Elio Fiorucci

Elio Fiorucci (Milan, June 10, 1935 – Milan, July 20, 2015) was an Italian fashion designer active in the fashion industry. At just 17, he began working in his father's small slipper shop in central Milan. In 1967, he opened his first store in Milan’s Galleria Passarella— a window to the world featuring the latest trends from Carnaby Street, London’s hit parade, and American influences. By 1970, the Fiorucci name had become a brand with its own industrial production, distributed across Europe, South America, and Japan. The Milan store became a gathering place for young people rebelling against conventions, giving birth to the Fiorucci Style and the concept of lifestyle fashion. Fiorucci gained worldwide fame. In 2004, the Milan Chamber of Commerce awarded Elio Fiorucci the Talent Scout, Entrepreneur, and Communicator prize. In 2006, Milan’s mayor Letizia Moratti honored him with the Ambrogino d’Oro for his role in Italian fashion, stating: "Elio Fiorucci revolutionized youth style, capturing and blending new trends from young people around the world." In 2007, the Triennale Museum inaugurated the exhibition "The Seventies: The Long Decade of the Short Century," dedicating a space to Elio Fiorucci called "Fiorucciland," symbolizing the fashion revolution of the 1970s.