Beginning in retailing at the age of 14, he later created a fashion brand that had worldwide success during the 1970s and 1980s, including becoming a key label of the disco-scene.

The retail environments he created were destinations, rather than simply places to buy clothes; his New York store was known by some as the daytime Studio 54 and gave space to artists and creatives – including Andy Warhol.

His travels included a visit to London, then a hotbed of young fashion, and he was said to have been surprised and also influenced by the dynamic retailing approaches found in Carnaby Street and Kensington Market.

[1] The clothing he manufactured was affordable and often kitsch – such as bright coloured T-shirts featuring his trademark cherub motif or Disney characters.

Fiorucci also offered wall space to artist Keith Haring and gave retail concessions to designers Anna Sui and Betsey Johnson.

[1] Famous patrons included Elizabeth Taylor, Jackie Onassis and Cher, and the teenage Marc Jacobs also spent time there.

By 1984, the brand had stores on London's King's Road and LA's Rodeo Drive, as well as branches in Sydney, Tokyo and Hong Kong.

[5][10] Five years after its launch, a licensing deal was agreed with Coin Group, with both women's and children's ranges being sold in branches of the retailer Oviesse.

[8][4] Fiorucci's brand had a name check – alongside Halston and Gucci – in the Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers song "He's the Greatest Dancer", a disco anthem sung by Sister Sledge.

She added that his design skills encompassed not just fashion but also retail environment and marketing materials, which combined to make the garments more compelling.

Graphic designer Terry Jones suggested that his approach had a direct influence on fashion brands that followed, such as Dolce & Gabbana and Moschino.

[12] Despite the flamboyance of the clothes and retail environments he created, Fiorucci's personal style was restrained – typically sweater and trousers – and he told WWD in 1976, in an interview about the opening of his Manhattan store that he was: "a merchant, not a man of fashion".