Roberto Cavalli’s Legacy Among Sea Waves
Roberto Cavalli’s Spring/Summer 2025 collection imbued the Palazzo di Mezzanotte with the history of Messina, a former nest of Chalcidian pirates originally known as Zancle. The first fashion show after the disappearance of the Maisons’ founder was thus a double tribute: to the Sicilian roots of creative director Fausto Puglisi and the late Roberto Cavalli. The event was also the occasion for Joan Smalls, Karen Elson, Natasha Poly, Alek Wek, Eva Herzigova, Maria Carla Boscono and Isabeli Fontana to gather in style. The supermodels chatted and joked during the rehearsals, showing their fellowship.
During the evening, there was plenty of room for exploration, since the show opened with a series of white and ecru garments, gold and woven raffia details evoking an atmosphere of ancient myths. Slowly, colours deepened, following the sun’s trajectory and ultimately dipping into the sea. Floating fabrics with printed waves turned from deep blue to purple and ended with the image of twilight on the horizon.
Accessories also pointed to the Sicilian atmosphere, with gold pendants shaped like marine flora and fauna. Fabrics also included denim, silk, leather and jute, in sensual combinations of cut-out shapes and transparencies. In the grand finale, the seven top models took centre stage wearing archival pieces from the Fall/Winter 2000, 2003 and 2004 collections, among zebra prints, feathers and sequins. The models then invited Eva Cavalli to walk the runway with them, symbolically fixing Roberto Cavalli’s legacy in history. On the front row were Victoria De Angelis, Myss Keta, Valentina Ferragni Kelly Rutherford and Claire Holt.
Text: Anna Zucca
Photos: Ludovica Arcero
