The Bite Magazine - Autumn/Winter 2022 - Issue 32

Laura The Energy of Beauty Biagiotti bitefashion I n the 17th century, Italy’s status as one of the most fashionable countries in Europe declined when the designs of the Spanish, English and French courts be- came more prominent. It returned to the forefront of style after the Second World War when fashion pioneer and entrepreneur Giovanni Battista Giorgini presented his 1951 Sala Bianca fashion show in Florence. Among the attendees were North American department store agents whose pres- ence was crucial to the future of Italian fashion. With Italian fashion houses like Bulgari, Prada, Gucci and Ferragamo making their mark in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, other emerging designers, including Valentina, Giorgio Armani, Versace and Dolce & Gabba- na, carried on the baton. Next-generation designs included couture by Giambattista Valli and bold ready-to-wear from Fausto Puglisi. The ready-to-wear phenomenon became the new fashion language in the 1960s, while Made in Italy marked the style for a universe of goods in the 1980s. One of Italy's most excellent designers, Laura Biagiotti, sig- nificantly impacted the fashion industry. As a young stu- dent, she helped her mother, Delia Soldaini, a successful dressmaker and atelier owner. Whilst studying archaeology at Rome University, Laura abandoned her academic studies to focus on fashion design. She continued working with her mother and other designers such as Schuberth, Barocco, Cappucci, Heinz Riva and Licitro until she opened her first store in Florence with her husband, Gianni Cigna. Labelled the ‘Lady of Italian Fashion’, Laura was globally famous for her unique styles with an unusual refined di- mension approach unprecedented at the time. She began commercial and cultural relationships in several countries, including being the first Italian designer to stage a fashion show in Beijing in 1988, where 30 Chinese models pre- sented her most significant creations paying homage to the cashmere and silk used by China for centuries. She was also the first Italian designer to do a fashion show in Moscow in PCUS (Communist Party of the Soviet Un- ion)’s old headquarters in 1995, linking Italian fashion and culture with the nation at the time. Two years later, Laura was invited to show her designs at Cairo's Egyptian Red Cross charity benefit. Biagiotti Day in 2004 was a grand cel- ebration that saw the designer present her fashion show in Rome on the Piazza del Campidoglio for the first time.