Fausto Sarli
Fausto Sarli is one of the prestigious names of Rome’s high fashion trade. His prêt-a-porter collection is found throughout the world strengthening the prestige and fame of this Italian designer who excels in two fundamental aspects of fashion and elegance: creativity and practicality.
Born in Naples in 1927, Fausto Sarli abandoned his business studies course at a young age and decided to dedicate himself to high fashion. He gained experience in the world of fashion at successful houses such as Schubert and De Luca. The 29 years old Italian stylist debuts at the Pitti Palace of Florence in 1956.
The following year Sarli set up his own atelier in Naples. Encouraged by the success in his hometown, he decided to open a second atelier in Rome’s Via Veneto in 1959. Those were the years of the “Dolce Vita” and Sarli’s collections were enthusiastically received wherever they were presented. The perfection of his cut and his original styles won over both journalists and customers alike. The world’s most demanding and famous women wanted to wear Sarli designs. Shy and modest by nature, the Italian fashion talent did not let his success affect him; he shunned cult status and carried on scrupulously and diligently with his work.
In the Sixties, the Italian label began to appear on TV screens, as Fausto Sarli created the costumes for the Italian singer Mina, as well as other starlets like the dancer Carla Fracci, the top models Carla Bruni or Valeria Mazza, actresses as Liz Taylor and Monica Bellucci, or politicians and authorities. The more the Italian brand’s name becomes famous, the more its market spreads: from Japan to Canada, US and South America, Sarli brought the quality and excellence of the “made-in- Italy” everywhere.
In 1980 Sarli began a new creative season with his “Studio” collections in which he furthered his stylistic research. In 1984 he launched the Sarli ready to wear collection. Different requirements and methods are the inspiration behind his prêt a porter collections which are studied in every detail, cut, line, and are at the same time both comfortable and practical.
One of the Italian fashion designer’s peculiarities is that he followed every collection through its various phases of creation as a team of dressmakers, modelers and cutters works on his models just as the Italian fashion school ruled. His models represent the result of true dedication and continuous research and have come to be a standard-bearer of the Made-in Italy.
For his hard work, Sarli has received a number of prizes in his career. Among these is the “Golden Lion”, a prize that had only previously been awarded to Valentino Garavani and Mila Schön, and which he won in 1987. For its 50th anniversary the Italian maison was also awarded with the Marco Aurelio prize in the occasion of a special show hold in the magic scenery of the Campidoglio Square. Just before his death, in 2010 the Italian designer was gifted with a reproduction of the Lupa Capitolina by the city of Rome, to thank him for having brought the Italian fashion industry around the world. His designs can now be seen in the Guggenheim Museum of New York, which hosts a special collection created for the actress Eleonora Duse, as well as in the Museo della Moda of the Mondragone Foundation in Naples.
Fausto Sarli died in 2010 and his name received the highest authorities and figures homage. The Italian maison is now under the control of the Vanitex Srl, while the creative lead is hold by Alberto Terranova, the right-hand man of the Italian stylist. The High-Fashion house has expanded through the last decades, with ready-to-wear collections and a special wedding dresses line, for which the Italian label is highly appreciated in the whole world. Fausto Sarli is the evidence that dedication, hard work and good taste always bring their positive results.
Fausto Sarli
Via Gregoriana, 41
00187 Roma, Italy
Tel: [+39] 06 6795210 or [+39] 06 678465
Fax: [+39] 06 6789293
Web: www.sarlicouture.it
Email: info@sarlicouture.it