Fiat heir Lapo Elkann was the most creative young Italian entrepreneur in 2008, according to a survey made of the international press.
The survey was carried out by an international research group on December 15 and monitored over 100 publications in 12 countries and found the flamboyant young businessman mentioned over 500 times.
Elkann, whose grandfather was Fiat's legendary playboy president Gianni Agnelli, has been Vanity Fair magazine's Best Dressed Man for the past five years in a row.
According to the International Herald Tribune, Elkann is a ''style icon for the new generation,'' while the German weekly Gala considered him ''a leader among young Italian designers,'' and the German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung observed that ''everything that Lapo Elkann wears is then copied and becomes a trend''.
Second in the international press survey was Italian designer Stefano Pilati, creative director at the Yves Saint Laurent fashion house, while the first woman on the list was Frida Giannini, artistic director at Gucci.
Lapo Elkann is the son of Agnelli's daughter Margherita and his older brother John is currently being groomed to take over the Italian automotive giant.
After heading the image and brand management division at Fiat, Lapo Elkann left and started up Italia Independent, a fashion and lifestyle project and website featuring products conceived, developed and produced in Italy.
