Who Is Mossimo Giannulli? Founder of Mossimo, Family Update, Scandal Timeline

Mossimo Giannulli is an American fashion designer best known for founding the Mossimo brand in 1986. He later sold the company to Iconix Brand Group in 2006. He married actress Lori Loughlin in 1997, and the pair have recently separated after nearly 28 years together.

Giannulli’s story spans streetwear success, a mass-market retail boom, and legal fallout from the 2019 college admissions case. His name remains tied to the Mossimo label and to headlines about his family. He shares two daughters with Loughlin, Isabella Rose and Olivia Jade, and has an older son, Gianni, from a previous relationship.

Mossimo Giannulli: Career, Family, and Case—Everything We Know

Giannulli launched Mossimo on Balboa Island, California, in 1986. The label grew fast in the late 1980s and 1990s with surf, skate, and streetwear. The brand later expanded into a mass-market partnership that put Mossimo in front of shoppers nationwide.

In April 2006, Iconix Brand Group agreed to acquire Mossimo Inc. in a deal valued at about $119 million. That transaction ended Giannulli’s two-decade run as owner while keeping the brand alive under a licensing umbrella that also included other well-known labels.

Giannulli married “Full House” star Lori Loughlin in 1997. They have two daughters, Isabella Rose (born 1998) and Olivia Jade (born 1999). Giannulli also has a son, Gianni, from a previous relationship. The family drew intense public attention in 2019 during the nationwide college admissions investigation, sometimes called “Operation Varsity Blues.”

In 2020, Giannulli pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges tied to payments made to secure his daughters’ admission to USC as purported rowing recruits. He was sentenced to five months in prison, two years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and 250 hours of community service. Loughlin received a two-month sentence, supervised release, a $150,000 fine, and community service. Both completed their sentences.

In October 2025, a representative for Loughlin confirmed that she and Giannulli have separated. They are living apart and have not filed for divorce at this time. The update followed years of quieter profiles from Giannulli and a gradual return to screen projects for Loughlin.

How this shapes his public profile

Giannulli’s reputation sits at the intersection of early streetwear credibility and later legal controversy. The Mossimo sale showed his ability to scale and exit a youth-culture brand. The admissions case, however, reshaped how many people view the couple and their family.

For fans of 1990s fashion, Mossimo still signals an era of surf-skate style going mainstream. For entertainment followers, Giannulli’s name often appears in stories tied to Loughlin’s career moves and their daughters’ public lives. The recent separation adds a new personal chapter, but does not change the facts of his career or the legal record.

Bottom line: who is Mossimo Giannulli? He is the designer who built Mossimo in 1986 and exited in 2006. He is also a husband since 1997 who is now separated, a father of three, and a central figure in the 2019 college admissions case. His story blends fashion entrepreneurship with one of the decade’s most covered legal sagas.

FYI (keeping you in the loop)-

Q1: What is Mossimo Giannulli known for?

He founded the Mossimo clothing brand in 1986 and grew it into a mass-market name. The brand was sold to Iconix Brand Group in 2006.

Q2: Who are Mossimo Giannulli’s children?

He has three children: Isabella Rose and Olivia Jade with Lori Loughlin, and a son, Gianni, from a previous relationship.

Q3: What happened in the college admissions case?

In 2020, Giannulli pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges related to payments for USC athletic recruitment slots. He served a five-month prison term and paid a fine.

Q4: Are Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli still together?

A representative confirmed in October 2025 that they have separated and are living apart. No divorce filing has been announced.

Q5: When did Mossimo sell his company?

In April 2006, Iconix Brand Group agreed to acquire Mossimo Inc. in a deal valued around $119 million.

References

People. (2025). Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli Separate After Nearly 28 Years of Marriage (Exclusive). October 2, 2025.

Los Angeles Times. (2025). Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli separate after 28 years of marriage and that college scandal. October 2, 2025.

Reuters. (2020). Lori Loughlin apologizes for college scam as actress, husband get prison sentences. August 21, 2020.

Associated Press. (2020). Actor Lori Loughlin reports to prison in college scam. October 30, 2020.

Los Angeles Business Journal. (2006). Mossimo to Be Acquired by Iconix. April 2, 2006.