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Emanuel Ungaro death: The French designer's most memorable celebrity looks

Acclaimed fashion designer trained under Cristóbal Balenciaga

Olivia Petter
Tuesday 24 December 2019 10:15 GMT
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Emanual Ungaro has died in Paris aged 86, his family confirmed on Sunday.

Ungaro founded his eponymous fashion label in 1965 after having been trained by Cristóbal Balenciaga.

By the 1980s, the label was famed for its unique aesthetic, comprising clashing colour palettes and bold prints.

However, in 2005, the French designer retired and sold his label to internet entrepreneur Asim Abdullah for $84m (£64.5m).

Following Ungaro's departure, several other fashion designers were hired to lead the company, including Esteban Cortazar.

In 2009, Lindsay Lohan was appointed artistic director of the company and went on to work with head designer Estrella Archs on several collections that were derided by fashion insiders and Ungaro himself.

Lohan departed the company a year later, when it was revealed that feted British designer Giles Deacon would be her replacement, an appointment that fans hoped would revive the brand following Lohan's stint.

Lohan pictured on the Ungaro runway with Archs at Paris Fashion Week in October 2009.

"I don't pretend to have all the answers but I hope some of my experience will help," Deacon told British Vogue at the time.

Two years on, Deacon was replaced by Fausto Puglisi and in 2017, former Giorgio Armani womenswear designer Marco Colagrossi took over as creative director.

Despite the frequent changing of hands, Ungaro's designs remained popular among celebrities, with Fergie, Eva Longoria and Katy Perry among those to wear gowns from the label to red carpet events in recent years.

Ungaro himself remained largely out of the limelight following his departure from the brand. He married Laura Bernabei in 1988 and the couple had a daughter named Cosima, though her birth date was never revealed publicly.

According to an unnamed family member who spoke to French news agency AFP, Ungaro spent the last two years of his life in a "weakened" state of health.

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