The fashion world dresses in mourning. Valentino Garavani died this Monday at his residence in Rome, surrounded by loved onesat 93 years old, according to a note from the Foundation Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti.
His departure is very relevant for the Italian and global fashion industry, which thus loses one of its greatest exponents, the creator of the legendary characteristic “Valentino red”, used by him in a wide range of fashion products, including dresses, bags, shoes and makeup.
Valentino born on May 11, 1932like Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani. He began his career in Paris at the age of 17 in the workshops of Jean Desses and Guy Laroche. In 1959 he returned to Italy to open his first store on Via Condotti in Rome, with the support of his father and a business partner. There he began a professional and sentimental relationship with the so-called “eternal city,” which would last his entire life.
His big break came in 1967, when he presented his famous “White Collection” and received the Neiman Marcus Award. but it was the dress he designed for Jackie Kennedy in 1968 —an amber mini suit in georgette silk for her wedding to Onassis—the one that catapulted her name to global fame.
After her masterful haute couture show at the 1962 edition of Pitti Immagine, “Rome and all of Italy were definitively placed on the international fashion map,” as chroniclers of the sector have recalled.
Valentino became the designer of choice for generations of celebrities and royalty. From Elizabeth Taylor and Julia Roberts to Grace Kelly, Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, Mette-Marit of Norway and Princess Madeleine of Sweden, they all trusted him for the most important moments of their lives.
Anne Hathaway, whom the designer affectionately called “my daughter,” wore one of his dresses at her own wedding. Gwyneth Paltrow, Jessica Lange and Naty Abascal were also part of her inner circle of clients and friends.
In 1998, Garavani sold his company, but continued to run it until he retired in 2008, with a historic fashion show in Paris. His professional and private life was documented in the film “Valentino: The Last Emperor” (2009), and he also appeared in cameos in “The Devil Wears Prada” (2006) and “Zoolander 2” (2016).
Italy and the world of fashion mourn today the loss of one of its last emperors, the man who showed that elegance, femininity and the color red can be eternal.
