Heritage Glamor Across Oceans: Federico Forquet’s Luxe Strategy for Italian Fashion in the United States

This article examines the triumph of Italian high fashion in the United States in the 1960s, focusing on Federico Forquet. Despite a relatively short career in the fashion world, Forquet’s strategies anticipated key principles of contemporary luxury marketing, such as selective distribution, aristocratic endorsement networks, and narrative-driven heritage positioning. Celebrated in the US press even before his official debut, Forquet gained visibility through strategic collaborations, such as his work with Irene Galitzine on the “Palazzo Pajamas,” and through his association with elite social circles including Marella Caracciolo di Castagneto (later Mrs. Agnelli) and Paola Ruffo di Calabria (later Queen of Belgium). The article situates Forquet’s approach within the broader context of fashion history and marketing theory to demonstrate his contribution to the transformation of Italian fashion’s image on the global stage. This study thus provides key insight into why the 1960s was a golden decade for the export and global recognition of Italian fashion in the United States.