Walter Albini Biography
Walter Albini, Gualtiero Angelo Albini, was born on 3 March 1941 in Busto Arsizio. He initially undertook classical studies but, already as a young man, he became passionate about fashion and enrolled at the Institute of Art, Design and Fashion in Turin, becoming the only boy in a predominantly female school. At the age of just 17, Albini began collaborating with newspapers and magazines, making sketches from high fashion shows, first in Rome and then in Paris, where he moved after completing his studies and where he remained for four years from 1961 to 1965. He was It was precisely in Paris that he met Coco Chanel and was fascinated by her personality and creativity, thus acquiring a deeper knowledge of the world of fashion. When he returned to Italy in the late 1960s Albini designed for major Italian fashion houses. In 1973, however, he decided to interrupt all collaboration and presented his first line of clothing for men and women with his name in London, introducing his innovative "unimax" formula which provided uniformity of cut and color for both the men's and women's clothing. Albini was one of the first designers to launch the concept of "total look", i.e. the idea of creating a complete clothing line, this led him to be defined by the press as the "new Italian star" like Yves Saint Laurent. Furthermore, Albini was considered the inventor of the new woman in a jacket and of the priest-à-porter, the artist unfortunately passed away prematurely in 1983, being able to enjoy little of his success.
