16Arlington's Federica 'Kikka' Cavenati dies aged 28

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Nov 5, 2021

In a shock and extremely sad announcement on Friday, cult London label 16Arlington said that co-founder Federica Cavenati — also known as Kikka — died last month “after a short and sudden illness”.

Aged only 28, she’s survived by her mother, father and brother, and her life partner, 16Arlington co-founder Marco Capaldo. 

The family said the pair had “built a business which has singularly redefined London’s take on glamour” and proved to be a celebrity favourite in the process.

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Cavenati was born and raised in Italy, but spent her teens in Vienna before moving to the UK to study fashion design at London’s Istituto Marangoni. 

She met Capaldo by chance the night before her first lecture and they remained inseparable both personally and professionally.

The 16Arlington label was set up in 2017 and named after the site of their first, near-derelict, shared flat on London’s Arlington Street.

Cavenati was both a co-creator and muse for the label with the family's statement on Friday saying her “design-for-a-good-time” approach lay at the heart of the brand’s “meteoric rise”.

It also said that “the word ‘special’ feels insufficient to assign to the forcefield of optimism, passion and kindness that was Kikka, but it is undoubtedly the most direct route to capturing her. Kikka was a white light; an unmistakable energy and the most encouraging, fiercely loyal friend. That the 16Arlington studio will no longer ring with her wicked laughter and boundless appetite for creativity is a tragic loss to all those lucky enough to know her”.

It added that Marco Capaldo will “present an unseen collection in February 2022 in her honour”.