Italian fashion designer Valentino Garavani dead at 93
The Italian fashion designer Valentino Garavani, known simply as Valentino, has died aged 93.
The Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti Foundation announced the news via Instagram on January 19th, saying, “Valentino Garavani passed away today at his Roman residence, surrounded by his loved ones.”
No cause of death has been revealed.
It has been confirmed that a lying in state would be organised for the fashion icon in Piazza Mignanelli on January 21st and January 22nd, before his funeral is set to take place in Rome on January 23rd at the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels and Martyrs.
Valentino, the founder of the luxury fashion brand of the same name, was synonymous with art and fashion houses across Italy and the rest of the world, striking up partnerships with some of Hollywood’s most high-profile actors to wear his clothes, including Anne Hathaway, Reese Witherspoon, and Cate Blanchett.
He was also known for creating the colour shade ‘Valentino red’, which would go on to feature heavily in all of his designs, and become a staple of the Valentino brand.
Indeed, it became so iconic that for Valentino’s final collection in 2007, all of the models on the runway were dressed in the shade to honour its impact and legacy.
Italy’s Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, was among the first to pay tribute to Valentino following the news of his death, as she took to social media and said: “Valentino, undisputed master of style and elegance and eternal symbol of Italian high fashion. Today Italy loses a legend, but his legacy will continue to inspire generations. Thank you for everything.”
Born in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, near the fashion hub of Milan, in May 1932, Valentino moved to Paris aged 17 to study at the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne, where he was afforded the chance to work with designers such as Jacques Fath, Balenciaga, Jean Dessès and Guy Laroche.
Founding the fashion brand in 1960, Valentino enjoyed contemporaries in the fashion world such as Karl Lagerfeld and Giorgio Armani, rising the ranks of the industry to become a giant of fashion in the 20th century.
Over the years, his designs were worn by a multitude of global style icons, such as Elizabeth Taylor, Nancy Reagan, Sharon Stone, Julia Roberts and Gwyneth Paltrow.
