Italian Designer Laura Biagiotti Critical After Heart Attack

Italian fashion designer, Laura Biagiotti, 73, suffered a heart attack that resulted in serious brain damage and left her in a critical condition in a Rome hospital on Thursday, May 25

Biagiotti suffered the cardiac arrest at her home on Wednesday evening, according to officials with the Sant’Andrea hospital where she was being treated.

According to the hospital, tests are being performed to verify possible brain death as the brain damage resulted from a lack of oxygen to it.

Born in Rome in 1943, Biagiotti ditched her plans to become an archaeologist to help her mother run a dressmaking business. She first presented her own fashion collection in Florence in 1972. She was one of the earliest Italian female designers to go international with her creations.

Biagiotti is known for luxurious knits that won her the nickname “Queen of Cashmere.” Her company also produced several perfumes, including the popular “Roma” fragrance.