Founder of the Italian fashion label Missoni, Ottavio Missoni passed away on May 9, 2013 at his residence in northern Italy. He was 92 years old. Missoni SpA issued a statement saying he passed away peacefully at his home in the town of Sumirago.
Small town, near the city of Varese is also home to the company headquarters. The brand was founded by Ottavio in 1953 along with his wife Rosita Jelmini who survives him. The couple have three children who, along with their offspring also got involved with the company and worked on expanding the brand.
The death of the founder comes a year after another family tragedy involving his eldest son, Vittotio Missoni, who was also the CEO of the company. Vittorio had disappeared along with his wife with four others while flying in a small plane to a vacation in Venezuela island. They were never found. The couple’s daughter Angela is the creative director of the company while the third child Luca works in the technical role in the company.
At the very beginning, the company produced athletic wear and Missoni used to be a track-and-field star and even competed in 1948 Olympics.
