Italian Couturier and Founder of the House of Valentino
Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani, the Italian fashion designer known globally as Valentino, died on 19 January 2026 in Rome at the age of 93. He passed away peacefully at his home, surrounded by those close to him.
Born on 11 May 1932 in Voghera, Italy, Valentino showed an early aptitude for design and pursued formal training in Paris at the École des Beaux-Arts and the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne. He later worked under established couturiers including Jean Dessès and Guy Laroche, experiences that shaped his rigorous approach to craftsmanship and form.
In 1960, Valentino founded his eponymous fashion house in Rome with business partner Giancarlo Giammetti. The house quickly gained international recognition for its commitment to haute couture, technical precision, and an aesthetic rooted in elegance rather than novelty. Valentino’s work came to be defined by clarity of line, meticulous handwork, and a belief in beauty as a serious and enduring pursuit.
Throughout his career, Valentino dressed figures from politics, cinema, and society, including Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Elizabeth Taylor, Princess Diana, and numerous other public figures. His distinctive use of colour—most notably the shade known as Valentino red—became a defining element of his visual language and a lasting symbol of the brand.
Valentino retired from active design in 2008, concluding a career that spanned nearly five decades. Under his leadership, the House of Valentino grew into a global luxury brand encompassing couture, ready-to-wear, accessories, and fragrance, while maintaining strong ties to artisanal tradition.
Valentino Garavani’s legacy lies in his unwavering commitment to proportion, restraint, and refinement. In an industry increasingly shaped by speed and spectacle, his work stood for permanence, discipline, and the belief that elegance is not a trend, but a standard.
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