Nino Cerruti
Encyclopedia
Nino Cerruti is an Italian businessman and stylist, among the most famous in the world.
He founded his own haute couture
house Cerruti
in 1967 in Paris
. He manages today the Italian family business Lanificio Fratelli Cerruti founded in 1881 by his grandfather.
en business after his father's untimely death. Nino's grandfather had founded a textile mill
in Biella
, Italy in 1881 (Lanificio Fratelli Cerruti). Drawing from his experience in producing
excellent fabrics, Cerruti ventured into the production
of clothing in the late 1950s. His first men's collection, Hitman, was shown in 1957 and was considered a revolution
in men's wear at the time. Eventually, in 1967, the Cerruti menswear line was launched which was to be followed by a womenswear collection a year later.
The first Cerruti
boutique
opened in 1967 in Place de la Madeleine in Paris, where Cerruti moved the company's headquarters
in order to be closer to the international fashion capital. The fabric
production under the name of Lanificio Fratelli Cerruti and the Hitman label remained in Italy. Cerruti, Lanificio Cerruti of Biella
and Hitman, based out of Corsico
, together formed Fratelli Cerruti, the Cerruti Brothers group.
Over the years, Cerruti offered womenswear and menswear, the Cerruti 1881 diffusion line, a luxury ready-to-wear collection named Cerruti Arte, Cerruti Jeans, the Cerruti Brothers business collection for men, Cerruti 1881 Shapes for the Asian market as well as fragrances
and accessories. Later the clothing lines were regrouped under the 'Cerruti 1881' name. Cerruti has always been known for its classic wool suits
, always trying to match the everyday challenges for its owner.
In 1978, the Cerruti
house made an entry into the world of fine fragrance with Nino Cerruti pour Homme, soon to be followed by Cerruti 1881 pour Homme in 1990, Cerruti Image in 1998, among others fragrances.
In the 1980s, Cerruti began a collaboration with cinema. From Bonnie and Clyde
, Pretty Woman
to Basic Instinct
, the brand Cerruti
designed clothes for actors such as Michael Douglas
, Jack Nicholson
, Tom Hanks
, Bruce Willis
, Sharon Stone
, Robert Redford
, Harrison Ford
, Al Pacino
or Jean Paul Belmondo.
According to imdb.com, Mr. Cerruti had cameo appearances in the following Hollywood
movies: Holy Man
(1998), Catwalk (1996) and Cannes Man (1996).
In 1994 Cerruti
was the official designer of the famous Scuderia Ferrari
.
- who was to found his own eponymous fashion empire in 1974 - had worked for Cerruti at Hitman, under the direction of Mr. Cerruti.
Nino Cerruti named Narciso Rodriguez
, a former Anne Klein
, Calvin Klein
and TSE designer, creative director of Cerruti in 1996 but replaced him with Peter Speliopoulos
, a Donna Karan
designer, already in 1997.
In October 2000, in an effort to secure global expansion, Nino Cerruti sold 51% of his company
to Fin.Part, an Italian industrial group, that would less than a year later buy the rest of the company and force Mr. Cerruti out after irreconcilable differences at age 71. "There was a perpetual conflict of interest", Cerruti said later. Hence, the Spring Summer 2002 collection marked the end of Cerruti being designed by Nino Cerruti.
In autumn 2001, Fin.Part installed Italian Roberto Menichetti, responsible for the creative revival of Burberry
before that, as Creative Director who left the house after only one season. Menichetti was succeedded by Istvan Francer, a former Donna Karan
designer, who stayed on for two seasons.
In spring 2003, David Cardona, who had worked for Richard Tyler
and Chrome Hearts
, replaced Istvan Francer as creative director at Cerruti. Scotsman
Adrian Smith was appointed head of the menswear collections.
By 2004, the company was in a deep crisis and restructuring plans proved unsuccessful. Fin.part declared bankruptcy
in 2005. Consequently, Cerruti was put in pawn
.
In August 2006, after an unsuccessful takeover attempt by another Italian menswear manufacturer - Manifattura Paolini - in 2005, Cerruti
finally was sold to United States private equity
firm MatlinPatterson. MatlinPatterson intends to revitalize the Cerruti brand
. Nicolas Andreas Taralis, a former designer with Dior
Homme who also owns his signature fashion label, was appointed creative director
in summer 2006.
