Massimo Cantini Parrini was born in Florence, where he studied at the Porta Romana Art Institute, then at Polimoda, before graduating in Fashion Culture and Design of Fashion, at the University of Letters and Philosophy.
He was selected to study at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in Rome with Oscar-winning costume designer Piero Tosi, his mentor and friend for over twenty years.
He then began his career as an assistant to Oscar-winning costume designer Gabriella Pescucci. Massimo Cantini Parrini later became an internationally renowned costume designer, and continues to teach at various public and private institutions. A member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 2020, he has received two Oscar nominations for Pinocchio (2021) and Cyrano (2022), as well as nominations from BAFTA, the Costume Designers Guild Awards, and the Critics Choice Awards. He is the only costume designer to have won six David di Donatello Awards, in addition to a European Oscar (European Film Award), five Nastri d’Argento Awards, the Flaiano Prize, five Ciak d’Oro Awards, and numerous other national and international honors.
In 2019, he was named Honorary Academician by the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, and in 2025, he received the same title from the Academy of Fine Arts in Parma. His work spans film, theatre, and opera, collaborating with numerous internationally renowned directors, as well as fashion and exhibition projects, combining his work as a costume designer with that of a curator. He has also designed the costumes for major international events, including the Opening Ceremony of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
He owns one of the most important Italian fashion archives, with authentic garments from 1640 to the 1990s.
