Francesco Smalto

{{Short description|Italian fashion designer (1927–2015)}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Francesco Smalto

| image = Francesco Smalto.jpg

| imagesize =

| caption = Francesco Smalto in 2014.

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1927|11|5|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Reggio Calabria, Italy

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2015|4|5|1927|11|5|df=yes}}

| death_place = Marrakesh, Morocco

| occupation = fashion designer

}}

Francesco Smalto (5 November 1927 – 5 April 2015) was an Italian fashion designer.

Born in Reggio Calabria, Smalto started working in his hometown as a tailor, and he created his first dress when he was 14 years old. In 1962 he started his fashion house in Paris.{{cite news|last1=Alice Pfeiffer|title=Mort du couturier italien Francesco Smalto|url=http://www.lemonde.fr/mode/article/2015/04/06/mort-du-couturier-italien-francesco-smalto_4610367_1383317.html|accessdate=19 April 2015|work=Le Monde|date=6 April 2015}} He dressed many celebrities and also several heads of state, notably François Mitterrand and King Hassan II of Morocco. In 2001, Smalto retired and sold his brand to Alliance Designers.{{cite news|title=Morto lo stilista Francesco Smalto. Ha vestito Aznavour, Belmondo e la Nazionale di calcio francese|url=http://www.repubblica.it/spettacoli/people/2015/04/07/news/morto_lo_stilista_francesco_smalto_ha_vestito_aznavour_belmondo_e_la_nazionale_di_calcio_francese-111334661/|accessdate=19 April 2015|newspaper=La Repubblica|date=7 April 2015}}

At the beginning of March 2019, L'Obs revealed that Jack Lang would have received for nearly 195,600 euros of costumes and trousers from the Italian fashion designer Smalto between 2013 and 2018. His lawyer confirms by stating that "his gifts have never had any counterpart". A preliminary inquiry was opened on March 12 for "abuse of social property".{{cite web|title=Costumes offerts à Jack Lang: enquête ouverte pour "abus de biens sociaux"|url=http://www.lefigaro.fr/actualite-france/costumes-offerts-a-jack-lang-enquete-ouverte-pour-abus-de-biens-sociaux-20190502|author=AFP et lefigaro.fr|website=lefigaro.fr|language=fr|date=2 May 2019|access-date=3 May 2019|publication-date=}}.