The 'Big Little Lies' actress and singer Dannii Minogue remember the Australian fashion designer in the wake of her passing following an accident at the Sydney Harbour.

• Apr 4, 2021

AceShowbiz - Nicole Kidman has led tributes to fashion designer Carla Zampatti, following her death on Saturday (03Apr21).

The 78-year-old Australian icon passed away a week after being knocked unconscious when she fell on the steps at the opening night of the La Traviata opera at Sydney Harbour.

News of her death was confirmed on her official Instagram page on Saturday, in a post which read, "It's with great sadness that we announce the death of fashion icon Carla Zampatti AC today."

"Carla is Australia's most successful and enduring fashion designer, launching her eponymous label in 1965. Carla has long been celebrated for making Australian women feel confident and elegant through her exceptional design, tailoring and understanding of the modern woman. A champion of Australian women and a multicultural success story, she continued to thrive as a businesswoman through enormous radical and social change, designing clothes for women fighting for liberation through the women's rights movement in the 1960s to empowering women today in leadership, the workplace, in their home and at major life events."

Following the announcement of the tragic news, Kidman, who was told of Zampatti's death in Los Angeles, where she's working on a new film, told the Sydney Morning Herald, "It is with great sadness that I am hearing this news. She was a trailblazer and inspiration to all of us, female or male. We must respect her place in history, continue to talk of her and hold her close to us in memory of her creativity."

Meanwhile, Dannii Minogue paid tribute on Instagram, writing, "I am so sad to hear this news.I was so lucky to have met Carla. I have always been in awe of her style and the class she brought to Australian fashion. Condolences to her family and close friends."

And singer Dami Im recalled a chat with Zampatti during which they'd chatted about starting a career in Australia after migrating to the country as children.

"I will never forget our chats, when she asked me about my experience as a Korean Australian and shared her own stories of her coming to Australia as a young girl," Dami wrote on Instagram. "You will be forever an icon, an inspiration for women and for people with diverse backgrounds."

Italian-born Carla settled in Australia with her family in 1950, and married twice. She's survived by three children - Alex Schuman, Allegra Spende, and Bianca Spender.