Gianfranco Ferre was an Italian couturier. He is often referred to as the "Architect of Fashion".
Born on August 15, 1944 at Legnano, Italy, Gianfranco Ferre grew up comfortably, attending the Politecnico di Milano, and graduating in 1969 with a concentration in architectural design. After freelancing as a jewelery designer and sojourning in India over the course of two years, Ferre returned to Italy to design raincoats, until opening his own shop at Milan in 1974. This shop, Baila, established under Gianfranco Ferre, S.p.A, was to establish for Ferre the signature style that would make him as successful as he was to become.
The word "baila" is the name of a fusion musical genre from Sri Lanka, which is a combination of native, east African and Portuguese music, which was imported with the European colonization of south and southeast Asia. Ferre had learned of baila in India, and thought the term appropriate to describe the oriental influence on his otherwise traditional designs. Baila was a commercial success; the balance and structure in Ferre's clothing, which came from the coincidence of his architectural background and his travel experiences, proved refreshing to a domestic consumer base. Ferre released his first signature line of women's clothing in 1978, and followed up with a men's line in 1982. After enjoying a great deal of public recognition, and going international with his business, he designed a line of couture for the Roman market in 1986, whose positive reception earned him the position of Stylistic Director at the House of Dior in 1989. Of course, Ferre enjoyed his share of appreciation at Dior -- it had been an Haute Couturier for almost five decades at the time -- but he kept himself busy by concurrently operating at Dior and his ever-growing Gianfranco Ferre, S.p.A., commuting between Paris and Milan in a private jet (Dior is a Parisian design house). Ferre left Dior after working on its Spring 1997 collection; the reason for this is unknown, but it is speculated that he just wanted to focus on his own company.
Performing in recent past better than ever, Gianfranco Ferre, S.p.A. has been running a number of lines, for both men and women. Primarily, the "Ferre" line consists of semi-formal clothing. Ferrejeans, which is, maybe surprisingly, the company's biggest revenue producer, consists of casual wear aimed at the youth market, and its other casual wear lines, such as Studio .0001, Forma O and Oaks by Ferre are currently in collaboration with external luxury garment manufacturers, most notably Marzotto.
Gianfranco Ferre died of complications from a massive brain hemorrhage on June 17, 2007, at the age of 62. Gianfranco Ferre, S.p.A. has been inherited by Ferre's family and the company's Chief Financial Officer, Franco Mattioli. Despite Ferre's unfortunate death, his company is very alive, and still kicking!
VIVA FERRE!
References:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gianfranco_Ferre
www.fashionwindows.com/beauty/gianfranco_ferre/default.asp
www.infomat.com/whoswho/gianfrancoferre.html
http://nymag.com/fashion/fashionshows/designers/bios/gianfrancoferre/