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FASHION

Italian fashion designer Smalto dies at 87

Italian designer Francesco Smalto, who as one of the stars of the men's fashion industry clothed princes, heads of state and sporting icons, has died in Morocco aged 87.

Italian fashion designer Smalto dies at 87
A picture of Italian fashion designer Franceso Smalto (L), who died in Marrakech, aged 87, taken in Paris in 1993. Photo: Pierre Verdy/AFP

The "creative visionary" provided men with "an allure and unique style" his fashion house said in a statement on Monday, adding that Smalto had died in the night from Saturday to Sunday in a Marrakech hotel.

Smalto enjoyed a lengthy and successful career but his image took a tumble in 1995 when he admitted in court that he had provided call girls as well as suits to then Gabonese president Omar Bongo.

For that he was handed a 15-month suspended sentence and a hefty fine.

Smalto was born in the southern Italian region of Calabria in 1927 and showed a precocious talent for custom-made clothes, creating his first suit at the age of 14 for a friend.

But it was in the fashion capital Paris that he dreamed of forging his career and his fashion house went on to provide the French football team with its formal suits for last year's world cup finals in Brazil.

His early years in the fashion world saw apprenticeships at Parisian tailors such as Cristiani and Camps as well as with Harris in New York, who provided suits for President John F. Kennedy.

In 1962 Smalto created his own brand, installing himself in a chic part of the French capital and rapidly building a reputation for clothes which were comfortable and expertly tailored.

Among his celebrity clients were French actor Jean-Paul Belmondo, crooner Charles Aznavour and Morocco's late king Hassan II, the father of the current monarch.

Smalto retired in 2001, selling his business on to the Alliance Designers company.

Korean stylist Youn Chong Bak, who became the Smalto fashion house's artistic director in 2007, mourned the loss of "the master and an extraordinary person."

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PARIS

Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Efforts to relocate wild rabbits that are a common sight on the lawns of the historic Invalides memorial complex have provoked criticism from animal rights groups.

Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Tourists and Parisians have long been accustomed to the sight of wild rabbits frolicking around the lawns of Les Invalides, one of the French capital’s great landmarks.

But efforts are underway to relocate the fluffy animals, accused of damaging the gardens and drains around the giant edifice that houses Napoleon’s tomb, authorities said.

Police said that several dozen bunnies had been captured since late January and relocated to the private estate of Breau in the Seine-et-Marne region outside Paris, a move that has prompted an outcry from animal rights activists.

“Two operations have taken place since 25 January,” the police prefecture told AFP.

“Twenty-four healthy rabbits were captured on each occasion and released after vaccination” in Seine-et-Marne, the prefecture said.

Six more operations are scheduled to take place in the coming weeks.

Around 300 wild rabbits live around Les Invalides, according to estimates.

“The overpopulation on the site is leading to deteriorating living conditions and health risks,” the prefecture said.

Authorities estimate the cost of restoring the site, which has been damaged by the proliferation of underground galleries and the deterioration of gardens, pipes and flora, at €366,000.

Animal rights groups denounced the operation.

The Paris Animaux Zoopolis group said the rabbits were being subjected to “intense stress” or could be killed “under the guise of relocation”.

“A number of rabbits will die during capture and potentially during transport,” said the group, accusing authorities of being “opaque” about their methods.

The animal rights group also noted that Breau was home to the headquarters of the Seine-et-Marne hunting federation.

The police prefecture insisted that the animals would not be hunted.

In 2021, authorities classified the rabbits living in Paris as a nuisance but the order was reversed following an outcry from animal groups who have been pushing for a peaceful cohabitation with the animals.

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