Italian fashion designer Valentino dies at 93

By Hilary Clarke, CNN

(CNN) — Italian fashion legend Valentino Garavani, whose elegant evening gowns were favored for decades by some of the world’s most glamorous women, has died at 93, according to his foundation. He “peacefully passed away today at his residence in Rome, surrounded by the love of his family,” a statement posted to Instagram said.

Born in the northern town of Voghera, Italy, in 1932, Valentino — who was popularly known by his first name — learned his trade in the haute couture ateliers in Paris before founding his own line in Rome in 1959. Early on, he became known for his red dresses, in a rich scarlet shade that became his signature color to the extent that it was known within the industry as “Valentino red.”

In 1960, he met his long-time business partner (and, for 12 years, romantic partner) Giancarlo Giammetti, then a young architecture student. Together, the pair turned Valentino SpA into an internationally recognized brand.

One of Valentino’s first famous customers was the actress Elizabeth Taylor, whom he met while she was filming “Cleopatra” in Rome in the early 1960s. Other glamorous followers — and buyers — of Valentino’s work in the early years of his career included Begum Aga Khan, Queen Paola of Belgium, the actresses Audrey Hepburn and Joan Collins and Jacqueline Kennedy, who even wore a Valentino gown to wed Greek shipping giant Aristotle Onassis in 1968.

His popularity would continue as the decades progressed. Valentino spent much of the 1970s in New York, surrounded by a wide circle of friends that included the artist Andy Warhol and Vogue editor Diana Vreeland. In the 1990s, he became a favorite of the decade’s supermodels, including Claudia Schiffer and Naomi Campbell.

His creations also featured regularly on the red carpet. At the Oscars alone, noteworthy Valentino ensembles over the years have included the heavily-beaded gown Jane Fonda wore in 1981 when she accepted the Best Actor prize for her father, Henry; the vintage black-and-white gown Julia Roberts wore in 2001; the pastel mint caftan-style gown Jennifer Lopez wore in 2003 and the sunshine yellow gown Cate Blanchett wore in 2005. (Both Roberts and Blanchett won Oscars in those respective years.) At the 2011 Academy Awards, Anne Hathaway walked the red carpet in an ornate Fall 2002 Valentino couture gown, accompanied by the designer himself.

In more recent years, Zendaya, Carey Mulligan and Gemma Chan have been among fashion plate Oscars attendees wearing the label to much acclaim.

With his precision tailored suits, suntan and perfectly coiffed hair, Valentino was every bit the quintessential Italian gentleman. He was an avid collector of Chinese antiques and indulged his love of flowers and topiary in the landscaped grounds of his 17th century Chateau Wideville, outside of Paris, which he bought in 1995. He also had homes in London, Paris, New York, Spain and Gstaad, Switzerland.

He was passionate about his pug dogs and at one time owned six of them: Milton, Monty, Maude, Margot, Maggie and Molly.

“I don’t care about the collection,” he memorably proclaimed in the 2008 documentary “Valentino: The Last Emperor.” “My dogs are more important.”

In 1998, Valentino sold his company to the Italian conglomerate HdP for some $300 million, although he continued to work for the company. Valentino retired from the industry in 2008, after more than 45 years, marking the end of one of the longest careers in fashion. The occasion was marked with a star-studded fashion show at the Musée Rodin in Paris. For the finale, models donned identical “Valentino red” gowns.

The designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli were appointed as Valentino’s creative directors that year. In 2016, Chiuri was named artistic director at Christian Dior; Piccioli stepped down in 2024 and was appointed creative director at Balenciaga last year. Following Piccioli’s departure, Alessandro Michele has helmed Valentino’s design for nearly two years amid a wider industry reshuffling.

“Valentino Garavani was not only an undisputed protagonist of fashion, but a central figure in Italian cultural history. A man who pushed the boundaries of possibility, traversing the world with rare delicacy, silent rigor, and a boundless love of beauty,” Michele said in a statement posted to his Instagram account. “He leaves us all a profound legacy: the idea that creating means caring, that beauty is radical and patient attention to bodies, to forms, and to the time that passes through and preserves them.”

Following the news of his death, other tributes to the legendary designer poured in. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called him “the eternal symbol of Italian haute couture” in a statement on social media, thanking him for his contributions. The family of Giorgio Armani, who died in September at 91, called Valentino “an undisputed master of grace and elegance, for whom Giorgio Armani always held great admiration.” The statement continued: “Valentino embodied the excellence of couture, the rigor of craftsmanship, and a unique vision of fashion made of pure lines, iconic colors and absolute beauty. His passing leaves an immense void.”

For many, Valentino’s passing represents the end of a generation of old-world fashion maestros. And it seems he knew this too. When he was asked, in the 2008 documentary about his life, about others’ claims that he was irreplaceable, Valentino replied with a wry smile: “After me, the deluge.”

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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