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French fashion designer Emanuel Ungaro dies aged 86

Ungaro was known for his use of vibrant colour, mixed prints and elegant draping.
Ungaro was known for his use of vibrant colour, mixed prints and elegant draping. Ungaro was known for his use of vibrant colour, mixed prints and elegant draping.

French fashion designer Emanuel Ungaro has died at the age of 86.

His death was confirmed on Sunday by the eponymous Paris fashion house he founded in 1965.

In an Instagram post, the house said Ungaro “will remain in our memories as the master of sensuality, of colour and flamboyance”.

The designer, who was known for his use of vibrant colour, mixed prints and elegant draping, died in Paris on Saturday, according to French media.

Born in the southern French city of Aix-en-Provence in 1933, Ungaro learned to sew from his father, an Italian tailor, and moved to Paris when he was 23-years-old.

He started working as an assistant to Spanish fashion designer Cristobal Balenciaga two years later.

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

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

In 1996, he sold his house to the Italian group Ferragamo.

Ungaro kept creating collections and finally retired in 2004.

He is survived by his wife and their daughter.