'The Godfather of Denim' Adriano Goldschmied dies aged 82

Italian designer Adriano Goldschmied, nicknamed "The Godfather of Denim" and co-founder of Diesel, has passed away at age 82 following a battle with cancer.

Goldschmied was renowned as the originator of premium denim and leaves behind an enduring legacy.

Across his more than five-decade-long career, he co-founded Diesel with Renzo Rosso and created the successful denim-centric brands Replay, Goldsign, Agolde and AG Adriano Goldschmied, as well as Gap's premium denim line, Gap 1969.

Goldschmied was born in 1944 in the coastal city of Trieste in the northeast of Italy to a Jewish family. He initially followed his dream of becoming a competitive skier and moved to the popular skiing destination of Cortina d'Ampezzo in 1970 - where the Winter Olympics were held this year. After an injury prevented him from continuing with the sport, he opened a small boutique in the city.

With no formal design training, he embraced experimentation and innovation from the very beginning, altering garments and examining fabrics closely - which ultimately led him to open his own denim company, Daily Blue, in 1974.

In 1981, he founded Genious Group, a collective that fostered emerging design talent and helped launch both Diesel and Replay. It was here that he also led key denim production innovations, including new washing and finishing techniques.

Throughout his career, Goldschmied championed sustainability long before the term became a buzzword in the industry. He adopted water recycling, solar energy and inventive fabrics like Tencel for brands such as Agolde and AG.

He was also the co-owner of House of Gold, a denim design and consulting firm that focuses on creating and bringing to market innovative, sustainable denim fabrics.

He is survived by his wife, Michela, and three children: Glenda, Marta and Sara.