The "godfather of denim," Diesel founder Adriano Goldschmidt, has died.

Diesel brand founder Adriano Goldschmidt has died at the age of 82. The Italian fashion designer, dubbed the "godfather of denim," died on April 5 after a long battle with cancer, WWD reports.

Goldschmidt was born in 1944 in Trieste, a city in northeastern Italy. He initially dreamed of becoming a professional skier, but in 1974 he embarked on a career in fashion, founding the denim brand Daily Blue. A few years later, together with Italian entrepreneur Renzo Rosso, he launched Diesel, which later became a key player in the denim market. In the 1980s, Goldschmidt founded the Genious Group, a group that included Diesel and Replay. He later participated in the launch and development of several other renowned projects, including Goldsign and the premium Gap line 1969.

In 1993, the designer co-founded the company Agolde, and in 2000, together with Yul Koo, he founded the Los Angeles brand AG Adriano Goldschmied. This project was instrumental in establishing jeans as a premium product. Goldschmied also collaborated with the French house Chloé on denim recycling.

Adriano Goldschmidt is survived by his wife Michela and daughters Sara, Marta and Glenda.

Photo: adrianogold/Instagram**