Roberto Cavalli dressed the world in animal prints — then lost €12 million a year

Roberto Cavalli was founded in 1970 when the designer debuted a leather patchwork collection in Paris. The brand became famous for its animal prints, sand-blasted denim, and Lycra stretch jeans. It was the first Italian fashion house to create a limited collection for H&M (2007). At its peak, Roberto Cavalli was distributed in 30+ countries with 59 direct stores and 29 franchise stores worldwide.

By 2014, the company was already in trouble — revenue of €210 million but a €12 million loss. In 2015, Italian private equity fund Clessidra SGR acquired a 90% stake. A turnaround plan under former Versace CEO Gian Giacomo Ferraris brought manufacturing in-house and refocused on core lines, but revenues dropped 13.6% in 2016. The brand was haemorrhaging money faster than Clessidra could stop it.

In 2019, Roberto Cavalli closed its US stores and filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in the United States, liquidating its North American operations. In November 2019, Hussain Sajwani, President of Dubai's DAMAC Properties, purchased the company through Vision Investments. The brand survived, but the Italian fashion house that once defined 1990s glamour was now owned by a real estate developer.