In October 2007, Taralis was replaced by Belgian Jean Paul Knott, a former Krizia
, Yves Saint Laurent
and Louis Féraud
designer
who also owns his own eponymous fashion label. Knott had originally been hired by Taralis to oversee the label's diffusion line Cerruti 1881 in March 2007.
Since 2000 Mr. Cerruti himself has concentrated on the family-owned textile mill
business (Lanificio Fratelli Cerruti) in Biella
since his departure. He did not cut all ties with the fashion house Cerruti though and is invited to the fashion shows which he attends at the front row.
In 2004, Lanificio F.lli Cerruti bought the Italian furniture
design company Baleri.
He founded his own haute couture
Haute couture
Haute couture refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted clothing. Haute couture is made to order for a specific customer, and it is usually made from high-quality, expensive fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail and finished by the most experienced and capable seamstresses,...
house Cerruti
Cerruti
Cerruti is a fashion house founded in 1967 in Paris by the Italian stylist and fashion designer Nino Cerruti.The Cerruti house designs, manufactures, distributes, and retails luxury ready-to-wear, jeans, fragrances, sportswear, leather goods, watches, and accessories...
in 1967 in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. He manages today the Italian family business Lanificio Fratelli Cerruti founded in 1881 by his grandfather.
Personal history
The head of the family woolWool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
en business after his father's untimely death. Nino's grandfather had founded a textile mill
Cotton mill
A cotton mill is a factory that houses spinning and weaving machinery. Typically built between 1775 and 1930, mills spun cotton which was an important product during the Industrial Revolution....
in Biella
Biella
Biella is a town and comune in the northern Italian region of Piemonte, the capital of the province of the same name, with some 45,800 inhabitants as of 2009. It is located about 80 km northeast of Turin and about 80 km west-northwest of Milan.It lies in the foothills of the Alps,...
, Italy in 1881 (Lanificio Fratelli Cerruti). Drawing from his experience in producing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
excellent fabrics, Cerruti ventured into the production
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
of clothing in the late 1950s. His first men's collection, Hitman, was shown in 1957 and was considered a revolution
Revolution
A revolution is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively short period of time.Aristotle described two types of political revolution:...
in men's wear at the time. Eventually, in 1967, the Cerruti menswear line was launched which was to be followed by a womenswear collection a year later.
The first Cerruti
Cerruti
Cerruti is a fashion house founded in 1967 in Paris by the Italian stylist and fashion designer Nino Cerruti.The Cerruti house designs, manufactures, distributes, and retails luxury ready-to-wear, jeans, fragrances, sportswear, leather goods, watches, and accessories...
boutique
Boutique
A boutique is a small shopping outlet, especially one that specializes in elite and fashionable items such as clothing and jewelry. The word is French for "shop", via Latin from Greek ἀποθήκη , "storehouse"....
opened in 1967 in Place de la Madeleine in Paris, where Cerruti moved the company's headquarters
Headquarters
Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...
in order to be closer to the international fashion capital. The fabric
Fabric
A fabric is a textile material, short for "textile fabric".Fabric may also refer to:*Fabric , the spatial and geometric configuration of elements within a rock*Fabric , a nightclub in London, England...
production under the name of Lanificio Fratelli Cerruti and the Hitman label remained in Italy. Cerruti, Lanificio Cerruti of Biella
Biella
Biella is a town and comune in the northern Italian region of Piemonte, the capital of the province of the same name, with some 45,800 inhabitants as of 2009. It is located about 80 km northeast of Turin and about 80 km west-northwest of Milan.It lies in the foothills of the Alps,...
and Hitman, based out of Corsico
Corsico
Corsico is a comune in the Province of Milan in the Italian region Lombardy, bordering on Milan to the South-West.Corsico received the honorary title of city with a presidential decree on July 22, 1987.-Twin towns - Sister cities:...
, together formed Fratelli Cerruti, the Cerruti Brothers group.
