The Cerruti company, producer of top quality woollen fabrics, is founded in Biella and begins its collaboration with renowned European fashion houses, which continues to this day.

The Trussardi top-quality leather glove manufacturing firm is founded.

Adele Fendi establishes a fur business in Rome, which in time will acquire world wide recognition for its innovative treatment of pelts and their imaginative fashioning.

The Italian born Elsa Schiaparelli designs herself a black sweater with a trompe l'oeil white collar and bow. Noticed by a fashion buyer she decides to attempt selling her unusual creations and is instantaneously successful.

The 25 year old Neapolitan shoemaker, Salvatore Ferragamo, immigrates to the United States were he studies footwear manufacturing before opening a shoe store in Hollywood. His hand-made, one-of-a kind shoes soon fit the feet of stars, such as Gloria Swanson.

Schiaparelli's handful of Armenian knitters has grown to more than 2,000. Perfectly at ease in the world of artists and intellectuals her designs, which have more to do with art than style, were greatly influenced by Surrealists, such as Cocteau and Dali. Her sensational designs include a coat inspired by Dali's City of Drawers. Although she introduced the 'pagoda' sleeve, created hats in the shape of veal cutlets, zipper decorations and fabrics patterned with news clippings, she is best remembered for her use of that very deep and startling colour which she named "shocking pink".

Salvatore Ferragamo returns to Italy and sets up his business in Florence, were his American made fame continues to flourish, serving customers such as Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret. Besides his exquisitely tooled creations, he is credited with having invented the platform sole and wedge heel, which have had a recent comeback in fashion.

Ottavio Missoni, son of an Italian sea captain and a Serbian countess, is in London, as a member of the Italian Olympic team, where he meets his future wife and business partner Rosita. At the time Missoni was a sports-wear manufacturer. He is recognised as the inventor of leg zips on track suits.

The marquis Emilio Pucci opens his couture house. The entry of this descendent of Italian and Russian nobility into fashion was purely accidental. In 1947 after having been photographed by Tony Frissell wearing ski clothes of his own design, Lord & Taylor commissions a women's ski-wear line for them. Within a few years his abstract, boldly coloured prints achieve international recognition and are a must for every fashionable lady. Today they are collectors items.

The Fontana sisters, who have raised their mother's small dressmaking establishment to haute-couture level, begin to sell their magnificent evening gowns in the United States. They design Ava Gardner's costumes for the Barefoot Contessa, President Truman's daughter's wedding gown and are also favourites of Jacqueline Kennedy.

The official anniversary of contemporary Italian fashion. In July of this year Gian Battista Giorgini presents his collection in the historic White Room of the Pitti Palace in Florence.
News of this event spreads around the world, initiating the Made in Italy fashion phenomenon.

Ottavio (Tai) Missoni and Rosita marry and begin to work together. With four knitting machines they produce knitwear for other labels, until Rosita decides that they must produce their own line. With Rosita creating the shapes and Tai filling in the colours they quickly build their multi-coloured, sophisticated woollen empire.

Mariuccia Mandelli, originally an elementary school teacher, presents her first collection calling it "Krizia", a name taken from Plato's dialogue on women's vanity. Her creations made of photo-printed fabric immediately attract the attention of the press.

After several years in Paris, working as general design assistant at Guy Laroche's, Valentino Garavani, better know as Valentino, returns to Rome to open his own atelier, with moderate success.

Fresh from his experience as a window dresser and stylist in Milan's Rinascente department store, Giorgio Armani becomes an assistant in Nino Cerruti's men's wear manufacturing firm.

Valentino shows his line in Florence's Pitti Palace. I Magnin buyers are so enthralled by this urbane and elegant collection that they buy heavily, making his name in the United States. Since then his fame has spread and his refined creations dress the rich and famous world wide.

Nino Cerruti opens the 'Cerruti 1881' boutique in Paris. His casual, yet elegant, men's wear has made him a well established name in fashion.

Jacqueline Kennedy weds Aristotle Onassis wearing a Valentino dress, which was subsequently ordered by thirty-eight other customers; an unprecedented event in the world of haute-couture.

Giorgio Armani opens his own fashion consulting firm with his friend and business partner Sergio Galeotti, working with Ongaro, Segna and Sicons.

Following a degree in architecture and a period as a freelance designer, Gianfranco FerrŽ begins to show under his own label. Within a decade he is recognized as one of Europe's top ready-to-wear designers along with Versace and Armani.

