This color made its fashion debut in 1959, featured in a strapless cocktail dress of draped tulle, and has since been known as “Valentino red,” becoming the hallmark of the Italian fashion house.
“I believe a woman in red is always magnificent, embodying the perfect image of a heroine,” Valentino expressed in his book “Rosso” (Red), released in 2022. He ensured that each collection included at least one red dress.
Valentino, a prominent figure in Italian fashion, passed away on Monday at his home in Rome, as announced by his foundation. He was 93 years old.
The cause of his death was not immediately disclosed.
‘I love beauty’
Valentino stood alongside Giorgio Armani and Karl Lagerfeld as one of the last of a distinguished generation of designers, from an era prior to fashion transforming into a commercial powerhouse dominated by financiers and marketing experts, rather than couturiers.
Reaching the pinnacle of haute couture, he was the first Italian designer to grace the exclusive Paris runways.
With a passion for cinema, he harbored dreams of dressing the “beautiful ladies of the silverscreen,” which included 1950s Hollywood icons like Lana Turner and Judy Garland.
Valentino eventually designed Elizabeth Taylor’s wedding gown and became a top choice for numerous Oscar-winning actresses, including Sharon Stone and Penelope Cruz.
His romantic creations, appearing simple at first glance, were intricate in detail. “I love beauty,” Valentino declared. “It is not my fault. I understand what women desire: to be beautiful.”
The designer, who also styled Jackie Kennedy, created an empire under his name before divesting before his retirement in 2008.
‘You need a lot of patience’
Valentino was an only child, born into an affluent family in Voghera, south of Milan, where his father operated an electrical supplies business.
From an early age, he enjoyed drawing and appreciating high-end fashion, later studying couture in Milan and Paris, where he apprenticed under designer Jean Dessès. Upon returning home in 1960, he launched his own fashion house in the heart of Rome.
That same year, Elizabeth Taylor selected a white Valentino gown for the premiere of the blockbuster “Spartacus.”
Also in 1960, he met Giancarlo Giammetti at a Roman café. Giammetti would become his partner both in business and in life.
Giammetti managed the business operations, allowing the designer to focus on creativity.
“Being with Valentino as a friend, lover, and employee is quite similar: you need a lot of patience,” Giammetti remarked in “Valentino: The Last Emperor,” a documentary chronicling the designer’s final two years.
Valentino’s use of georgette fabrics, chiffon ruffles, and elaborate embellishments, including the exclusive budellini technique—where long strips of sheep’s wool are hand-rolled into tubes, wrapped in silk, and stitched together—earned him numerous accolades, including France’s highest civilian honor in 2006.
“Fame and fortune never changed him,” Giammetti reflected. “He remains the same humble person I met 45 years ago.”
Superstitious and introverted, Valentino cherished chocolate, skiing, and his pet pugs. In a 2017 interview with Corriere, he admitted to fearing death.
In 2007, he captivated Rome with extravagant celebrations marking his decades in fashion—a three-day event featuring dinners, parties, and exhibitions, drawing thousands from around the globe.
Months later, he announced his decision to step away from designing for his company, which he no longer controlled after selling it nearly a decade earlier for approximately $300 million.
“I have decided that this is the perfect moment to bid adieu to the world of fashion,” he stated. “As the English say, I would like to leave the party while it is still lively.”
His final runway show took place in January 2008 in Paris, a city he considered his second home and one that taught him to love both fashion and life.
The business bearing his name was acquired by the Qatari fund Mayhoola for 700 million euros in 2012. French luxury group Kering purchased a 30% stake in 2023, planning to fully acquire the business by 2026, although this has now been deferred to 2028 at the earliest.
Valentino and Giammetti continued to actively support the arts. In 2025, their foundation inaugurated the PM23 gallery in central Rome, adjacent to the Valentino headquarters.
Fittingly, the opening exhibition—”Horizons/Red”—centered on the color most intimately associated with Valentino.
“Red isn’t merely a color,” Giammetti remarked at the time. “It is a symbolic and aesthetic force of remarkable power.”
