The widespread outpouring of grief from around the world following the passing of Adriano Goldschmied is deeply moving. Some of those closest to him have shared their memories and highlighted the qualities they found most striking.
Here is a summary of their comments from Massimo Berloni, Valter Celato, Venucia de Russi, Maurizio Donadi, Marco Lucietti, Andrew Olah, Giovanni Petrin and Piero Turk.
Massimo Berloni, co-founder, Seafarer: “Adriano was an heartquake”
“I last saw Adriano at Denim Premiere Vision in Milan, in November 2025, during the panel discussion we both participated in. We talked about so many things together, and it was a wonderful moment, but I never would have thought that, sadly, it would be the last time we’d see him.
My life is filled with memories of Adriano, because professionally, I got my start with him. I believe that if neither I nor many other people had met Adriano, many of us would be doing something else today. Everyone thinks of Adriano as a denim connoisseur, but I also believe that—in the positive sense—he was a force of nature, an earthquake, a giant of disruption, who generated energy, generated wealth, and generated major companies. So talking about denim when we think of Adriano is only a small part of what he did. I, certainly, if I hadn’t met him, might have ended up somewhere else entirely, but certainly not in the fashion world.
He taught me the technical aspects, beyond just the passion and culture for denim, for pants, for this world of clothing. He also taught me a certain fashion culture and the lifestyles of the ’80s and ’90s. That’s how it was for me, and I think for many others as well.
Now that he’s gone, I’m sure he’ll be reunited with his friend Luigi Martelli. And if we see wisps of steam or trails of blue smoke, and if we smell cigars, then they’ve surely met up to do something together, even where they are now.”
Valter Celato, My Moody Adv: “Working for him was a dream for me”
I have been working for Adriano since the days of Genius Group. We only stopped collaborating for the time he was in the US, but more recently I had returned and worked with him on all of his most recent projects. Being back to work with him in close contact was a dream.
I know it might sound stupid, but it would have been nice to carry out all the projects we had in mind together. Since I started using artificial intelligence and showed him a few things, it was enough for him. He loved it at once and seemed like a child.
The first project we worked on was a special one for Isko’s launch of the Moonskin new fabric collection. Right after we started to present the proposals, the collections, were already with the virtual mannequins wearing clothes, maybe in motion. We had a lot of fun with this AI stuff.
Innovation was everything for him, and not just on the jeans, but also on denim, on fabric, on research, on communication, and on the images. It was central to him. Though he didn’t stop just at that. He really wanted to do something beautiful, but he won’t do it anymore.
Maybe his daughter Marta, who already runs her own brand, might be willing to carry ahead some of her father’s projects. Going through his archives, there is a great heritage. It would be a shame to leave everything there.
I consider myself lucky to have met Adriano in the times of Genius Group days, becoming part of that fantastic creative world that allowed me to grow professionally. It was a pleasure to work alongside him in those years. It was an honor to enjoy his personal friendship. Furthermore, it was incredible to be part of his last, beautiful projects. Having been his friend was, is, and always will be my greatest pride.
I say goodbye to you with the certainty that I will never forget you. An immense thank you, Adriano. Goodbye. R.I.P.”
Venucia De Russi, pattern designer: “Adriano? Always a dreamer”
“I went to visit him when he was no longer well. As soon as he saw me, he was so happy to see me that he hugged me and smiled. His daughter Sara wrote to me, ‘His last smile was for you.’
I’m very fond of him and all the Goldschmieds. They’re my family. I was also Sara’s godmother.
I’ve always been there, even before the Genius Group was founded. In 1977, I founded my own freelance pattern-making studio—I was the first in Italy to register this type of business, which didn’t exist before. I used to go work with them alongside Rossella Goldschmied. Then, in the late ’70s, Adriano spoke to me, saying he wanted to found the Genius Group…and he did.
It was a hotbed of ideas, a hotbed of everything; they produced everything, I worked with everyone… they were all wild: Betsey Johnson, who’d show up on roller skates; Renzo Rosso, always there and very ambitious; Claudio Buziol had his own rhythm because he was interested in enjoying life, but about 15 companies were born from there. Wherever Adriano went, I’d join him all over the world. It was incredible. That’s how we started, and we always worked hard.
