The Accademia Italiana mourns Elio Fiorucci

Elio Fiorucci died in his Milanese home, a loss to the world of fashion as well as to the Accademia Italiana, to whom the designer was always tied and honoured with the Pyramid of Excellence award that each year the students assign to the great masters in fashion, design, photography and graphics.

Elio Fiorucci made many visits to our school in Florence as well as to the one in Rome and in Bangkok where he conducted lively workshops. He blended in well with the students thanks to his unconventional, pop and extravagant style. Fiorucci was indeed the first to grasp the allure of street style. An intuition and feeling for fashion that distinguished his style, a “must” for an entire epoch of Italian fashion. In the middle of the 1960’s he took the free and transgressive spirit of Swinging London to Milan. It was a during trip to London that he was forcibly struck by the discovery of Biba, King’s Road and Carnaby Street. Right up until the end, he remained faithful to his brand and to his cult colours, the cherubs and the shocking pink. In a recent interview for this blog he emphasised his appreciation of the Accademia Italiana courses “a school – he said- that instils character and creativity to its students”.