Valentino

Establishment

1960

Founder

Valentino Garavani

Headquarters

Rome, Italy

Group

Mayhoola for Investments SPC

Current Designer

Pierpaolo Picciolo

Valentino is a well-known Italian fashion brand founded in 1960 by fashion designer Valentino Garavani and entrepreneur Giancarlo Giammetti . It has three product lines: haute couture, men's and women's ready-to-wear series, and accessories series, covering shoes, bags, small leather goods, glasses, scarves, ties, perfumes and other products.

· Brand History ·

The founders of Valentino are Italian designer Valentino Garavani and entrepreneur Giancarlo Giammetti. Garavani studied in France in his early years, attending the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts (ENSBA) and the Ecole des Constructeurs de la Mode (ECSCP), and was an apprentice to many well-known fashion designers, including Jacques Fath, Balenciaga, Jean Dessès, etc.

In 1959, Garavani returned to Italy and opened a fashion house on Via Condotti in Rome. The following year, he met Giancarlo Giammetti in a coffee shop. The two had a common topic because of fashion and became friends by chance. At that time, Giammetti was a student at the School of Architecture. After meeting Garavani, he decided to drop out of school and run the "Valentino" brand with him . Garavani was responsible for fashion design , and Giammetti was responsible for corporate management and development strategy .

Valentino founders Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti

In 1962, Valentino held a fashion show at the Pitti Palace in Florence, which was reported by well-known magazines such as Time and Life , and attracted the attention of the international fashion industry overnight. In the 1960s, as the brand's popularity increased, many high-society people, Hollywood stars and other celebrities became Valentino's customers, including British actress Elizabeth Taylor , Audrey Hepburn , former US First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy , Queen Paola of Belgium , etc.

In 1960, Elizabeth Taylor first heard of the Valentino brand and became interested in it while filming "Cleopatra" . The following year, she wore a white Valentino dress to attend the premiere of "Spartacus" , and Valentino has since forged a connection with Hollywood. With the help of Elizabeth Taylor, Valentino gradually became a highly sought-after fashion brand in Hollywood.

British actress Elizabeth Taylor in a Valentino wedding dress with her eighth husband Larry Fortensky.

Another celebrity who had a close relationship with Valentino was former US First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy . In 1964, Mrs. Kennedy first ordered six black and white dresses from Valentino as her daily wear after her husband's death. Four years later, she married Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis, and Valentino also designed her wedding dress for her .

In the mid-1970s, Valentino began to use brand licensing to obtain additional income, becoming one of the earliest fashion companies to support franchising. It was not until the 1990s that the company changed its development goals and devoted itself to increasing directly-operated stores and reducing franchise channels in order to strengthen control over product sales. In

1998, Garavani and Giammetti sold the company to the Italian group HdP for $300 million . In 2002, the HdP group sold it to the Marzotto group for $210 million . During this period, the two remained involved in the company's affairs until they officially retired in 2008 .

In January 2008, Valentino Garavani held his last haute couture show at the Musee Rodin in Paris, France , officially bidding farewell to his 45-year fashion design career. In the same year, a biographical documentary about Garavani , Valentino: The Last Emperor , premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, showing his work and life from 2005 to 2007 before his retirement.

Promotional photo of Valentino: The Last Emperor

After Garavani retired, the creative director position was passed to Alessandra Facchinetti , and then to the designer duo Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli . In 2016, Maria Grazia Chiuri left the company and Pierpaolo Piccioli took over the creative director position alone. In the same year, Stefano Sassi became the CEO of Valentino SpA.

Since 2012, Valentino has been operated and managed by Qatari investment company Mayhoola for Investments , showing rapid growth in business potential. As of 2018, the brand has 175 self-operated boutiques in more than 100 countries around the world and has more than 1,500 sales points. Currently, Valentino is mainly divided into three product lines: haute couture, men's and women's ready-to-wear series, and accessories series. The accessories series covers products such as bags, shoes, small leather goods, belts and jewelry.

Valentino 2018 Early Spring Rockstud Spike Collection

Valentino's classic bag is the Rockstud bag, which was first released at the Paris Spring/Summer 2011 ready-to-wear show. Since then, it has launched a variety of styles, such as the Va Va Voom series (2012) and the Glam Lock series (2013). As an extension of the Rockstud series, Valentino also launched the My Rockstud series (2015) and the Candystud series (2018).

2018 Candystud Factory limited-time concept store in Sanlitun, Beijing

Valentino 2018 Spring/Summer Haute Couture Show

Valentino Spring/Summer 2018 Fashion Show

Valentino 2018 Fall/Winter Haute Couture Show

Valentino Fall/Winter 2018 Fashion Show

·Chronology of major events·

1960Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti founded the Valentino brand.
1962Launch of first fashion collection.
1964Former US First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy becomes a Valentino customer.
1967Valentino wins the Neiman Marcus Prize.
1968Launch of the White Collection.
1969The first ready-to-wear store opens in Milan.
1975Launch of first ready-to-wear collection.
1982Valentino becomes the first fashion designer to hold a fashion show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
1985Valentino was awarded the Knight's Medal by the President of Italy.
1989Accademia Valentino opens in Rome.
1998The Valentino brand is acquired by the HdP Group.
2000Valentino receives the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA).
2002The Valentino brand is acquired by the Marzotto Group.
2006Valentino receives the French Legion of Honor.
2007Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti announce their retirement.
2008Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Picciolo serve as creative directors.
2011The Rockstud collection is launched; the Valentino Garavani virtual museum goes online.
2012Va Va Voom series launched.
2013Glam Lock collection launched.
2015Launch of the My Rockstud collection.
2016Maria Grazia Chiuri leaves the company.
2018The Candystud collection is launched.