According to Italian media the fashion designer Gianfranco Ferre,63, is seriously ill and he is been treated in intensive care in the San Raffaele hospital in Milan.

The Italian press agency ANSA reported that he was admitted to the intensive care unit Friday evening.

His condition was critical and reported to have worsened overnight. Ferre's colleagues have confirmed the report although the hospital declined to provide confirmation.

According to Ansa, Ferre had already suffered two strokes in the past but had managed to recover, without paying heed to medical advice.

Ferre, who was trained as an architect, worked as designer for Dior between 1989 and 1997. In 1974 he launched its own label, called Baila.