Valentino S.p.A. is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in 1960 by
Valentino Garavani and part of
Valentino Fashion Group. Since October 2008, the creative director is
Pierpaolo Piccioli, jointly with
Maria Grazia Chiuri from 2008 to 2016.
Alessandra Facchinetti
Alessandra Facchinetti (born 2 June 1972) is an Italian fashion designer who is known for her work as creative director at Gucci (2004–2005), Valentino (2008–2010) and Tod's (2013–2016).
Early life
Facchinetti is the daughter of singer an ...
was Valentino's creative designer from 2007 to 2008. Valentino is headquartered in Milan, while the creative direction is in Rome.
History
Early history
Valentino was founded in 1960 when Garavani opened a fashion house on
Via Condotti in Rome, Italy with the backing of his father and his father's associate
Giancarlo Giammetti.
Rise to popularity
Valentino's international debut took place in 1962 in Florence, the
Italian fashion
Italy is one of the leading countries in fashion design, alongside France, the United States and the United Kingdom. Fashion has always been an important part of the country's cultural life and society, and Italians are well known for their atte ...
capital of the time. Valentino has also specially designed wedding dresses for
Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was a British-American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. ...
,
Anne Hathaway
Anne Jacqueline Hathaway (born November 12, 1982) is an American actress. The recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award, she was among the world's highest-paid actresses in 2 ...
,
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series '' In Living Color'', where she re ...
,
Courteney Cox
Courteney Bass Cox (previously Courteney Cox Arquette; born June 15, 1964) is an American actress and filmmaker. She gained international recognition for her starring role as Monica Geller on the NBC sitcom ''Friends'', which aired from 1994 ...
,
Sophie Hunter
Sophie Irene Hunter (born 16 March 1978) is an English theatre director, playwright and former actress and singer. She made her directorial debut in 2007 co-directing the experimental play ''The Terrific Electric'' at the Barbican Pit after her ...
and
Princess Madeleine of Sweden.
From HDP group to Marzotto group
In 1998, Garavani and Giammetti sold the company for approximately $300 million to HdP, an Italian conglomerate controlled, in part, by the late
Gianni Agnelli
Giovanni "Gianni" Agnelli (; 12 March 192124 January 2003), nicknamed ("The Lawyer"), was an Italian industrialist and principal shareholder of Fiat. As the head of Fiat, he controlled 4.4% of Italy's GDP, 3.1% of its industrial workforce a ...
, the head of
Fiat
Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiar ...
. In 2002, Valentino S.p.A., with revenues of more than $180 million, was sold by HdP to
Marzotto Apparel, a Milan-based textile giant, for $210 million. It was rumored that HDP was displeased with Garavani's and Giammetti's personal expenses, a claim at which Giammetti has bristled.
Purchase by Qatar
In 2012, Qatari aristocrats acquired Valentino for 700 million euros through an investment vehicle called Mayhoola for Investments S.P.C.
Materials
In 2020, the fashion house announced that it would no longer use alpaca wool and severed ties with Mallkini, the world's largest privately owned alpaca farm in Peru. The move followed revelations of animal abuse within the alpaca industry.
Perfumes
Since 2010, Valentino Perfumes has belonged to the
Puig company.
Its fragrances have included: Valentino Classique for women (1978), Vendetta By Valentino for women (1991), Very Valentino for women (1998), Very Valentino for Men for men (1999), Valentino Gold for women (2002), V for women (2005), Valentino V Absolu for women (2006), Valentino V Ete By Valentino for women (2006), Rock'n'Rose for women (2006),
V pour Homme for men (2006), Rock n' Rose Couture for women (2007), and
Valentina for women (2011). In 2020, Valentino Beauty announces the release of a new perfume, ''Voce Viva'', and announced
Lady Gaga
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...
as its égérie.
Creative directors
*
Valentino Garavani – 1959 to 2007
*
Alessandra Facchinetti
Alessandra Facchinetti (born 2 June 1972) is an Italian fashion designer who is known for her work as creative director at Gucci (2004–2005), Valentino (2008–2010) and Tod's (2013–2016).
Early life
Facchinetti is the daughter of singer an ...
– 2007 to 2008
*
Maria Grazia Chiuri & Pierpaolo Piccioli – 2008 to 2016
*
Pierpaolo Piccioli – 2008 to present
See also
*
Black and white Valentino dress of Julia Roberts
*
Valentino Ready-to-Wear runway collections
* ''
Valentino: The Last Emperor''
*
Yellow Valentino dress of Cate Blanchett
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Valentino Spa
Italian suit makers
Clothing brands of Italy
Haute couture
High fashion brands
Fashion accessory brands
Watch manufacturing companies of Italy
Clothing companies established in 1960
Design companies established in 1960
Italian companies established in 1960
Private equity portfolio companies
Eyewear brands of Italy
Manufacturing companies based in Milan
Valentino Fashion Group