The king of the early 2000s: Roberto Cavalli

The early 2000s saw a lot of great designers. One of the greatest was Roberto Cavalli, with his loud and opulent designs.
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While minimalism kept returning in cycles, Cavalli built a world of excess: low-slung silhouettes, skin, shine and, above all, animal print. The latter became central to the signature style that made Cavalli famous, especially as the early 2000s saw it heavily featured in his designs.
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He treated animal print not just as a novelty, but as something elemental, combining it with florals or abstract designs. He said, “I copy the dress of an animal because I love to copy God. I think God is the most fantastic designer.”
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As a result, cheetah, zebra, cow, and tiger patterns became so intrinsic to his work, as puzzle pieces of a larger fantasy of nature, beauty, and by extension, sex appeal. Appearing on ruffled dresses, denim garments, and silk separates, his prints played into the decadent confidence of the early 2000s — one that was reflected in the era’s appetite for exuberant and seductive dressing.
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Even in his descriptions of fashion, Cavalli focused on the joy of wearing clothing and the excitement of putting on beautiful garments: “Fashion should be something that in the morning, when you open your window, you say, ‘Oh fantastic, sun!’”
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This approach was well-captured in his designs of the early 2000s — wild, glamorous and proudly excessive. And in an era now obsessed with 2000s revival, that particular vision of fashion looks as seductive again as ever.