The Giorgio Armani Company is founded, beginning one of Italy's most incredible fashion success stories.

Nicola Trussardi widens the scope of his family's leather goods business by launching a classic women's wear line with the famous greyhound label.

The already famous Fendi fur company, now run by Adele's five daughters, presents its first collection of prét-à-porter designed by Karl Lagerfeld.

Luciano Soprani, following a degree in agriculture and eight years as a designer for Max Mara, presents his first collection in Milan, under his own name. He also designs for Basile, Gucci and Nazareno Gabrielli.

Once again, Armani successfully breaks the rules of fashion by presenting a new style of evening wear, mixing men's shirts and ties with exotic print skirts. His casual, beautifully cut and understated fashion has helped to change attitudes to dressing over the last several decades.

Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana team up to present their first Dolce & Gabbana, women's wear collection. The rich Mediterranean flavour of their design has distinguished their creations since then.

Gianfranco Ferrè becomes the artistic director of the prestigious Dior atelier.

Giorgio Gucci, head of the leather goods and ready-to-wear firm, is shot in front of his apartment house in the centre of Milan. In the same year, his label now owned by an Arab investment company, presents a new and more youthful Gucci look, inspired to 70s fashion.

On the 50th anniversary of the bikini, invented by French engineer Louis Réard, Italian designers re-invent the end-of-the-century two piece bathing suit. In July, at ex Station Leopolda in Florence, the celebrated American theatrical director Bob Wilson presented G.A. Story, a show-event celebrating, also thanks to the fundamental support of his costumes, Giorgio Armani's extraordinary creations.

Bulgari: the story of three generations of celebrated Italian jewellers of Greek origin; over 200 pages in a volume published by Leonardo Arte, illustrated by photographic documents collected form numerous archives. The Bulgari's  beginnings and their famous clients, among whom, Evita Peron, Claire Boothe Luce, Nelson Rockefeller and Barbara Hutton.

Children smiling, wrinkled faces, street people and the streets of Vietnam, swarming with life. These images and many other meaningful works by Bruce Weber, celebrated American photographer tied to the fashion world, are on show from July 3rd to September 1st at Sala delle Cariatidi in Palazzo Reale, Milano. Co-curator, Gianni Versace, a friend of Weber and sponsor of the exhibition, which also revisits the long artistic brotherhood linking the stylist to the photographer.

Rome, Accademia Valentino in piazza Mignanelli: April 20th was a historical evening: sitting at the same table, 30 super-selected guests, from John-John Kennedy to Sophia D'Asburgo, form Alessandra Borghese to Donella Bossi Pucci, froom Rosario and Kiril of Bulgaria to Helena Christensen. All gathered beneath the same roof, and all strictly paying their entry fee, to collect funds in support of Life, the association founded by Valentino and partner Giancarlo Giammetti which collects funds for the fight against Aids.

A warm reception in Japan for Gianfranco Ferrè: in June, Tokyo dedicated an entire week to Ferré. Starting from the exhibition A white story (centred on the celebrated white smock he always wears) continuing with fashion shows in two famous spaces of the capital, the Sezon Theatre and Velfarre Discoteque. The stylist himself then held, for students and designers, a crowded lecture at United Nations University, on the theme of Projecting Matter.

A completely transformed private hangar at Santa Monica Airport in Los Angeles, was the exceptional site for a gala held on June 6th in favor of the fight against Aids. During the evening, organised by Gucci and Tom Ford for Apla's, the sum of over one million dollars was collected. Among the guests, the best names in cinema, fashion and show business.

After having generously donated funds for the re-construction of La Fenice Theatre in Venice, which was destroyed by a fire, and after having set up a big show dedicated to futurist Giacomo Balla, Laura Biagiotti is involved in the restoration of Cordonata del Campidoglio, in Roma, the imposing stairway designed by Michelangelo in 1536 which time had seriously deteriorated.

December, Gianni Versace's month. After the tragic death of the Calabria native stylist, which took place in July in Miami, the Metropolitan Museum in New York pays homage to Versace's mastery with an exhibition: from December 7 to March 28, 80 clothes representative of his creative journey, chosen amongst the prêt-à-porter and high fashion collections will be on show, telling the story of the last 15 years of his profession as stylist. At the same time, in Italy, Publisher Leonardo Arte presents a book dedicated to the designer, the first in its Made in Italy series.