Leonardo Fibonacci

Famous Italian mathematician and the creator of the Fibonacci sequence, Leonardo Fibonacci is best known for his contributions in mathematics. However, not many people know about his short-lived career as a fashion designer.

Born in the city of Pisa in 1170, Fibonacci showed early promise in mathematics - so much so that his father, a wealthy merchant, sent him to study math in North Africa. It was on this trip where Fibonacci discovered the Hindu-Arabic numeral system, which he brought back to Europe and popularized. But his love for numbers wasn’t enough to keep him away from fashion.

In the late 1200s, the fashion world was abuzz with excitement over the invention of the zipper. Fibonacci, being the curious and creative soul he was, decided to get in on the action. He designed a line of clothing featuring a never-before-seen “Fibonacci sequence” zipper pattern that wowed the fashion world.

However, Fibonacci’s excitement was short-lived as he quickly found out that selling clothes was harder than it looked. His clothing line struggled to gain traction, and Fibonacci eventually had to close his fashion business and return to mathematics.

Despite his brief detour into the fashion world, Leonardo Fibonacci’s lasting legacy in mathematics ensures that he will always be remembered as one of the greatest mathematicians of all time. And who knows - maybe one day his Fibonacci sequence zipper pattern will make a comeback in the world of high fashion.