Cavalli decides not to sell fashion house-report

MILAN, July 8 (Reuters) - Designer Roberto Cavalli has decided not to sell his fashion house, he told Il Sole 24 Ore newspaper, because prices have fallen during the financial market crisis.

"I am not selling the company," Cavalli told the business newspaper in remarks published on Tuesday.

"We haven't reached the right moment yet for (a sale to private equity firms). At the same time, as I have said a thousand times, we don't need" to sell, he said.

Sources close to the matter told Reuters that private equity firms TPG [TPG.UL], Candover and Doughty Hanson had withdrawn from the second round of an auction for the business, which was set for mid-July.

Private equity firm Carlyle [CYL.UL], tipped in June as another bidder, has declined to comment, as did Candover, TPG and Doughty Hanson.

Lion Capital, which two people close to the matter had said in June might also be interested in participating, declined to comment.

Nobody was immediately available at Cavalli to comment.

Cavalli told Il Sole 24 Ore figures discussed a year ago for his company "have vanished with the stock market crisis".

He added that "at 800-900 million, I am not selling," without specifying currency.