Emanuel Ungaro (1933-2019) was born of Italian parents, in France. Trained by his tailor father, Emanuel Ungaro went to Paris in 1955 to work for a small tailoring firm. In 1958 he secured a position with Balenciaga and became chief designer of the house in 1960.
Leaving Balenciaga in 1964 for a brief stint with Courreges, Ungaro then opened his own couture house, with only six other workers in 1965. Ungaro was at first known for his crisp space age tailoring which appealed primarily to the young. Over time, he became more renowned as a colorist, using softer, more fluid fabrics and layered garments. Ungaro Parallele, his pret-a-porter line was created in 1968. A series of successful fragrances were launched starting in the late 1990s.
Emanuel Ungaro retired in 2005 and sold his company. The label continued under various designers such as Peter Dundas and Esteban Cortazar, the latter of whom quit after the company hired actress Lindsey Lohan as artistic director in 2009. This arrangement was not a success, and in 2010 Giles Deacon was hired as creative director. His brief tenure ended in 2012, when he was replaced by Fausto Puglisi. In 2017, Marco Colagrossi became the brand’s Creative Director.
Written by kickshawproductions.com
