MILAN — A new five-year license with Italy’s Ciwifurs will provide Roberto Cavalli with a full-fledged fur collection under the designer’s signature brand, starting with the pre-fall 2006 season.
The collection, which will be made up of 50 designs, will be available in stores next June. Animal prints and flamboyant furs are cornerstones of Cavalli’s fashion and the expression of his passion for nature, which last year spurred him to support the “Wild: Fashion Untamed” exhibition at New York’s Metropolitan Museum.
“This license will allow me to enrich my ready-to-wear collection, which has always been peppered with fur details and a few fur pieces,” said Cavalli. “Furs are part of my world and Ciwifurs’ technique and technology are uniquely superior. I think Ciwifurs [chief executive officer Gianni Castiglioni] was intrigued by my style as the company experiments continuously to develop new designs.”
Cavalli said he is confident Ciwifurs will never make his designs “banal or too over the top.” Among the highlights, Cavalli mentioned a chinchilla fur printed with a tiger-skin effect and a large selection of vests and stoles.
“Fur vests are a must for next fall,” he said.
Cavalli’s furs had been produced in-house.
“We believe the Roberto Cavalli brand has still ample potential to develop internationally,” said a Ciwifurs spokesman. “Its strong style and identity is a stimulating challenge for us.”
Ciwifurs also works with Fendi, Prada, Jil Sander, Valentino, Dior, Louis Vuitton and Marni. Both Cavalli and Ciwifurs declined to reveal sales projections for the new collection.