Designer Cavalli Defies the Recession

Roberto Cavalli’s name is synonymous with sexy, edgy designs. The father of animal print and Lycra jeans talks to Vanity Fair’s Mark Seal about his rebellious childhood in Florence, his rise to the top of the fashion world, and his confidence at staying there. “I declare war on the economic crisis!” says Cavalli, who defied the recession by opening a 26,190-square-foot restaurant and nightclub and a seven-story department store.

Cavalli “is a hot-blooded Italian man,” says client Cindy Crawford. He set out to make his fortune in order to procure a Ferrari and a girl, learning his trade by attending art school, visiting the Italian textile capital, and crashing a designer’s party. “I hate what is boring!” he says. “I feel life is so short that we have to create something to make us to enjoy!” (More Roberto Cavalli stories.)