Over the years, Cerruti offered womenswear and menswear, the Cerruti 1881 diffusion line, a luxury ready-to-wear collection named Cerruti Arte, Cerruti Jeans, the Cerruti Brothers business collection for men, Cerruti 1881 Shapes for the Asian market as well as fragrances
Perfume
Perfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils and/or aroma compounds, fixatives, and solvents used to give the human body, animals, objects, and living spaces "a pleasant scent"...
and accessories. Later the clothing lines were regrouped under the 'Cerruti 1881' name. Cerruti has always been known for its classic wool suits
Clothing
Clothing refers to any covering for the human body that is worn. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic and is a feature of nearly all human societies...
, always trying to match the everyday challenges for its owner.
In 1978, the Cerruti
Cerruti
Cerruti is a fashion house founded in 1967 in Paris by the Italian stylist and fashion designer Nino Cerruti.The Cerruti house designs, manufactures, distributes, and retails luxury ready-to-wear, jeans, fragrances, sportswear, leather goods, watches, and accessories...
house made an entry into the world of fine fragrance with Nino Cerruti pour Homme, soon to be followed by Cerruti 1881 pour Homme in 1990, Cerruti Image in 1998, among others fragrances.
In the 1980s, Cerruti began a collaboration with cinema. From Bonnie and Clyde
Bonnie and Clyde (film)
The film was originally offered to François Truffaut, the best-known director of the New Wave movement, who made contributions to the script. He passed on the project to make Fahrenheit 451. The producers approached Jean-Luc Godard next...
, Pretty Woman
Pretty Woman
Pretty Woman is a 1990 romantic comedy film set in Los Angeles, California. Written by J.F. Lawton and directed by Garry Marshall, this motion picture features Richard Gere and Julia Roberts, and also Hector Elizondo, Ralph Bellamy, and Jason Alexander in supporting roles. Roberts played the only...
to Basic Instinct
Basic Instinct
Basic Instinct is a 1992 erotic thriller directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Joe Eszterhas, and starring Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone....
, the brand Cerruti
Cerruti
Cerruti is a fashion house founded in 1967 in Paris by the Italian stylist and fashion designer Nino Cerruti.The Cerruti house designs, manufactures, distributes, and retails luxury ready-to-wear, jeans, fragrances, sportswear, leather goods, watches, and accessories...
designed clothes for actors such as Michael Douglas
Michael Douglas
Michael Kirk Douglas is an American actor and producer, primarily in movies and television. He has won three Golden Globes and two Academy Awards; first as producer of 1975's Best Picture, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and as Best Actor in 1987 for his role in Wall Street. Douglas received the...
, Jack Nicholson
Jack Nicholson
John Joseph "Jack" Nicholson is an American actor, film director, producer and writer. He is renowned for his often dark portrayals of neurotic characters. Nicholson has been nominated for an Academy Award twelve times, and has won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice: for One Flew Over the...
, Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
, Bruce Willis
Bruce Willis
Walter Bruce Willis , better known as Bruce Willis, is an American actor, producer, and musician. His career began in television in the 1980s and has continued both in television and film since, including comedic, dramatic, and action roles...
, Sharon Stone
Sharon Stone
Sharon Vonne Stone is an American actress, film producer, and former fashion model. She achieved international recognition for her role in the erotic thriller Basic Instinct...
, Robert Redford
Robert Redford
Charles Robert Redford, Jr. , better known as Robert Redford, is an American actor, film director, producer, businessman, environmentalist, philanthropist, and founder of the Sundance Film Festival. He has received two Oscars: one in 1981 for directing Ordinary People, and one for Lifetime...
, Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford is an American film actor and producer. He is famous for his performances as Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy and as the title character of the Indiana Jones film series. Ford is also known for his roles as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner, John Book in Witness and Jack Ryan in...
, Al Pacino
Al Pacino
Alfredo James "Al" Pacino is an American film and stage actor and director. He is famous for playing mobsters, including Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, Tony Montana in Scarface, Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice in Dick Tracy and Carlito Brigante in Carlito's Way, though he has also appeared...
or Jean Paul Belmondo.
According to imdb.com, Mr. Cerruti had cameo appearances in the following Hollywood
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
movies: Holy Man
Holy Man
Holy Man is a 1998 comedy drama film directed by Stephen Herek. It starred Eddie Murphy, Jeff Goldblum and Kelly Preston. The film was a box office and critical failure.-Plot:...
