Right up until the 1990s, a particular fabric was the key element of a collection. The choice of one fabric over another represented an aesthetic manifesto or, as we say now – unfortunately, sometimes to describe nothing at all – a ‘statement’. Today, however, it is fragmentation that dominates fashion, in both forms and materials

One year on from the death of the fashion designer and entrepreneur – the anniversary of which falls tomorrow – Roberta Filippini’s book is being published, having been shelved since 2014 for a variety of reasons. Two months of meetings, confessions and mutual reserve have gone into crafting a portrait spanning from the Fascist era to the present day.