*Iam*Hottest*Jaywalkerz*

Bulgari is an Italian jeweler and luxury goods retailer. The name is usually written "BVLGARI" in ancient Roman style, and is derived from the surname of the company's Greek founder, Sotirios Voulgaris (1857-1932). Although the company made a name for itself with jewelry, today it is a recognized luxury brand that markets several product lines including watches, handbags, fragrances, accessories, and hotels.

Bulgari jewelry design is distinctive and often imitated (and counterfeited). In the 1970s, many of the more expensive Bulgari pieces (such as necklaces, bracelets and earrings) were characterized by instantly recognizable, bold, almost brutal designs combining large and weighty gold links with black-surfaced steel. Genuine Bulgari items usually have a unique serial number that is registered with the company.

MADE IN ITALY

Lungotevere Marzio, 11
00186 Rome
Italy
Telephone: +39 06 688101
Telefax: +39 06 68810400
http://ir.bulgari.com

Founded in Italy in 1966, Bottega Veneta gained notoriety in the seventies and eighties for its handwoven leather bags. After that, the house struggled to find its identity. British designer Giles Deacon, accessories designer Stuart Vevers, and stylist Katie Grand joined the company in 2000 to attempt to revive its image, but Bottega was already on the verge of bankruptcy. The label regained its footing in 2001, when the Gucci Group bought it and made German designer Tomas Maier creative director. Bottega quickly became a premier luxury label known as much for ready-to-wear as for leather goods.

The “intrecciato” weave remains a fashion evergreen and shows no signs of waning, while Maier’s womenswear and menswear—super-luxe, understated, pricey—gathers momentum each season. Goddess draping, clean lines, and soft colors rule the giorno, and although the house shuns obvious logos and labels, their bags still do big business. With more than 100 stores in more than 30 countries, and a gig designing suites at the St. Regis Hotels in New York and Rome, Bottega Veneta is a lifestyle brand for those of us living the good life.

MADE IN ITALY

Viale Piceno, 17
Milan, Italy (MI) 20129
39-02-700-6061
http://www.bottegaveneta.com

Fashion Designer Ralph Lauren has become the epitome of classic fashion. With product lines such as Polo/Ralph Lauren for Men, Ralph Lauren for Women, Double RL, Ralph Lauren Home, and even Ralph Lauren paint, it makes us wonder who the man behind the label really is.

Born Ralph Lifshitz on October 14, 1939, in the Bronx, New York, Ralph Lauren has come a long way from his days of sharing a bedroom with two of his brothers. Growing up in a middle-class Jewish family, Ralph and his three older brothers were raised by his mother, while his artist father painted houses.

The Polo brand known today as the preppy English-tweed look it conveys did not get to be a million dollar empire because Lauren was lucky, nor because Lauren had an immaculate sense of style. Lauren not only had an innovative mind, but he also knew that packaging and presentation were of utmost importance -- something he didn't need to learn while studying for his business degree.

MADE IN ITALY n POLO SHIRTS MADE IN PHILIPPINES

650 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10022
(212) 318-7000
http://www.ralphlauren.com
http://www.polo.com/

Rocco Barocco, or Rocco Muscariello as he was christened, is an Italian ready-to-wear designer who creates collections for men, women, and children in a variety of ranges from jeans and knitwear to evening wear. Born in Naples in 1944, he moved to Rome in order to follow his chosen career path. After apprenticeship and training at the city's leading ateliers, he eventually opened his own in the Piazza di Spagna in 1968. Success was immediate, and his popularity with the Roman jetset increased his fame throughout Europe. He was soon exporting clothes to France, the U.S., and Japan.

Rocco Barocco defines his style as being rigorous, humorous, impudent, and poetically imaginative. He has a taste for the daring and avant-garde in design and detailing, such as his bright red chiffon evening gowns with bold, asymmetrically draped necklines. He also enjoys working with embroidery and gold, in particular.

MADE IN ITALY

Piazza di Spagna 81,
00187 Rome, Italy.

