Rosita Missoni, co-founder of the Italian knitwear brand, has died

Rosita Missoni, co-founder of Italian knitwear brand Missoni, has died at the age of 93.

The news was confirmed by the president of the Italian Lombardy region, Attilio Fontana, who praised the brand's famous “multi-coloured textures”.

He described her death as “a great loss for Italy and Lombardy and for the province of Varese where she was born and lived.”

Rosita founded the luxury brand – which became known for its zigzag motifs – in the northern Italian region with her husband Ottavio in 1953.

Rosita, whose parents were shawl makers, was born in 1931 in the town of Golasica, Lombardy.

While on a study trip to learn English in London, she met Ottavio – known as Ty – while he was competing in the 400-meter hurdles at the 1948 Olympics.

At the time, Tai was producing his own knitted sportswear, including pants with zippers so they could be worn over sneakers.

“When I got married, four sewing machines arrived with my husband,” Rosetta told Agence France-Presse in a 2016 interview.

The couple, who married in 1953, initially set up a knitted machine workshop in Gallarate, northwest of Milan.

Their big break came in 1958 when a Milan department store ordered hundreds of Missoni-branded striped dresses.

Missoni's first fashion show came in 1966, followed by a presentation at the Pitti Palace in Florence the following year.

Controversy over the quality of sheer clothing, after models were asked to remove their white bras because they could be seen under blouses, catapulted the brand to international fame.

Tai died in 2013 at the age of 92.

The couple's daughter, Angela, took over the running of the fashion house in the late 1990s, although Rosita continued to work on the brand's main line, Missoni Home.