1970s Roberto Cavalli Navy Knit Sweater with Printed Suede Bird Yoke

Roberto Cavalli, early 1970s.
Navy knit V-neck with a printed suede collar.

The Piece

Two birds in gold, violet and rust curve down the neckline, under a printed suede collar. Cavalli's first success was flower prints on knit, and this piece joins that knitwear to his printed leather.

In Vogue

The Painted Years was featured in Vogue, September 2026, by senior archives editor Laird Borrelli-Persson, who described the collection as "poster-like art on animal skin."
Read the Vogue feature

The Designer

In the early '70s Cavalli developed his own technique for printing onto leather and suede, and drew commissions from Hermès and Pierre Cardin. By 1972 he was showing in the Sala Bianca of the Palazzo Pitti in Florence. The animal prints and red carpets of 1990s Cavalli later overshadowed this first chapter. See the full Painted Years collection.

Condition

Excellent vintage condition. Care: specialist cleaning only.

Measurements

Available upon request.