To the industry and the fashion press, Hungarian-born Adrienne Vittadini was known as the Queen of Knits. In 1979, after working with several knitwear firms, Vittadini started her own knitwear company, always asserting that knitwear was more than just sweaters. Vittadini was far more than a knitwear designer, she also created textiles and reinvented fashion. Vittadini maintained, "creating fabrics, then silhouettes, is the essence of fashion."