November 15, 1940. His career was first launched as a student with a textile line of floral prints that were noticed by a major Italian hosiery factory and later, by his assistance in a friends line of hand-painted sweaters that proved a hit.  Cavalli began seriously researching the art of textile printing applying hip designs to T-shirts and jeans that became very popular among young Italians.  While working for well-known leather designer Mario Valentino, Cavalli had the idea to print on leather.  His passion to push innovations and experiment with techniques led him to invent and patent a revolutionary printing procedure on leather.  He debuted these techinques in Paris and immediately got commissions from Hermes and Pierre Cardin.  By his early 30’s, Cavalli presented his first collection in Paris and Florence featuring jeans made of printed denim, intarsia leathers, and wild prints and opened his first boutique in Saint-Tropez on the French  Riveria.  After fading into obscurity for a while, his extravagant designs and creatively embellished clothes were rediscovered in the early 90’s by an entirely new generation of  fashion-forward women, men and celebrities earning him a loyal following around the world.   Known as the “King of Bling” for his super-ornate style, Cavalli likes to play with excesses creating vibrant patterns by using the most advanced technologies making him a favorite on the runways.  In addition to his sportswear and jeans line, Cavalli’s lines consist of two underwear collections, shoes, eyewear, watches, perfumes and housewares.  The designer is also owner of his namesake restaurants, cafes and nightclub in Italy.