(1998), Catwalk (1996) and Cannes Man (1996).
In 1994 Cerruti
Cerruti
Cerruti is a fashion house founded in 1967 in Paris by the Italian stylist and fashion designer Nino Cerruti.The Cerruti house designs, manufactures, distributes, and retails luxury ready-to-wear, jeans, fragrances, sportswear, leather goods, watches, and accessories...
was the official designer of the famous Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....
.
New Designers and Retirement
In 1964-1970 already, Giorgio ArmaniGiorgio Armani
Giorgio Armani is an Italian fashion designer, particularly noted for his menswear. He is known today for his clean, tailored lines. He formed his company, Armani, in 1975, and by 2001 was acclaimed as the most successful designer to come out of Italy, with an annual turnover of $1.6 billion and a...
- who was to found his own eponymous fashion empire in 1974 - had worked for Cerruti at Hitman, under the direction of Mr. Cerruti.
Nino Cerruti named Narciso Rodriguez
Narciso Rodriguez
Narciso Rodriguez III is an American fashion designer.Rodriguez is the first child and only son of Cuban parents Narciso Rodríguez II, a longshoreman, and Rawedia María Rodríguez who are of Canarian descent. He grew up in Newark, New Jersey. His parents were against Narciso entering fashion: "They...
, a former Anne Klein
Anne Klein
Anne Klein was an American fashion designer who founded her own women's sportswear and apparel label.-Biography:Anne Klein was born as Hannah Golofski in a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York on August 3, 1923...
, Calvin Klein
Calvin Klein
Calvin Richard Klein is an American fashion designer who launched the company that would later become Calvin Klein Inc. in 1968. In addition to clothing, Klein has also given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, and jewelry....
and TSE designer, creative director of Cerruti in 1996 but replaced him with Peter Speliopoulos
Peter Speliopoulos
Peter Speliopoulos, born in 1961 in Springfield, Massachusetts, is a Greek American fashion designer.-Life as a designer:Speliopoulos studied fashion at Parsons School of Design in New York and graduated with a BFA in 1981. Speliopoulos is best friends with fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi who also...
, a Donna Karan
Donna Karan
Donna Karan is an American fashion designer and the creator of the Donna Karan New York and DKNY clothing labels.-Early life:...
designer, already in 1997.
In October 2000, in an effort to secure global expansion, Nino Cerruti sold 51% of his company
Company
A company is a form of business organization. It is an association or collection of individual real persons and/or other companies, who each provide some form of capital. This group has a common purpose or focus and an aim of gaining profits. This collection, group or association of persons can be...
to Fin.Part, an Italian industrial group, that would less than a year later buy the rest of the company and force Mr. Cerruti out after irreconcilable differences at age 71. "There was a perpetual conflict of interest", Cerruti said later. Hence, the Spring Summer 2002 collection marked the end of Cerruti being designed by Nino Cerruti.
In autumn 2001, Fin.Part installed Italian Roberto Menichetti, responsible for the creative revival of Burberry
Burberry
Burberry Group plc is a British luxury fashion house, manufacturing clothing, fragrance, and fashion accessories. Its distinctive tartan pattern has become one of its most widely copied trademarks. Burberry is most famous for its iconic trench coat, which was invented by founder Thomas Burberry...
before that, as Creative Director who left the house after only one season. Menichetti was succeedded by Istvan Francer, a former Donna Karan
Donna Karan
Donna Karan is an American fashion designer and the creator of the Donna Karan New York and DKNY clothing labels.-Early life:...
designer, who stayed on for two seasons.
In spring 2003, David Cardona, who had worked for Richard Tyler
Richard Tyler (designer)
Richard Tyler is a fashion designer. He was born in Sunshine, Melbourne and now resides in Los Angeles, California and New York...
and Chrome Hearts
Chrome Hearts
Chrome Hearts is an American luxury brand, founded in 1988 by motorcycle enthusiast Richard Stark, that specializes in high-end silver jewelry, leather clothing and furniture with gothic rock motifs. It is known for its luxury items which feature fleur-de-lys, dagger and floral cross designs...
