Iconic Fashion Designer Oscar de la Renta Dead at Age 82
Iconic Fashion Designer Oscar de la Renta Dead at Age 82
According to ABC, legendary Designer Oscar de la Renta died Monday at age 82.
De la Renta—who recently designed the dress Amal Alamuddin wore at her wedding to George Clooney last month—was diagnosed with cancer in 2024. The cause of death, however, has not yet been reported.
Earlier this month, de la Renta appointed Peter Copping as the new creative director of the Oscar de la Renta brand—reportedly his second choice after a failed effort to bring John Galliano on board.
The Times noted at the time that de la Renta was one of the few designers to appoint a successor before death:
[Copping’s] appointment makes him one of the few designers in the modern Fashion industry to have actually been anointed as an heir apparent by a sitting creator, and it comes at time when a number of established designers are facing issues of succession, including Giorgio Armani (age 80) and Ralph Lauren (74). As a result, it will be one of the most closely watched creative moves in recent years.
Though Yves Saint Laurent worked with Christian Dior before briefly taking over the house at the designer’s untimely death, and Karl Lagerfeld was hired by founder Gaby Aghion at Chloé, the modern Fashion world is not known for its smooth passing of design power. Indeed, according to Mr. de la Renta, this was an impetus for the decision to identify Mr. Copping and put him in place.