Emanuel Ungaro Fashion Designer Profile

Learn about the life, success and style of French fashion designer Emanuel Ungaro.

Known across the world for his beautiful and feminine creations, as well as men’s wear, accessories and fragrances Emmanuel Ungaro knows how to make anyone look good. Born and raised in France but with an Italian heritage, Emmanuel Ungaro learned a thing or two about fashion from a young age. He was taught to sew by his father and was designing by his mid-20s at the Spanish House of Cristóbal Balenciaga. By the mid-60s Ungaro had launched his own boutique and label in the fashion capital of the world, Paris. He had created his fast women’s ready-to-wear line by the late 60s, which was then followed by his first men’s wear collection in the early 70s and a number of fragrances. Having experimented with different fabrics and prints, people would swarm to his boutiques as his precision cuts and body-skimming outfits would flatter almost any figure. He is a master at what he does and knows how to make a woman sexy and seductive. Ungaro over the years has walked to the catwalk richly embroidered, sheer-laced gowns and rims of purple, black and white top billowing out from skirts, but also day wear that is suggesting a callous attitude to luxury which is sure to appeal to young American socialites that have attended his shows. He resurrected the Bohemian sheik of the 1970s with outfits that piled on clashing patterns and/or knit embroidery to dizzying effect and has given gimmicky touches to his signature clash of printed chiffons, embroidered lace and floral patterns. His shows have also featured glamorous bridal collections with models wearing white pleated dresses worn with a long Chinese-style cape and satin with flowers and parrots. Never losing focus Ungaro has had continuous success since the beginning of his brilliant career. But in 2001, Ungaro retired from ready-to-wear to concentrate on whole couture. In 2005, Vincent Darré came aboard enchanting new life into the Emmanuel Ungaro ready-to-wear collection respecting the brand while also expressing his own point of view. With form-fitting dresses Darré also incorporated corsets into dresses featuring off the shoulder flanges and tiered ruffles down the skirt. Norwegian designer Peter Dundas was given the role of Artistic Director in December 2005. Having previously worked in the design teams for Christian Lacroix and Jean Paul Gaultier, Dundas debuted with Ungaro in Paris for the 2006 ready-to-wear season. His 2007 collection was inspired by the night-clubbing nightlife with a color pallet of black mixed with neons, reds, electric blue and ultra-violet also with a sprinkling of metallic with gold and silver and sequence and fabrics ranging from taffeta, silk, velvet and leather. Esteban Cortazar is the fourth designer to be appointed as the head designer of the Emmanuel Ungaro ready-to-wear line since the founder’s retirement. Only in his early 20s, he introduced to welcome dash of optimism into the Paris ready-to-wear collection in 2008. The young designer sent out flatty summer dresses and tropical-hut-house prints with the outfits having been influenced by his native city of Cartagena. Taking creative control of Ungaro’s two-men’s labels Emmanuel Ungaro and Ungaro is French designer Jose Lévy who brought with him a decade of experience. For his first collection with the label he offered a playful collection sending out formal wear with a twist and beach gear for a tropical vacation. With Ungaro’s beautiful whole couture gowns he has become a favorite with Hollywood celebrity such as Eva Longoria and Cameron Diaz. Longoria graced the red carpet in a navy blue dress while Diaz arrived to the Oscars in a satin rose-colored gown complete with roses and a pleated skirt. Emmanuel Ungaro is a master when it comes to designing what people want. He not only makes people look fabulous in his designs he also knows how to make them feel fabulous in his designs.