“ Chanel-isms were his favorite trope, though he also poked fun at Jean Paul Gaultier’s lingerie dressing and put out pasta bags in a parody of the Prada accessories craze.”Īccessories, jeans and the first men’s collection were presented at the Regal Palace in Milan in 1985, with his Moschino Jeans womenswear collection following in 1986. “Under all the surface witticisms, had a serious knack for running class pieces through a wringer of irony or Surrealism,” observed Vogue. Today, the Metropolitan Museum of Art holds two vintage Moschino handbags in its collection: one shaped like a milk carton and the other an iron. The label’s work essentially mocked the industry even as its hand fed Moschino, with the founder emblazoning shirts with slogans such as “Good taste doesn’t exist” or embroidering jackets with the phrase “Waist of money,” while the theatrical shows were positioned with an undercurrent of critique.

Moschino’s expertly tailored, vibrant designs for casual wear and more, each adorned with loud, playful details, spoofed the chic high fashion of the day, and his close relationship with fine art - as well as his eye for innovation - welcomed comparisons to Elsa Schiaparelli over the years.

In 1983, encouraged by Versace, he launched his own extravagant and excessive couture collection. During the 1970s, he began to work for Gianni Versace’s now-legendary house as a sketcher and freelanced as a clothing designer with other fashion labels. He found inspiration in Pop art, Dadaism and bold graphics. Moschino initially pursued a degree in painting at Milan Academy of Fine Arts during the late 1960s, turning to freelance illustration to help pay his way through school. The Moschino story begins in the early 1980s, when Franco Moschino (1950–94), a freelance magazine illustrator and Gianni Versace collaborator, founded a label in Italy whose ethos was all about having fun.

Tangerine maxi dress