The designer Nino Cerruti passed away this afternoon at the age of 91. Originally from Biella, in Piedmont, he inherited the family business at a very young age. Over the years he has invested heavily in the research and development of materials, adding particular attention to design with taste and highly personal intuitions. Since 1957 he has achieved worldwide resonance with the presentation in Milan of his first clothing line, the Hitman. In 1962 he founded the brand with Osvaldo Testa Flying Crosyes, the first Designer Line which adds to the Hitman line. In 1967 he opened the first Cerruti 1881 boutique in Place de la Madeleine a Paris.
Nino Cerrutic
In the mid-sixties in his Lanificio Fratelli Cerruti he avails himself of the collaboration of new emerging names in Italian fashion. He hires a very promising young designer: Giorgio Armani. It establishes licensing agreements in Japan and the USA in order to increase the visibility of the brand internationally. In addition to artistic skills, he proves to have an increasingly strong entrepreneurial vocation in the global market. Also in the seventies was born the women's line which, twenty years later, will represent 20 percent of the company's total turnover.
In 1975 Hitman began the production and distribution of knitwear, shirts and casual lines: Cerruti 1881 Brothers. At the end of the 70s he also launched the first men's perfume linked to the brand, called 'Nino Cerruti', followed by other intuitions and innovations: in the 80s the sportswear line, particularly appreciated for clothing dedicated to tennis and skiing . Sponsor world-renowned athletes such as American tennis player Jimmy Connors and Swedish skier Ingemar Stenmark
An international brand
The brand's popularity increased further in 1994 when the brand became the official designer of the Ferrari Formula 1 team. At the beginning of the 90s he launched two new perfumes: 'Cerruti 1881 Pour Homme 'and' Cerruti 1881 Pour Femme ', eBoth produced and distributed by Elizabeth Arden. It also opens single-brand stores in China, Hong Kong, Thailand and Indonesia. In 1995 the production of the 'Cerruti Arte' women's line began in the 'Top Designer' segment.
And, again, in 1998 the Cerruti store opens on Madison Avenue New York. In 2000 a flagship store was also born in Hong Kong. In the same year he launched the female version of the 'Cerruti Image' perfume. Also in 2000 Nino Cerruti was appointed Cavaliere del Lavoro by the President of the Republic.
Among the awards received, the Bath Museum of Costume Dress of the Year Award, England, 1978; the Munich Fashion Week Award, 1981; the Cutty Sark Award, 1982, 1988 and the Pitti Uomo Award, Italy, 1986.
(On the cover Nino Cerruti - photo Lanificio Fratelli Cerruti)
