What Livio de Simone is known for

Naples textile house founded 1956 by Livio De Simone (b. 1920), whose hand-painted, water-dyed prints made him a fixture of 1960s-70s Capri fashion and a fabric collaborator of Emilio Pucci; now run by his daughter Benedetta.

Livio De Simone was born in Naples in 1920 and left a career as a lawyer to pursue design, establishing his own factory in 1956. He showed collections at Palazzo Pitti in Florence and dressed film figures including Audrey Hepburn and Elsa Martinelli, becoming closely associated with Capri's high society through the 1960s and 70s. He also designed fabrics for, and partnered with, Emilio Pucci in staging fashion shows during the 1950s. His signature technique -- hand-painting fabric freehand with water-based dyes -- produced particularly vivid, brilliant color and remains the distinctive trait the brand is still known for. After his death, the company passed first to his wife Graziella, who had led the brand's commercial side, and then to their daughter Benedetta. The house continues to operate out of Naples, working from a showroom and separate registered-office and production addresses.