Who was Cinzia Ruggeri?

This episode relates the fascinating life story of Cinzia Ruggeri, the artist and fashion designer whose free-spirited creativity saw her achieve extraordinary success during the 1970s and 80s, only for her to walk away, and, since her death, be largely forgotten by the wider creative community. 

Born in Milan in 1942 into an industrial manufacturing family, Cinzia Ruggeri studied applied arts in Milan, interned for the fashion label Carven in Paris, and worked at her father’s tailoring company before setting up on her own and designing successful menswear and womenswear collections throughout the 70s and 80s . Although her work was widely acclaimed and in demand, she became disillusioned with the commercial constraints of retail manufacturing and  left the world of fashion at the end of the 1980s to concentrate on her work as a product designer, and to teach and work on installations. 

Although she was never formally part of an artistic movement, she was closely connected with the radical design scene in Milan in the late 1970s and was an associate of The Memphis Group, the famous 80s design movement, a connection immediately evident if you look at her work. And the work does feel familiar, even if the artist behind it is not. Perhaps her most recognisable piece is an emerald green dress featuring a stepped zigurat, or zigzag line, along its edge a common motif in post-modern design of the 1980s, which is held in the permanent collection at the Victoria & albert museum.

She was one of the first designers to experiment with electronic technologies, incorporating liquid crystals, LED lights and kinetic movement into her garments and artworks. 

She died in 2019. 

See the Cinzia Says exhibition catalogue HERE.