Italian fashion designer Lorenzo Riva dies at 85

Lorenzo Riva, the Italian fashion designer known for his wedding dresses and inspirations from post-war artists, died on December 16, 2023, at San Gerardo Hospital in Monza due to COVID-19 complications. Born in Monza on October 3, 1938, Riva opened his first atelier at age 18 and was compared to Yves Saint Laurent early on. His career included a 1972 debut at Palazzo Pitti in Florence, artistic direction of Balenciaga in the early 1980s, and later shows at Alta Roma and Milan fashion weeks. In 2019, the Museo della Seta di Como held his first retrospective curated by Paolo Aquilini. Riva also worked as a costume designer for films by Monicelli, Bracco, and Tornatore, and dressed celebrities including Isabella Rossellini, Penelope Cruz, Jerry Hall, and Chiara Mastroianni. His creative process was influenced by artists Mimmo Rotella, Enrico Baj, and Lucio Fontana. In 2012, he sold his brand to HdC, but the company filed for bankruptcy in 2015.