"Gentleman of lingerie": Former La Perla chief Alberto Masotti dies at 90
He led the Bologna lingerie house his mother Ada founded in 1954 from 1981 to 2007. The trained physician later set up a foundation for fashion research.
Graphic: TERRA WORLD NEWS (own graphic based on the sources listed)
Alberto Masotti has died aged 90, news agency ANSA and the newspaper Il Resto del Carlino reported on 23 October. Masotti was the son of Ada Masotti, who founded La Perla in Bologna in 1954. He graduated in medicine with top marks in 1960 but chose the family business over a career at the Sant'Orsola hospital. He served as the company's president from 1981 to 2007.
Under his leadership La Perla became an internationally known luxury brand. In 1995 Masotti was named Cavaliere del Lavoro. After he stepped down, the company went through a long crisis and labour disputes before passing to the firm of American entrepreneur Peter Kern. La Perla said Masotti had "written a fundamental chapter in the history of La Perla". For the brand's 70th anniversary he published the book "La nostra Perla".
In 2015 Masotti founded the Fashion Research Italy foundation, an exhibition, consulting and training hub for small and medium-sized fashion businesses. He later launched Am.Ai, a digital platform combining fashion, artificial intelligence and creative heritage. Bologna mayor Matteo Lepore sent condolences, recalling that Masotti was known as the "signore della lingerie", the gentleman of lingerie, and his closeness to the workers during the fight to save the company.