California Apparel News

Denim leader Adriano Goldschmied—known as “the godfather of denim”—passed away April 5 after fighting cancer. He is survived by his wife, Michela, and three children, Glenda, Marta and Sara.

Over the course of his more than 50-year career, Goldschmied was behind the founding of brands including Diesel, AG Adriano Goldschmied and Goldsign. He also led many groundbreaking denim initiatives such as Gap 1969.

The designer launched premium-denim label Daily Blue in 1974 and relaunched the brand in 2023. Despite Goldschmied’s successful career in premium denim, which began with transitioning the category to the luxury level, he also remained dedicated to pioneering sustainability in this space. He felt success in sustainable denim required creating products that rivaled the characteristics of high-end pieces but at more-affordable price points.

“Instead of having a low-quality product, we want to have a product that can compete at the level of premium denim,” Goldschmied told California Apparel News in 2018. “The concept is to bring the expertise of premium denim but at a reasonable price.”

Goldschmied will remain an industry legend, yet he was known for his accessibility and willingness to share his insights with denimheads at every career level, from students and emerging designers to his venerable peers. Kingpins CEO Vivian Wang recounted in an April 5 newsletter memories of her time working at AG Adriano Goldschmied and how the man whom she considered “the father of my life in denim” shaped her work.

“Working with him was one of the most inspiring and rewarding experiences of my life. He never stopped encouraging me to trust my instincts and keep going. Kingpins would not be what it is today without him,” Wang said. “Every time I showed him my ideas, he made me feel seen. He believed in me, even when I didn’t. And I remember how he smiled at my work … and how we laughed.”