Who Owns Schiaparelli?

Elsa Schiaparelli established her fashion house in Paris in the late 1920s, opening her first boutique at 21 Place Vendome. An Italian-born designer, Schiaparelli became one of the most prominent figures in Parisian fashion during the 1930s, rivaling Coco Chanel. She was known for her surrealist designs and collaborations with artists including Salvador Dali, Jean Cocteau, and Man Ray.

Schiaparelli's innovations included the runway show, which she pioneered by setting presentations to music. She introduced trompe l'oeil knitwear, the lobster dress (created with Dali), the Skeleton Dress, and the shoe hat. Her designs merged art and fashion in ways that were unprecedented in the industry.

Elsa Schiaparelli closed her fashion house in 1954. The legal entity, Elsa Schiaparelli SAS, was founded in 1957 as a perfume company. The Schiaparelli name and trademarks remained dormant for decades.

In 2007, Diego Della Valle purchased Elsa Schiaparelli SAS and the associated trademarks. He hired Christian Lacroix to create a singular couture collection, which debuted at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs on July 1, 2013. Marco Zanini was then appointed as creative director, with his first collection debuting in 2014. Zanini stepped down in November 2014 after creating only two collections.

Bertrand Guyon succeeded Zanini in April 2015. Under Guyon, Schiaparelli was re-admitted into the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in 2017, granting the house the right to use the term "haute couture." The house had been a guest member since 2013. In 2018, Schiaparelli debuted its first ready-to-wear collection in lookbook form.

In April 2019, Daniel Roseberry succeeded Guyon as creative director. Roseberry, born in Plano, Texas, had previously served as design director at Thom Browne in New York. His appointment made him the first American to lead a French couture house. Roseberry stated that he intended to avoid literal references to Elsa Schiaparelli's designs, drawing instead on the spirit of the founder.

Under Roseberry, Schiaparelli has produced numerous high-profile celebrity garments. In December 2020, Kim Kardashian posted images of herself wearing a green bodice with sculpted abdominal muscles designed by Schiaparelli, creating a viral moment. Lady Gaga wore a Schiaparelli outfit at the inauguration of Joe Biden in January 2021. Beyonce, Cardi B, Doja Cat, and Michelle Obama have also worn Schiaparelli designs.

Schiaparelli's ready-to-wear collections began showing on the runway from the Autumn/Winter 2023 collection in March 2023. In 2025, the exhibition "Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art" opened at the V&A Museum in London, running through November. The exhibition featured over 400 pieces, including 24 from Roseberry's tenure.

For Spring 2026 couture, Roseberry presented a collection inspired by the Sistine Chapel, featuring sculptural pieces named "Isabella Blowfish" and "Infanta Terribles" with animal motifs continuing Elsa Schiaparelli's fascination with animalia.