OTTAVIO MISSONI

Athletics Champion in the 400 metres and 400 metres hurdles, Olympic athlete in London in 1948, Ottavio Missoni set up shop in 1946 in Trieste as a knitwear manufacturer specialising in sportswear.

In Milan, in June 1966, with the collaboration of his wife Rosita, he had his first success with a brand new collection compared to the knitwear traditional schemes. Then the fashion shows in Palazzo Pitti and in April 1970 a very successful collection that the Americans christened "Put - Together" and that brought him to the highest national and international levels, among the limited number of designers with the greatest impact on the present and future way of dressing.

In September 1973 in Dallas the Missonis were awarded the "Neiman Marcus Fashion Award", the most prestigious international fashion prize. Missoni’s models can be found in several museums in the world such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

1974 - The Missonis leave Florence and the Pitti stage. In order to present all their collection they choose Milan, their natural seat.
WWD under the title: "Milan: US buyers acclaim the greatest Missoni ever" writes: "Missoni is the reason for coming to Milan. But Rosita and Tai Missoni are no longer just Italian Fashion. They are world Leaders".

In 1979 the Milan Municipality held a tapestry exhibition and wrote: "Missoni is not a factory, or a designer but simply an artist". The exhibition had a great success and was later held in several world galleries such as the Art Museum University of California in Berkeley and recently in Tokyo at the Yurakucho Asahi Gallery.

In 1993 the President of the Italian Republic confers on Missoni the title of 'Cavaliere al merito del Lavoro'.

In 1997 in London he receives the Honorary Doctorate Degree 'Honorary Royal Designer for Industry' (HONRDI), an honor the Royal Society of Art confers every year upon a limited number of international designers.

In 1999 in San Francisco he receives the Honorary Doctorate Degree "Doctor of Humane Letters" from the Academy of Art College, the most important Arts University in the USA.

Missoni S.p.A. is today an industry with 250 employees and an annual turnover of 30 billion Euro.