Fears for Vittorio Missoni as plane disappears

Vittorio Missoni, whose family opened their first hotel in Edinburgh in 2009, was one of six passengers on board the flight from the Los Roques archipelago to Caracas on Friday.

Yesterday, search teams continued to look for the plane, which had been expected at the capital’s Simon Bolivar International Airport, but never arrived.

Missoni, 58, is the director general of the iconic brand and the eldest son of the company’s founder. Flying with him on Friday’s flight was his wife, Maurizia Castiglioni, two Italian friends of the couple, and a crew of two Venezuelans.

According to reports in Italy, family patriarch Ottavio Missoni, 91, and his wife, Rosita, were at their home, along with their daughter, Angela, the chief fashion designer and sister of Vittorio, waiting for information about the search. A third Missoni sibling, Luca, is said to have flown to Venezuela.

Speaking from the company headquarters in the northern Italian town of Sumirago, Missoni spokeswoman Maddalena Aspes said details remained scarce.

“The Missoni family has been informed by the Venezuelan consulate that Vittorio Missoni and his wife are missing, but we don’t know any more,” she said.

Giovanni Davoli, the Italian consul in Venezuela, added: “They have been looking for [the plane] with helicopters and ships, but have not found anything yet.”

According to Italian newspapers, the pilot of the twin-motored Britten Norman BN2 Islander plane, dating from 1968, was 72-year-old German Merchan.

Another plane with eight Italians on board is reported to have disappeared in the same area exactly five years ago, on 4 January, 2008.

Only a single body – that of the co-pilot – was ever found.

Missoni, with its trademark zigzag and other geometric patterns in sweaters, scarves and knitwear, is one of Italy’s most famous fashion brands abroad.

The brand, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, is scheduled to display its latest menswear creations on the Milan runways in fashion shows later this month.

Vittorio Missoni played a key role in marketing the Missoni family creations in Asia, especially in Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea, and he took on the title of general director of marketing of Missoni Spa. He also is responsible for the company’s products in the United States and France.

By 2011, the brand’s appeal was wide enough for US mass-market retailer Target to ask it to design a collection.

His elderly parents still play an active role in the family. After passing her world-renowned fashion house over to her children, Rosita Missoni started the luxury hotel chain which now has five-star operations in Kuwait and on Edinburgh’s George IV Bridge next to the Royal Mile. A number of other hotels are planned for the future.

Inspired by their own family residence outside Milan, the 136-room Edinburgh hotel includes artwork by Luca Missoni in the bar.

Discussing her decision to choose Edinburgh at the time of the hotel’s opening, she said she had been inspired by a love of the city’s architecture.

On Friday, Venezuela’s Interior Minister Nestor Reverol said the plane was declared missing hours after taking off from Los Roques, a string of islands, cays and islets that is popular for scuba diving, white beaches and coral reefs, where the Missonis and their friends were on vacation.

Some 95 miles off Venezuela’s coast, Los Roques is one of the area’s most popular holiday destinations.

Reverol said the plane had been expected at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Caracas. A first day of searching on Friday yielded nothing.

As the search resumed yesterday, the Italian news agency ANSA, reporting from Rome, said a specialised ocean-searching naval vessel was being deployed.

Twitter: @chris_scotsman