Laura BIAGIOTTI
Chairman, Laura Biagiotti
Laura Biagiotti is an ambassador of Italian luxury products. Since 1980, she has resided and worked in an 11th-century castle, which she has restored to its former splendor, at Guidonia in the countryside around Rome. Her husband, Gianni Cigna, died in August 1996. She showed her creations in Beijing in 1988 and staged her first fashion show in Russia. That same year, she was named Cavaliere del Lavoro by Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, at that time President of Italy. In November 1997, Ms Biagiotti displayed her designs at a benefit evening in Cairo to raise funds for the Egyptian Red Crescent. Between 1996 and 2000 she has served as vice president of the Italian National Chamber of Fashion. Since 2000 she is president of the Leonardo Committee, which promotes excellence in Italian industry, arts and culture. In March 2002, the "queen of cashmere," as she was dubbed by The New York Times, celebrated her 30th anniversary in the fashion industry. The first line marketed by her company, led by managing director Fabio Virgilii, registers sales of about 6 million euros while global turnover is estimated at 250 million euros. The company's core business is its perfumes, produced by Procter & Gamble, but its portfolio of licenses includes purses, shoes, eyeglasses and the Rome line of clothing for youngsters, which is turned out by Swinger. The launching of a line of watches is planned next year.