Moschino

Franco Moschino (1950–1994) was as much a social commentator as he was a designer. “Fashion should be fun,” he once said, “and it should send a message.” Throughout the 1980s and into the early 1990s, he used humor and fashion as a platform to promote social awareness and to protest the materialism of the fashion industry: he once made his own version of a classic Chanel suit and in place of the familiar chain belt embroidered the words “This is a Waist of Money.” Moschino designed dresses printed with bar codes and made of garbage bags—he even designed a man’s shirt intended to resemble a straitjacket, with the slogan “For Fashion Victims Only” written on the back.

Moschino originally studied fine art, however, he soon learned that fashion could be just as convincing a means of expression as paint and canvas. He worked as a freelance designer and fashion illustrator for a number of Italian companies before starting his own in 1983. Several years later he launched a secondary line, Cheap and Chic. Moschino’s fashion shows were quirky, theatrical presentations that showcased his characteristic irony and wit. His models crawled down the runway, impersonating public figures such as Tina Turner and Princess Margaret, and used whimsical props such as rubber pig noses and live geese.

Moschino used traditional methods of clothing construction to produce wearable, sexy clothes, which he would then subvert with surrealistic tongue-in-cheek details. Ironically, his rebellious spirit won him much acclaim within the very industry he criticized. After his death in 1994, his company continued under the direction of Rossella Jardini. Although Moschino’s career lasted only a few years, his style is recognized all over the world. In 2013 Jeremy Scott became artistic director of Moschino.