bertelli

Turning to Bertelli: 'I'd like to see you get up in the morning and sit there and answer questions online. Why don't you do it? '

'Our life was home and factory, and this was the great fortune of the company, ' Bertelli says.

As the show ended, Bertelli rushed backstage to greet his wife, who bounced over to him, pecking him once on each cheek.

'It was mind-blowing to see how well everything was organized, ' Bertelli says, 'from the lines to the pancakes with Mickey Mouse. '

Bertelli was born in Arezzo in 1946, in the heart of Italy's Tuscany region, into a family of prominent lawyers.

Bertelli's father died when he was 6, leaving his mother to support her two sons on a high-school teacher's salary.

Bertelli had woken up in Arezzo and, after breakfast in the city's main square, had flown by helicopter to Milan.

'I always tell Bertelli: You like this reputation, or you'd change it, ' says Prada, who always refers to her husband by his last name.

Mr. Bertelli: Yes. I'm for a solidarity tax if it supports a development program.

Bertelli bought leather, and brass to make the buckle, and then took the pieces to a cobbler to be sewn together.

If Prada is one of the most influential designers in the world, Bertelli is the driving influence behind her.

When the kids started school, Bertelli and Prada moved the company's headquarters to Milan.

Mr. Bertelli: Even September is continuing the same trend. No, the slowdown is not affecting us yet. We'll see.

'I think anyone would be interested in acquiring a stake in Prada, ' Bertelli says.

The day before Bertelli's meeting with Neiman was the day of Prada's fall-winter 2010 menswear show.

'Despite recent market volatility, the Prada team is very optimistic [about the IPO], ' Mr. Bertelli said at the news conference.

Mr. Bertelli: We're putting the finishing touches on a project to launch a training school.

Bertelli bellowed , as guests stopped their chitchat to listen .

But while your average business mogul1 might just have demanded a refund from the manufacturer, not Bertelli.

Today, Bertelli says his sons are his window into what young consumers want.

Mr. Bertelli: This morning I saw Saks. Even they said things are going well.

Bertelli and Prada's rapport is the most volcanic of all, and the two are notorious for their violent arguments.

Food is a serious matter for Bertelli.

Bertelli still uses his left hand to draw.

Bertelli pushed Prada to open the brand's first store in New York in 1986.

It built the relationship of business partner with Patrizio Bertelli