Giuliana Camerino

Giuliana Camerino in aRoberta di Camerino dress with trompe-l'œil buckled belt print, c. 1960

Giuliana Camerino ( Coen; December 8, 1920 – May 10, 2010) was an Italian fashion designer who founded the Roberta di Camerino fashion house in Venice, the only major Italian fashion brand to be based in the historic seafaring and trading city. The label is principally known for its velvet handbags, though it has also produced womenswear and shoes. Giuliana Camerino has been credited with creating the concept of the status bag. with whom she had two children, a son, Ugo, and a daughter, Roberta.

In 1943, to escape the persecution of Jews in Italy during the Second World War, the Camerinos fled to Switzerland where Giuliana started designing handbags for a local leather goods store.

Roberta di Camerino

The fashion house Roberta di Camerino was founded in 1945 when the Camerinos returned to Italy after the War ended. It was named after the film Roberta, starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The creative director of the label is Giorgia Scarpa, formerly of Prada and Christian Dior, and the general manager, Alessandro Varisco, formerly of Gianfranco Ferre and Versace.