Italian fashion icon Valentino Garavani has died at the age of 93.
The designer, whose luxurious evening gowns were worn for decades by some of the world’s most glamorous women, died surrounded by his family.
He “peacefully passed away today at his residence in Rome, surrounded by the love of his family,” according to a statement posted to Instagram by his foundation.
Born in the northern Italian town of Voghera in 1932, Valentino – widely known by his first name – trained in haute couture ateliers in Paris before founding his own fashion house in Rome in 1959. Early in his career, he became known for his red gowns in a rich scarlet shade that became so closely associated with him it was known throughout the industry as “Valentino red”.
In 1960, Valentino met Giancarlo Giammetti, then a young architecture student who would become his long-time business partner and, for 12 years, his romantic partner. Together, they built Valentino SpA into an internationally recognised luxury brand.
One of Valentino’s earliest high-profile clients was actress Elizabeth Taylor, whom he met while she was filming Cleopatra in Rome in the early 1960s.
Other prominent early admirers of his work included Begum Aga Khan, Queen Paola of Belgium, actresses Audrey Hepburn and Joan Collins and Jacqueline Kennedy, who wore a Valentino gown when she married Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis in 1968.
Valentino’s influence spanned generations.
During the 1970s, he spent much of his time in New York, moving in a social circle that included artist Andy Warhol and Vogue editor Diana Vreeland.
In the 1990s, he became a favourite of the era’s supermodels, including Claudia Schiffer and Naomi Campbell.
His designs were also a consistent presence on the red carpet.
Notable Oscar-night appearances included the heavily beaded gown Jane Fonda wore in 1981 when she accepted the Best Actor award on behalf of her father, Henry Fonda; the vintage black-and-white gown worn by Julia Roberts in 2001; the pastel mint caftan-style gown worn by Jennifer Lopez in 2003; and the sunshine-yellow gown worn by Cate Blanchett in 2005. Roberts and Blanchett both won Academy Awards in those respective years. At the 2011 ceremony, Anne Hathaway appeared in an ornate Fall 2002 Valentino couture gown, accompanied by the designer himself.
In later years, Zendaya, Carey Mulligan and Gemma Chan were among the actresses to wear Valentino creations to the Oscars.
With his precisely tailored suits, tanned complexion and meticulously styled hair, Valentino embodied the image of the quintessential Italian gentleman.
Beyond fashion, he was an avid collector of Chinese antiques and devoted considerable attention to gardens and topiary at his 17th-century Château Wideville outside Paris, which he purchased in 1995. He also had homes in London, Paris, New York, Spain and Gstaad, Switzerland.
Valentino adored his pug dogs and at one time owned six: Milton, Monty, Maude, Margot, Maggie and Molly.
“I don’t care about the collection,” he said in the 2008 documentary Valentino: The Last Emperor.
“My dogs are more important.”
In 1998, Valentino sold his company to Italian conglomerate HdP for approximately $300 million, though he continued working with the brand. He retired from fashion in 2008 after more than 45 years, closing out one of the longest and most influential careers in the industry.
His retirement was marked by a star-studded fashion show at the Musée Rodin in Paris, where models closed the show wearing identical “Valentino red” gowns.
That same year, Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli were appointed creative directors of the house. Chiuri departed in 2016 to become artistic director at Christian Dior. Piccioli stepped down in 2024 and was appointed creative director at Balenciaga in 2025.
Following Piccioli’s departure, Alessandro Michele has led Valentino’s design direction for nearly two years amid a broader reshuffling of the fashion industry.
For many, Valentino’s death marks the passing of a generation of old-world fashion maestros.
He seemed aware of that legacy himself.
When asked in the 2008 documentary about claims that he was irreplaceable, Valentino replied with a wry smile, “After me, the deluge.”
Images: Instagram
