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Walter Albini helped establish Milan as the centre of Italian fashion. He died in 1983. Image Credit: Alfa Castaldi

A new digital archive honouring late Italian designer Walter Albini is one of the first steps before the relaunch of the Walter Albini brand takes place. The website celebrates Albini’s life and career, a designer’s legacy that left a lasting mark on the ‘Made in Italy’ movement and helped turn Milan into one of the fashion capitals of the world.

The digital platform, over at walteralbini.org, includes photography, designs, drawings and more, some of which have never been displayed publicly before, featuring Albini’s biggest fashion contributions and his famous unisex themes.

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Walter Albini’s designs followed his so called unimax formula that defied conventional men’s and women’s fashion norms. Image Credit: Alfa Castoldi

Albini, who started studying fashion when he was just 16, passed away in 1983 at the age of 42 and continues to inspire designers four decades on. Gianni Versace once said about the late designer: “There were many things about Albini that I loved: his frenetic creativity, the way he wanted more than anything else, to make women elegant and timeless.”

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Throughout his career Albini underlined the concept of unisex fashion design. Image Credit: upplied

Marc Jacobs was even more succinct on his Instagram account earlier this year: “Albini - the best!”