Mariuccia Mandelli


Mariuccia Mandelli was an Italian fashion designer and entrepreneur. Mandelli established her ready-to-wear fashion house, Krizia, in 1954 by bringing suitcases of samples to shops in Milan out of her Fiat 500. The Guardian has called her the "godmother of Italian fashion." According to the New York Times, Mandelli was one of the first female fashion designers to create a popular line of men's wear.
In 1964, she unveiled her first black-and-white collection at the Palazzo Pitti in Florence, which earned a Critica della Moda award. The fashion house grew rapidly during the 1960s and 1970s. Under Mandelli, Krizia released a version of shorts cut "very short" in 1971, now seen as an early form of hot pants. Krizia grew into a $500 million business at its height during the 1990s.
Mandelli was born in Bergamo on Jan. 31, 1925. She had a talent as a seamstress and an interest in fashion, but studied to be a teacher based on her mother's advice. Mandelli worked as a teacher for several years until her friend, Flora Dolci, offered use of a flat in Rome for six months rent-free. She purchased an old sewing machine in the early 1950s and founded her label, Krizia, in 1954 by selling clothes from her Fiat 500.
Mariuccia Mandelli died at her home in Milan on December 6, 2015, at the age of 90.