Italian fashion designer Laura Biagiotti has died aged 73 after suffering a heart attack, her daughter said.

Lavinia Biagiotti announced her mother's death on Twitter on Friday morning.

Biagiotti suffered a heart attack on Wednesday evening at her estate outside Rome. Doctors were able to resuscitate her but not before serious brain damage had occurred.

Biagiotti was one of the first Italian designers to conquer global markets. She was known for her soft, loose women's clothes and luxurious knits which won her the nickname "Queen of Cashmere".

She also produced sunglasses and perfumes, including the popular "Roma" fragrance.

Born in 1943, Biagiotti abandoned plans to become an archaeologist to help her mother run a dressmaking business.

In those early years, she travelled frequently to the United States to learn business and technology.

After collaborating with such famous fashion houses as Shubert and Capucci, she presented her own collection in Florence in 1972.

"Being a fashion designer is like taking vows. It becomes your religion for life," she said in 1987.