Franco Moschino trained as a painter at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Milan — he never considered himself a fashion designer and said so repeatedly. He entered the industry as an illustrator, working for Gianni Versace from 1971 before moving to the Italian ready-to-wear house Cadette, where he designed collections until 1982. The following year he launched Moschino Couture! under his own holding company, Moonshadow, in Milan.

Moschino was never simply playful. His work was a sustained critique of the fashion system from within — parody of luxury signifiers, slogans embroidered onto garments ("Stop the Fashion System," "Expensive Jacket" in gold thread across the back of a cashmere coat), and the deliberate mixing of cheap materials with expensive ones. The intellectual lineage ran from Schiaparelli and surrealism rather than from mainstream Italian fashion. He treated luxury less as a fixed ideal than as something to be prodded, quoted and occasionally laughed at.

The point was frequently missed. Moschino became successful and famous in the industry he was satirising — a contradiction he was aware of and occasionally commented on directly. Much to his apparent surprise, the establishment embraced him. His shows were events: conceptual, theatrical, sometimes chaotic, always attended.

In 1988 he launched Cheap & Chic, a diffusion line that extended the brand's reach while maintaining its irreverent character. It remains among the most collected Moschino product lines in the vintage market — and for a Jagged Metal reader, the more important point: the pieces that carry the sharpest conceptual humour, the logo parodies, the slogan dressing, the accessory and jewellery work from the late 1980s and early 1990s, represent Franco-era Moschino at its strongest and are what serious collectors pursue.

Franco Moschino died on 18 September 1994 from complications related to AIDS. He was 44. Rossella Jardini, his former assistant who had worked alongside him since the early days of the brand, became creative director and held the position until 2013, when Jeremy Scott took over. Scott departed in 2023. Adrian Appiolaza is the current creative director, appointed in 2024.

Jagged Metal specialises in authenticated vintage designer and costume jewellery from the 1960s through to Y2K. Browse the collection at jaggedmetal.com.