Fiorucci was born in Milan in 1935 and started, as a teenager, in his father's small slipper shop. He opened the first with his own name at 32, in 1967, in the Galleria Passerella, a stone's throw from Milan's Piazza San Babila. Until the transfer of his brand in 2003, the store was the heart of his activity. The 'Fiorucci' brand was established in 1970 when he started industrial production of garments which were soon distributed across Europe and the United States. That is how 'the Fiorucci style' began, with its logo bearing two small cherubs on clouds - a true icon from the 70s until the 90s. The designer went from Milan to London and then to New York, where he landed in 1976 to open his store on 59th Street, so much a creative centre in the city that Andy Warhol chose it to be the showcase of his periodical 'Interview'. One year later, Fiorucci organised the opening soiree of Manhattan's Studio 54. In 1982, the designer created the first pair of jeans made of a fabric mixing stretch lycra with denim. One year later, in 1983, Madonna made tesimonial to Fiorucci's first 15 years of activity. An eclectic experimentalist, in 1984 Fiorucci invited Keith Haring to transform his Milan shop into an art gallery, with decorated walls and furniture pieces, which were later sold at auction. Elio Fiorucci sold his brand name to Edwin International from Japan in 1990. The Piazza San Babila store became a cult venue for Milanese youth, attracted by its colours and the 'T-art' project, namely his T-shirts with colourful images which are still today a symbol of that generation. In 2003, the store was sold to the Swedish H and M, but the city was almost in mourning, reacting with harsh protests. Fiorucci, who had two years earlier ceased collaborating with the group he had founded, made a start on his 'Love Therapy', a project embodying a few garments bearing the logo of small dwarves enjoying life and having fun. (AGI)