After having begun to draw as a child, Lorenzo Riva realized at 11 years old his first collection: an evening gown for his eldest sister. Assisted by his mother, herself a model, he opened his first atelier at the age of 18, creating one of a kind evening wear and wedding gowns.
Fashion has always been a passion in his family. His mother was a model of inspiration and she will still be till this day. She adored assembling and sewing the garments, whilst his three sisters would model the first creation by emerging young sister. In those initial years, for the press one important comment stands out: “Lorenzo Riva is creating his own genious sense of style as Yves Saint Laurent; the New young Wave, sharp, flexible and unique”.Art inspired his creations, thanks to his circle of frequentations amongst the greatest artists, including Enrico Baj, Lucio Fontana and Mimmo Rotella.
An International career
His dream was to present a show at “Palazzo Pitti” and with his immense yearning to create, he succeded; he presented his collection in the “Sala della Scherma Fortezza da Basso" in Florence, which brought him to the artistic direction of the Maison Balenciaga.
In Paris he created, in the atelier where the grand spirit of Cristobal Balenciaga still drifted through the air. In Avenue George V he met Pierre Cardin with whom he had many ideas to exchange. He presented his collection not only in Paris with Jerry Hall and Brooke Shields on the runway, but also in Mexico and in Spain. "Le Figaro” quotes for him: “Balenciaga returns with a prominent creator of talent: Lorenzo Riva”. He participates in conferences with the dreaded fashion journalist Susy Menkez. "L'Officiel" "Vogue", "Femme" and the most important headliners dedicate vast articles, all the way to “The New York Times".
On his return to Italy he created his Maison with his associate Mr. Luigi Valietti, he opened two new atelier and presented his line of wedding dresses; exclusive, linear, clean and even then "Vogue", "Harper's Bazaar" and "Elle" follow their interest in Lorenzo Riva. In 1991 he presents his Haute Couture collection in Rome. He also presents his pret-à-porter FW 1995 - 1996 collection on the center stage of "Milano Collezioni" for the first time and since then he has continued to present for international acclaim. In 1997 a retrospective is held at New York at the "Cristinerose Gallery", with Whitney Houston present among the guests, whom will later on be dressed by Lorenzo Riva for her concert tour in Japan. Then He participates at the International Festival of Fashion in Kazakhstan as the only showcased Italian designer; he also presents his collection in Montecarlo at the “Hotel de Paris” and at the “Palazzo Grimaldi” in the presence of Monegasque Royalty. He created gowns for numerous Celebrities from Isabella Rossellini, Penelope Cruz, Emanuelle Seigner, Carmen Maura, Lana Marks, Jerry Hall, Chiara Mastroianni, Ivana Trump, Mafalda d'Aosta to the Princess Claude de France.
He was rewarded by many prizes such as "Divine Giulia" for his career, the plate from the County of Rome, the "Lupa Romana", from the Mayor of Rome, l'"Ambrogino d'Oro" in Milan just to mention a few. Lorenzo Riva made his own way to dress an emblem which brought the Presidents Francesco Cossiga and Oscar Luigi Scalfaro to compliments him during an event at the "Quirinale" for Italian fashion. Lorenzo Riva always loved art and this brought him to present one of this collections at the Four Seasons in Milan with the home-line "Giorgetti" in the press "Moda & Design"
The recent past and the present.
In 2004 he presents at the "Teatro Comunale di Shanghai" in the presence of the Chinese Authorities, during the Automobile Grand Prix. After having showcased his collection in Brazil, Argentina, Indonesia, United Arabian Emirates and Japan, he was also guest of honor at the Italian Festival in Caracas with a yet other marvelous collection. In February he presented in Santo Domingo at the "Moscow Fashion Expo" in Russia. He was awarded in Capri by Caterina Murino, ex Bond Girl, the "Capri Hollywood Award" for his contributions to Cinema.
Today the Lorenzo Riva Collections are internationally distributed in selected boutiques points, other than his Name Boutiques. The last Pret-à-Porter S/S 2008 collection was presented on the 25th September 2007, still in the official calendar of Milan Fashion Week: it was a great success with a standing ovation for his exit on the runway. Among the invited guest to the show, Ilary Halexander, one of the three most important journalists in fashion.
