A fashion designer to stars including Jennifer Lopez and Lady Gaga took her own life after NHS failures in her mental health care, a coroner has found.
Federica Cavenati – known as Kikka to friends – was a rising star in the fashion industry, with her own clothing label 16Arlington and items worn on the red carpet and at London Fashion Week by the likes of Billie Eilish and Kendall Jenner.
Friends and family were left devastated when she took her own life on October 18, 2021, after a period of mental health struggles.
An inquest at Inner West London Coroner’s Court heard Ms Cavenati, 28, had first been admitted to hospital after self-harming in September 2021, and she received treatment for her physical and mental health.
She had previously been prescribed anti-depressant medication, but in the hospital she could not administer the drugs herself and intravenous medication was not available.
“She did not receive this medication until she was physically able to, which was shortly before her death”, said assistant coroner Priya Malhotra.
The court was told mental health nursing observations were stopped five days after she was admitted to hospital, and her last review by the Psychiatry Liaison Team was on October, 17, 2021, the day before she died. Ms Cavenati had refused medication in the previous days, said the coroner.
Mrs Malhotra recorded the causes of death as multiple traumatic injuries as a result of a fall from height, and concluded the fashion designer had intended to jump to her death.
“The following factors contributed more than minimally to her death”, wrote the coroner. “She had not had a recent mental health review. There were no mental health observations. She had not taken consistent anti-depressant medication for some time.”
In a Prevention of Future Deaths report, the coroner said she is concerned about the “absence of intravenous anti-depressant medication for those in need, who cannot for physical reasons take the medication orally.
“The evidence I heard confirmed the existence of intravenous anti-depressants in Europe but not in the United Kingdom.”
Her report has been sent to Ms Cavenati’s family, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, the Central and North-West London NHS Foundation Trust, and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
At the time of her death, Ms Cavenati’s family announced: “She is survived by her mother, father and brother, and her life partner, 16Arlington co-founder Marco Capaldo. Together with Marco she built a business which has singularly redefined London’s take on glamour.”
Amal Clooney wore one of 16Arlington’s pieces on the red carpet at the 2022 London Film Festival, and US actress Lena Dunham paid tribute to Ms Cavenati shortly after her death, calling her “nothing if not beautiful”.
Her family said in their statement: “The word ‘special’ feels insufficient to assign to the forcefield of optimism, passion and kindness that was Kikka, but it is undoubtedly the most direct route to capturing her.
“That the 16Arlington studio will no longer ring with her wicked laughter and boundless appetite for creativity is a tragic loss to all those lucky enough to know her.”