Adriano was like a big brother to me, and each of us had great respect for our work. Then, you know, he was someone who drew you in—always a dreamer, always ahead of his time—and I still love to dream…”
Maurizio Donadi, Transnomadica/Champion Europe: “I wish you the most serene exploration of the unknown”
“Ciao Adriano. I wish for you an extraordinary cosmic journey, the most serene exploration of the unknown, an eternal adventure through space, and time, and the realization that from the beginning to the end, we are all one.
These words are not about your work and your accomplishments, but instead they are for the indefatigable and contagious desire you left me and many others to try harder to improve, change, comprehend, study, educate, and ultimately inspire. Anytime, anywhere, anyone. Adriano, grazie e arrivederci.”
Marco Lucietti, Isko/Sanko Holding: “His legacy is a more human approach to an industry running always faster”
“It was nice to work with him because, despite being an important person in our industry and in the fashion system in general, he was always available, extremely humble, and wise. You could confront him on everything. He always had the desire to look for new things, despite his age, with the enthusiasm of a young boy.
He listened to everyone and strongly believed in what he was doing while putting it down to the net of the economic return.
I remember when, during a past edition of Denim at Premiere Vision, I moderated a talk where he participated with Marithé and François Girbaud and Gimmy Taverniti. I had the feeling we weren’t in the company of young people, but there was so much enthusiasm and so much desire to share. In this context, it was Adriano who drew attention to the non-exclusivity of his relationship with the industry. His aim was to remain inclusive. His legacy is a more human approach to an industry that is always running faster.”
Andrew Olah: “I admire his desire to find the new, to reinvent, and to create”
“Adriano’s loss is very sad, and there is no one I know that can ever replace the hole his loss leaves. His life’s work stands for itself and is more than admirable, and that I admire with all my heart. Losing him is very sad, and there is no one I know that can ever replace the hole his loss leaves. His life’s work stands for itself and is more than admirable. And that I admire with all my heart his desire to find the new, to reinvent, and to create. No one has done as much.”
Giovanni Petrin: “His humanity was his greatest quality”
“I’ve known Adriano for 50 years, since we were both very young. Back then, he was a bit like a ‘god on earth’; over time, we became very close friends because our work brought us together and united us.
For me, what made Adriano great was that if you were his friend, he would always be there for you—all you had to do was say you needed something.
I remember that Luigi Martelli and I wanted to open a laundry business in the US, and Adriano spent entire days introducing us to people without asking for anything in return. The same thing happened when we went to Japan; he took me with him to business meetings at Big John, a top brand back then.
That was his way of being there for you. If you were his friend, he’d help you find the right partners and get your name out there.
He was like an open book, a man who gave himself completely. He guided me through my formative years, both in business and, above all, on a human level—which is quite different when you consider how jealous all entrepreneurs and creatives in the fashion world tend to be. He, on the other hand, taught me everything and shared everything—his knowledge, his connections, and his relationships.
When he found a relationship he believed in, he gave you everything—and I’m not talking about his greatness from a business standpoint or his professional genius, but his human greatness.
As you may have seen on social media, he took photos with so many people in the industry—it was a humble way of welcoming everyone, involving them, and giving them a little recognition. It was a way to convey his passion, his love for his work, and to share his enthusiasm.
If he ran into you, he never denied you a smile or a hug and always stopped to ask you something. When I think of certain people in the textile industry who are just a little bit important, they don’t even greet you or look at you anymore…
Furthermore, he innovated tremendously in the fashion industry, and not just in jeans. He created underwear collections that didn’t exist before, introducing new styles—from briefs to thongs—when underwear was still made of loose, shapeless garments. He was the first to use lace and ostrich feather appliqués. He created the first sailing apparel collection with aesthetic appeal. Along with Benetton, he invented the garment-dyed technique. He trained countless designers and entrepreneurs, including not only Rosso and Buziol, but also Hamnett and Fusco, to name just a few.
He always gave without asking for anything in return, because he put all these people in a position to create and experiment during a time when it wasn’t easy to innovate in Italy. These are all examples that demonstrate his profound greatness.”
Piero Turk: “I owe him a lot”
“This moment is very sad, and it closes a circle. I have been tied to Adriano for 60 years—since when I was eight years old. I used to live on the same landing in the same block of flats in Trieste where he lived too. He took me to work with him, and I became his assistant. He taught me so much, and he introduced me to all the top people in the industry. I am very grateful for all he did for me.”