Rene' Gruau Biography
René Gruau, pseudonym of Renato Zavagli Ricciardelli delle Caminate (Rimini, 4 February 1909 – Rome, 31 March 2004) was an Italian illustrator. Starting in 1923, Renato moved to Milan where he almost immediately began to make his artistic talent his work, wanting to help his mother financially. Thanks to Marie de Gruau's connections, he began working as a fashion illustrator for Lidel magazine. In the approximately ten years he spent in Milan, the artist became increasingly famous, expanding his knowledge and collaborations with the world of fashion. Renato was responsible for designing the sketches of the models of the various fashion houses, to then be published in sector magazines. In addition to clothing, he also dealt with furniture and novels. It was between 1924 and 1926 that Renato began to sign René Gruau to his works, thus taking his mother's surname. At the beginning of the 1930s, René Gruau moved to Paris, continuing his activity as an illustrator and establishing increasingly important working relationships. He worked for magazines such as Marianne and Le Figaro, but also for numerous periodicals such as Chapeaux Mode, Die Dame, Die Elegant Welt. The real success came in 1937 thanks to the collaboration with the magazine Fémina, rival of the French Vogue. From that moment on, all his collaborations with the most prestigious Parisian fashion houses began, including Patou, Lanvin, Lelong, Worth, Piguet, Rochas, Schiaparelli and Cristobal Balenciaga; but also with other magazines, such as Marie Claire, Vogue, L'Officiel de la Couture et de la Mode de Paris, Très Chic.
