo. He showcased his collections for men in Paris and for women in Milan. He became a member of the Milan Chamber of Fashion.

In the 1980s, Cavallini felt it was time to explore new forms and began developing seamless clothing. These garments were created on special seamless machines with large cylinders originally used for knitwear production. He presented his collection in New York and continued to develop body-hugging clothing. His creations appeared in prestigious fashion magazines and were sold in luxurious stores worldwide, including Bloomingdales, Barney, and Selfridges.

In 2009, 'Stilnovo Spa' produced 4 million fashionable tights that were sold globally. Currently, Cavallini is working on creating an archive of all the patterns and techniques he has worked on over the past 40 years. He also has a passion for contemporary and ancient art, which inspires him to create artworks of various forms and sizes using tights as if they were strings.