Italian fashion designer Valentino Garavani, known simply as Valentino, has died at the age of 93. His family confirmed that he passed away at his home in Rome on 19 January.
In a statement on Instagram, the Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti Foundation said:
“He passed away peacefully in his Roman home, surrounded by the love of his family.”
Valentino was one of the most influential designers of modern fashion. He built a global reputation for elegant gowns, strong silhouettes, and his signature “Valentino red.”
He dressed many famous women, including Princess Diana, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Elizabeth Taylor, and Jennifer Lopez.
Valentino was born in Voghera in 1932. He moved to Paris at 17 to study fashion and later worked with top designers like Balenciaga and Guy Laroche.
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He founded the Valentino fashion house in Rome in 1960 and retired from runway shows in 2008.
The foundation said he will lie in state at Rome’s Piazza Mignanelli on 21 and 22 January. His funeral will be held the next day at the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels and Martyrs.
Former British Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman told BBC Radio 4’s PM programme that Valentino was “one of the last of the great designers of the modern day.”
She added:
“He really didn’t care that much that he wasn’t the most fashionable, the most cutting-edge designer. He just wanted to produce clothes that were beautiful – and they were.”
Valentino’s work will be remembered for its timeless glamour, luxury, and lasting influence on fashion.