Valentino : "last emperor" of haute couture

A flamboyant designer noted for his retro pieces and celebrity collaborations, he is regarded as one of the preeminent figures in haute couture. He was an iconic Italian fashion designer celebrated as the "last emperor" of haute couture, known for creating timeless, elegant garments, particularly his signature "Valentino Red". A passionate, perfectionist visionary, he lived a luxurious lifestyle, aiming to make women feel beautiful through refined, romantic, and glamorous designs favored by Hollywood stars and royals. Valentino recently opened its flagship store in Delhi 2022 & Mumbai 2024 formally stepping into the world's biggest demoracy India.

Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani1 (1 May 1932 – 19 January 2026), known mononymously as Valentino, was an Italian fashion designer who founded Valentino a luxury fashion house, in 1960 and served as its Creative Director until 2007.

Born in Voghera, Valentino apprenticed in fashion design at a young age before moving to Paris to continue his studies. After attending the Beaux-Arts de Paris and the École de la Chambre Syndicale, he began his career at Jean Dessès and Guy Laroche, later returning to Rome to work under Emilio Schuberth and Vincenzo Ferdinandi. He had opened his own fashion house on Via Condotti in 1960, achieving international recognition during the mid-1960s.

In 1960, Valentino left Paris and opened a fashion house in Rome on the fashionable Via Condotti, supported by his father and a business associate. More than a simple atelier, his father said the premises resembled a maison de haute couture - the operation was notably grand, with models flown in from Paris for his debut show. Valentino soon became known for his red dresses, in the vivid shade that the fashion industry remembered as Rosso Valentino.

On 31 July 1960, Valentino met Giancarlo Giammetti at the Café de Paris on the Via Veneto in Rome. Giammetti, one of three children, was in his second year of architecture school and living with his parents in the haut bourgeois Parioli district. That day, he gave Valentino a lift home in his Fiat, beginning a friendship that soon developed into a long-lasting partnership. Giammetti left for a holiday in Capri the following day and, by coincidence, Valentino was also travelling there; they met again on the island 10 days later. Shortly afterwards, Giammetti abandoned his university studies to become Valentino's business partner and life partner. When he joined the enterprise, the financial situation of Valentino's atelier was precarious: within a year, Valentino's excessive expenditure led his father's associate to withdraw from the business, leaving him close to bankruptcy. In 1961, Elizabeth Taylor, who was in Rome for the filming of Cleopatra, chose Valentino's white haute couture column for the premiere of Spartacus.

The Valentino brand continued to establish itself as a leading force in high fashion throughout the 1970s and 1980s, at one point becoming the best-selling Italian fashion export. He was the first Italian designer to feature on Parisian haute couture catwalks. His work further established itself as a staple of celebrity culture during the 1990s.

Valentino and his partner, Giancarlo Giammetti, sold the company to HdP Group for US$300 million in 1998. He presented his final haute couture show in 2008, having stepped down as creative director the previous year. He was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in 1986 and a Knight of the Order of Merit for Labour in 1996, and was also made a Knight of the Legion of Honour and a Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters in France, where he received the Medal of the City of Paris.

Several prominent Indian celebrities, business personalities, and fashion icons have worn Valentino dresses and ensembles, frequently choosing the Italian luxury brand for high-profile international red carpets, fashion events, and personal celebrations.

There are many notable Indians who have worn Valentino starting from Isha Ambani from the famous Ambani family. Isha Ambani famously wore the first and only Indian lehenga designed by Maison Valentino for her wedding reception in 2018. Isha Ambani's gold lehenga is considered a historic moment, as it was the only one of its kind created by the Maison. She has also been spotted in other Valentino gowns at private events. Nita Ambani attended a Valentino show in Paris in 2019 and was seen in a Valentino gown at the NMACC.

Priyanka Chopra Jonas commandingly wore a custom strapless black Valentino gown with a dramatic cape and white gloves to the 2023 Met Gala. She also donned a parrot green feathered Valentino dress in Rome in 2023. Kareena Kapoor Khan stunned in a rare vintage Valentino Spring/Summer 1993 ensemble (a beige blazer and skirt) to meet Lionel Messi in Mumbai in December 2025. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan embraced the brand's iconic pink with a Valentino pantsuit at the Cannes Film Festival 2022 and wore a shimmering green Valentino cape dress at Cannes 2023.

Sonam Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh, Kiara Advani, Athiya Shetty, Freida Pinto, Aditi Rao Hydari are few of the many celebrities who wore the iconic label at various occasions.

The fashion world got poorer with its Emperor gone – but his legacy lives on till the time people enjoy his craftsmanship, his vision & his genius.