French fashion designer Emanuel Ungaro dies aged 86

Emanuel Ungaro, who has died in Paris, was known for his bright colours and bold prints, but it was his label’s association with Lindsay Lohan that he deemed a “disaster”.

French designer Emmanuel Ungaro (right, with Italian fashion designer, Valentino) has died at the age of 86. Picture: AP

French fashion designer Emanuel Ungaro, who was known for his use of vibrant colour, mixed prints and elegant draping, has died at the age of 86.

Ungaro’s death was confirmed on Sunday (local time) by the eponymous Paris fashion house he founded in 1965, which said in an Instagram post that he “will remain in our memories as the Master of sensuality, of colour and flamboyance”.

French designer Emanuel Ungaro checks a dress on a model before his 1999 spring/summer Haute Couture collection in Paris. Picture: AFP

The designer died on Saturday (local time) in Paris, according to French media.

He was known for his bold colours and prints and described himself as a “sensual obsessive”.

He retired and sold the brand in 2005. He went on to criticise the fashion house when controversial American actress Lindsay Lohan was briefly hired as an artistic director.

Lindsay Lohan was briefly hired as the label’s artistic director. Emanuel Ungaro called the appointment a “disaster”. Picture: AP

After his departure, the brand gained a reputation for a high turnover of creative staff – most notably Lohan.

The collections the actress worked on were widely panned by fashion critics, and Ungaro himself, as a “disaster”.

At the time, the designer was quoted as saying he was “furious” with the move and said his former fashion house was “in the process of losing its soul”.

Today, the label continues to produce women’s fashion, but has branched out into fragrance and luxury furniture.

‘DARED TO BE DIFFERENT’

Born in the southern French city of Aix-en-Provence in 1933, Ungaro learned to sew from his father, an Italian tailor.

When he was 23 years old, he moved to Paris. Two years later, he started working as an assistant to Spanish fashion designer Cristobal Balenciaga.

Working at Balenciaga, he said, taught him “rigour and perfectionism”, according to Ungaro’s website.

Emanuel Ungaro pictured in 1981. Picture: AFP

The French designer learned to sew from his father. Picture: AFP

“Season after season, Emanuel Ungaro dared to be different, combining unexpected yet sensual clashes of bright colours and prints with beautiful draping,” the House of Emanuel Ungaro website said.

Ungaro then worked for a couple of years for the Courreges house before creating his own company.

Ungaro’s work included haute couture designs as well as clothes for the ready-to-wear market.

“One should not wear a dress, one should live in it,” he once said.

The label was at the height of its popularity in the 1980s and 1990s.

The designer after a show in 1997. He retired in 2005. Picture: AFP

For decades, Ungaro clothed celebrities and actresses, including Jacqueline Kennedy, Gena Rowlands and Catherine Deneuve.

He had spent the last two years of his life in a “weakened” state of health, a family member said.

He is survived by his wife and their daughter.