We take a look at a talented fashion designer who has been creating fairytale dresses from a very young age
AFTER HAVING BEGUN to draw as a child, Lorenzo Riva, the renowned designer, made his first ever creation at just 11 years old: an evening gown for his eldest sister. So it wasn’t long before he started making more beautiful dresses, and a few years later, assisted by his mother, herself a model, he opened his first atelier at the age of 18, creating unique evening wear pieces and beautiful wedding gowns. Fashion had always been a passion in the family so it was almost inevitable that Riva would be talented in this field too. His mother was an inspiration, and, he says, still is to this day. She adored assembling and sewing garments, whilst his three sisters would model the first creations by this young talent.
A SENSE OF STYLE
From the initial years that Riva was designing, there is one press comment that pinpoints what made him so special: ‘Lorenzo Riva is creating his own genius sense of style that is in the same class as that of Yves Saint Laurent; he is ‘nouvelle vague’, tall, slender and unique’. Art inspired his creations, and he counted a number of great artists within his circle of acquaintances, including Enrico Baji, Lucio Fontanta and Mimmo Rotella, all of whose art inspired him.
Riva’s dream was to present a show at Palazzo Pitti in Florence, and, armed with an immense yearning to create, he succeeded.
After a few years of designing he presented his collection in the Sala della Scherma della Fortezza da Basso, a prestigious exhibition hall in Florence, which brought him to the attention of the Maison Balenciaga. He began to work for them in Paris, and created beautiful pieces in this atelier, where the grand spirit of Cristobal Balenciaga still lingered. Paris loved him, and in the Avenue George V, he met the designer Pierre Cardin and they exchanged ideas. The French newspaper Le Figaro exclaimed: ‘Balenciaga returns with a prominent creator of talent: Lorenzo Riva’, and in fact, press around the world loved him too, including Vogue, Femme and The New York Times.
Paris loved him, and in the Avenue George V, he met the designer Pierre Cardin and they exchanged ideas
CLIMBING THE LADDER OF SUCCESS
His creations were glamour personified, and catwalk models included beauties Jerry Hall and Brooke Shields. He was starting to make a name for himself across the rest of the world, and after Paris, presented his collections in Mexico and Spain. Upon Riva’s return to Italy, he created his fashion house with his associate Luigi Valietti, and soon after, he opened two new ateliers and presented his line of wedding dresses. These exclusive, linear, clean designs had everyone sitting up in the fashion world, including Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and Elle, who all agreed he was undoubtedly one to watch In the early nineties, Riva unveiled his Haute Couture collection in Rome, and he also, for the first time, presented on the centre stage of ‘Milano Collezioni’, his Prêt-à-Porter collection. Then in 1997, a retrospective of his work was held in New York at which Whitney Houston was present among the guests, and whom Riva later dressed for her concert tour in Japan. The jet set designer then went on to participate at The International Festival of Fashion in Kazakhstan where he was actually the only showcased Italian designer; after which he presented his collection in Monte Carlo at the Hotel de Paris and the Palazzo Grimaldi, in the presence of the Monaco royal family. Four years ago, he presented at the People’s Theatre of Shanghai in the presence of the Chinese Authorities, and also during the Automobile Grand Prix, after having showcased his collection in Brazil, Argentina, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates and Japan.
Riva has created gowns for numerous glamourous celebrities…
HALL OF FAME
As you would expect from such a talented man, Riva has created gowns for numerous glamorous celebrities, including Isabella Rossellini, Penelope Cruz, Emanuelle Seigner, Carmen Maura, Lana Marks, Jerry Hall, Chiara Mastroianni, Ivana Trump, Mafalda d’Aosta and the Princess Claude de France.
His work has been rewarded with many prizes such as the ‘Divina Giulia’ for his career, the ‘Lupa Romana’ from the Mayor of Rome, and he’s also been awarded ‘L’Ambrogino d’Oro’ in Milan. He was recently presented the ‘Capri Hollywood Award’ by Caterina Murino, Casino Royale Bond Girl, for his contributions to Cinema.
Today Lorenzo Riva’s magnificent collections are going from strength to strength and are found in selected boutiques around the world.
LORENZO RIVA
Via Brera 7, 20121 Milano
Tel: + 39 02 877872
Web: www.lorenzoriva.it
