Gianfranco Ferré was known as "the architect of fashion" for his background and his original attitude toward creating fashion design. Born in Legnano, Italy, he received a degree in architecture in 1969 at the Politecnico di Milano university. Ferré began his fashion career in 1970 by designing accessories including eye glasses, then worked as a raincoat designer in 1972-74. He started his own company Baila in 1974 and launched his signature collection for women in 1978. His first men's collection appeared in 1982, followed in 1986 by his first couture collection in Rome.