Diesel was founded in 1978 by Renzo Rosso and Adriano Goldschmied under the umbrella of the Genius Group. Rosso sold his shares in 1985 and took full control. Since then, the label has grown into a cult denim megabrand, expanding its scope to include fragrance, children’s clothing, womenswear, and youth apparel. The tough, street-smart aesthetic is complemented by elaborate ad campaigns, which range from political to kitschy to high glamour, and utilize the talents of photographers like Terry Richardson. Diesel is worth an estimated $1.8 billion and has more than 300 stores in 80 countries.

All Diesel collections, including licensed products, are made under the Creative Direction of Wilbert Das. The principal lines are Diesel, the main line, and Diesel Black Gold, a new collection launched in 2007 in the casual-luxury segment. The children's collection is called Diesel Kid. Diesel Denim Gallery offers limited edition denim sold in innovative art-gallery-like spaces. Diesel also offers collections of footwear, intimate (underwear), and bags. Diesel's licensed collections are eyewear (made with Safilo), jewelry and watches (Fossil), and fragrances (L'Oréal). L'Oreal and Diesel launched Fuel for Life (for him and for her) in the fall of 2007. A mini-collection for Adidas was launched in 2008 called Adidas Originals Denim by Diesel. The underwear license is held by the US company Mast Industries Inc., who also make lingerie for Victoria's Secret.

MADE IN ITALY

Via Dell' Industria, 7
36060 Molvena (VI),, Italy
39-04-24-47-75-55
www.diesel.com

The Benetton clothing line was created by three brothers and their sister in a small knitting shop in Ponzano Veneto, Italy. When their father died, Luciano (born 1935) left school to work in a clothing store in order to support his mother, sister Giuliana, and younger brothers Gilberto and Carlo.

Luciano developed promotional and commercial expertise as a clerk in a textile store in Treviso. Later, as a representative of small textile establishments, he built up contacts with the Roman knitting magnates who were helpful when the family expanded its operation. As president of the Benetton Group, Luciano led the expansion of family holdings, particularly in the 1990s. He served as a senator of the Italian Republic from 1992 to 1994. Luciano is the father of four children, including Mauro Benetton, marketing director of the Benetton Group.

The Benetton family combined and optimized their expertise in marketing (Luciano), production (Giuliana), management and finance (Gilberto) and technical know-how (Carlo). They aimed at the casual wear market with color to catch the eye, first only in woolens but later in cotton. When regional small plants producing stockings came upon hard times, the Benettons bought their equipment at bargain prices. Now they were ready for a spectacular expansion. Between 1972 and 1976, they expanded into all types of clothing, from jeans to gloves to a complete Benetton wear model. Going into the 1990s there were 14 family members in the business.

MADE IN ITALY

Benetton Group S.p.A.
Villa Minelli
31050 Ponzano Veneto, Treviso, Italy
Tel. +39-0422-519036
Fax +39-0422-519930
http://www.benetton.com

Formally trained as an architect, Italian designer Gianfranco Ferré launched his first signature womenswear collection in 1978, followed shortly with a men's collection in 1982, fragrance in 1984, and a couture line by 1986. Known for its crisp lines, exact cutting, and visible seams, Ferré’s label was influenced by his first trips to Asia. Defined by an East-meets-West aesthetic that vehemently rejects high-fashion trends, the house built its look on rigorously constructed, but casual, garments—like Ferré’s famously crisp white dress shirts decked with layered cuffs, collars, and ruffles. Sharply tailored dresses, suits, and structured ballroom skirts in ultraluxe fabrics and rich colors were recurring players in Ferré’s simple but elegant roster.

In the nineties, the house branched out with sportier ready-to-wear, fur, and high-end accessories under FERRÉ Milano, and sportswear divisions for jeans, children’s, and lower-priced accessories—consolidated in 2005 under the GF FERRÉ line. After Ferré’s death in 2007, Lars Nilsson was brought on as creative director for less than a year before being replaced by 6267 designers Tommaso Aquilano and Roberto Rimondi in April 2008. Their first collection (spring 2009) won acclaim for honoring Ferré’s legacy of controlled femininity while modernizing the label with their stiff, geometric dresses in curve-conscious shapes.

MADE IN ITALY

Via Pontaccio 21
Milan, Italy 20121
39-02-721-341
www.gianfrancoferre.com