, replaced Istvan Francer as creative director at Cerruti. Scotsman
Scotsman
Scotsman may mean:* a man from Scotland, in common parlance - see also Scottish people.* No true Scotsman, a common logical fallacy.*The Scotsman, a national newspaper based in Edinburgh, Scotland....
Adrian Smith was appointed head of the menswear collections.
By 2004, the company was in a deep crisis and restructuring plans proved unsuccessful. Fin.part declared bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
in 2005. Consequently, Cerruti was put in pawn
Pawnbroker
A pawnbroker is an individual or business that offers secured loans to people, with items of personal property used as collateral...
.
In August 2006, after an unsuccessful takeover attempt by another Italian menswear manufacturer - Manifattura Paolini - in 2005, Cerruti
Cerruti
Cerruti is a fashion house founded in 1967 in Paris by the Italian stylist and fashion designer Nino Cerruti.The Cerruti house designs, manufactures, distributes, and retails luxury ready-to-wear, jeans, fragrances, sportswear, leather goods, watches, and accessories...
finally was sold to United States private equity
Private equity
Private equity, in finance, is an asset class consisting of equity securities in operating companies that are not publicly traded on a stock exchange....
firm MatlinPatterson. MatlinPatterson intends to revitalize the Cerruti brand
Brand
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
. Nicolas Andreas Taralis, a former designer with Dior
Christian Dior
Christian Dior , was a French fashion designer, best known as the founder of one of the world's top fashion houses, also called Christian Dior.-Life:...
Homme who also owns his signature fashion label, was appointed creative director
Fashion design
Fashion design is the art of the application of design and aesthetics or natural beauty to clothing and accessories. Fashion design is influenced by cultural and social latitudes, and has varied over time and place. Fashion designers work in a number of ways in designing clothing and accessories....
in summer 2006.
In October 2007, Taralis was replaced by Belgian Jean Paul Knott, a former Krizia
Krizia
Krizia is a manufacturer and designer of handbags and clothes, founded by Mariuccia Mandelli in 1950 in Bergamo, Italy.Various Krizia labels are created every year like menswear, knitwear, handbags, and perfume...
, Yves Saint Laurent
Yves Saint Laurent (brand)
Yves Saint Laurent or YSL is a luxury fashion house founded by Yves Saint Laurent and his partner, Pierre Bergé. Today, its chief designer is Stefano Pilati. Yves Saint Laurent, founder of the brand, died in 2008.-History:...
and Louis Féraud
Louis Feraud
Louis Féraud was a French fashion designer and artist.In 1950, Louis Féraud created his first "Maison de Couture" in Cannes and by 1955 had established a couture house in Paris on the Rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré....
designer
Fashion design
Fashion design is the art of the application of design and aesthetics or natural beauty to clothing and accessories. Fashion design is influenced by cultural and social latitudes, and has varied over time and place. Fashion designers work in a number of ways in designing clothing and accessories....
who also owns his own eponymous fashion label. Knott had originally been hired by Taralis to oversee the label's diffusion line Cerruti 1881 in March 2007.
Since 2000 Mr. Cerruti himself has concentrated on the family-owned textile mill
Cotton mill
A cotton mill is a factory that houses spinning and weaving machinery. Typically built between 1775 and 1930, mills spun cotton which was an important product during the Industrial Revolution....
business (Lanificio Fratelli Cerruti) in Biella
Biella
Biella is a town and comune in the northern Italian region of Piemonte, the capital of the province of the same name, with some 45,800 inhabitants as of 2009. It is located about 80 km northeast of Turin and about 80 km west-northwest of Milan.It lies in the foothills of the Alps,...
since his departure. He did not cut all ties with the fashion house Cerruti though and is invited to the fashion shows which he attends at the front row.
In 2004, Lanificio F.lli Cerruti bought the Italian furniture
Furniture
Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds, to hold objects at a convenient height for work using horizontal surfaces above the ground, or to store things...
design company Baleri.
Awards
- Bath Museum of Costume Dress of the Year award, England, 1978;
- Munich Fashion Week Award, 1981;
- Cutty Sark award, 1982, 1988;
- Pitti Uomo award, Italy, 1986.