Angelo Litrico (15 August 1927 – 13 March 1986) was an Italian

fashion designer Fashion design is the Art (skill), art of applied arts, applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction, and natural beauty to clothing and its Fashion accessory, accessories. It is influenced by diverse cultures and different trends and has va ...

. He dressed many world leaders on both sides of the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

and is credited with introducing fashion shows for men's clothing. The company he founded continues to this day under the control of his nephew Luca Litrico.

Biography

Angelo was born in 1927, the eldest of 12 children, the son of a fisherman in

Catania Catania (, , , Sicilian and ) is the second-largest municipality on Sicily, after Palermo, both by area and by population. Despite being the second city of the island, Catania is the center of the most densely populated Sicilian conurbation, wh ...

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

. He started work with a tailor (Agatino Distefano, of Distefano's Atelier in Via Etnea, Catania) but realised that to fulfil his ambitions he would have to move to Rome, which he did in 1952. Walking down Via Sicilia, he saw a tailor's workshop and asked for a job, which he was given. His success was ensured by a silk jacket he wore to the opera that was noticed by

Rossano Brazzi Rossano Brazzi (18 September 1916 – 24 December 1994) was an Italian actor, director and screenwriter. He was known for playing roles that typified the suave, romantic leading man archetype, both in his native country and in Hollywood. ...

, the actor best known for '' Three Coins in the Fountain''. With Brazzi as his first client, Litrico's fame spread and eventually he bought the shop where he had started as an apprentice. One of his innovations was putting on a men's fashion show, previously only women's wear had been shown on a

catwalk A fashion show is an event put on by a fashion designer to showcase their upcoming line of clothing and/or accessories during a fashion week. Fashion shows debut every season, particularly the spring/summer and fall/winter seasons. This is where ...

But Litrico really made his mark when he was invited to participate in a 1957 export drive to Russia by the Italian fashion industry. Litrico used photos to make a coat as a gift for

Nikita Khrushchev Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (– 11 September 1971) was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and the Premier of the Soviet Union, Chai ...

. Khrushchev was so pleased with it that he commissioned a full wardrobe from Litrico for his famous trip to the US in September 1959. This included the shoes that would become famous by being slammed on the table at the

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its Seventy-ninth session of th ...

in October 1960. American journalists were so intrigued to see a well-dressed Soviet premier that they asked for the name of his tailor. When Litrico went to the USA shortly afterwards, he found himself besieged by journalists, and his fame was assured. He dressed many world leaders of the era, such as

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

Juan Perón Juan Domingo Perón (, , ; 8 October 1895 – 1 July 1974) was an Argentine military officer and Statesman (politician), statesman who served as the History of Argentina (1946-1955), 29th president of Argentina from 1946 to Revolución Libertad ...

Tito Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito ( ; , ), was a Yugoslav communist revolutionary and politician who served in various positions of national leadership from 1943 until his death ...

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...

, and

King Hussein of Jordan Hussein bin Talal (14 November 1935 – 7 February 1999) was King of Jordan from 1952 until his death in 1999. As a member of the Hashemite dynasty, the royal family of Jordan since 1921, Hussein was traditionally considered a 40th-generatio ...

. Litrico was awarded several

Italian orders of merit The Italian honours system is a means to reward achievements or service to the Italian Republic, formerly the Kingdom of Italy, including the Italian Social Republic. Orders of chivalry Italian Republic There are five orders of knighthood ...

: Knight (1962), Officer (1965), Commander (1968) and Grand Officer (1972). He had a particularly close relationship with

Christiaan Barnard Christiaan Neethling Barnard (8November 19222September 2001) was a South African cardiac surgeon who performed the world's first human-to-human heart transplant operation. On 3 December 1967, Barnard transplanted the heart of accident victim ...

which extended beyond dressing the heart surgery pioneer; Litrico helped to pay for hundreds of children to go to Cape Town for operations under Barnard. He died of heart failure on 13 March 1986 at the

Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic The Gemelli University Hospital () is a large general hospital in Rome, Italy. With 1,575 beds, it is the second-largest hospital in Italy, the largest hospital in Rome and one of the largest private hospitals in Europe. It serves as the teachin ...

in Rome after breaking his hip. He was aged 58.

Company

After Angelo's death, his brother Franco and Sister Giusi took over the company. Franco's son Luca joined the company and since Franco's death in 2004 he has expanded the company's range under the "Franco Litrico" label until 2012, when he decided to found his label "

Luca Litrico Angelo Litrico (15 August 1927 – 13 March 1986) was an Italian fashion designer. He dressed many world leaders on both sides of the Cold War and is credited with introducing fashion shows for men's clothing. The company he founded continues t ...

". Today Luca is bringing on the family tradition for the top expression of the tailor made Italian fashion, and is also promoting the Litrico Tailor Historical Archive named by Italian Ministry of National Historical Value.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Litrico, Angelo Fashion designers from Rome Shoe designers Italian brands Companies based in Rome Clothing companies of Italy Clothing companies established in 1952 1927 births 1986 deaths Menswear designers 1952 establishments in Italy Italian tailors

Biography

Company

See also

References

External links