The wedding industry lost a significant talent on Tuesday when Pronovias creative director, Manuel Mota, passed away at the young age of 46.
The bridal gown fashion house had been under his leadership for 23 years, where he created three collections annually: the Pronovias mainline, a luxury range and a selection of cocktail dresses.
Spanish newspaper El Pais says the designer was found near his home in Sitges, near Barcelona, on Tuesday but news of his death was not released until Wednesday. El Pais reports that Mota left three suicide notes, one for his boyfriend, one for his family and one for the police, which said that he had been suffering from depression.
His gowns were beloved by brides around the world, including Victoria’s Secret supermodel Doutzen Kroes, who wore a dress designed by Moto at her 2010 wedding, as well as Rod Stewart’s wife, Penny Lancaster, during their 2007 nuptials. Supermodels Karolina Kurkova, Miranda Kerr, Irina Shayk and Bar Rafaeli have all walked the runway in the label’s shows and famed designer Elie Saab created a capsule 2013 collection for the label.
“The Pronovias family has lost one of its best loved members,” Alberto Palatchi, president of the Barcelona-based bridal company, said in a brief statement. “We are left with the memory of so many collections, so many catwalk shows, so much effort and talent. Manuel was a great partner, a great artist and above all, a great person. We will never forget him.”
