LA DOLCE VITA

Designer Ottavio Missoni Dies

Founder of Italian fashion house passes away at 92.

Ottavio Missoni, the patriarch of the iconic fashion brand known for its zigzag-patterned knitwear, died Thursday in his home in northern Italy. He was 92 years old. Missoni founded the company in 1953 with his wife, Rosita Jelmini, who survives him. They went on to create a fashion dynasty, with the couple’s three children all working to expand the family business. Launched in 1966, the brand never conformed to fashion trends. “I've never done what was fashionable," Missoni told WWD in February 2011. "I didn't want to work with preset schemes, and I paint my own way.” Missoni’s death comes only months after his eldest child, company CEO Vittorio Missoni, disappeared with his wife and four others while flying a small plane en route to a Venezuelan island. Tragically, they were never found.