By Marcellous L. JONES

June 18, 2007


Paris, FRANCE - The Italian couturier, Gianfranco Ferré died yesterday at age 62.

On Friday, June 15th, Ferré complained of not feeling well, and had himself admitted to the San Raffaele hospital in Milan for examination. Throughout the night, his condition rapidly deteriorated; and from Saturday to Sunday, he was in intensive care. On Sunday night, the French news anchorwoman Claire Chazal briefly interrupted her network’s coverage of the French legislative results to announce his death.

According to all accounts, complications from a brain hemorrhage are cited as the cause of death. The couturier had previously suffered two brain hemorrhages, with the first coming four years ago. Somehow, he always managed to bounce back into good health.

Ferré was born in the north of Italy on August 15, 1944. After formally studying architecture, he began designing accessories in 1970. It was in 1978 that he created his eponymous fashion house and became an immediate hit. In 1989, he was named artistic director at Christian Dior. He remained at Dior until 1997 when left to focus attentions entirely upon his fashion house. Over the years and under his own label, he has dressed some of the worlds most famous and glamorous women including Oprah Winfrey, Julia Roberts, Naomi Campbell and Madonna.

Ferré’s style is characterized by his encounter with the Orient, his giving privilege in his collections to warm and lively colours such as pink, orange and yellow. Through his creations, he was able to reshape women into his own ideal: free, intelligent, seductive, impassioned, elegant and strong. Upon his death, Ferré left behind a heritage of an expanding fashion house with both women’s and men’s lines, accessories, jeans, eyewear and perfumes.

www.gianfrancoferre.com