FAREWELL TO VALENTINO

Today, the fashion world bids farewell to Valentino Garavani, a visionary whose designs and influence shaped modern couture. With his passing at 93, an era of elegance, discipline, and timeless beauty comes to a close.

Image Credit: Alain Dejean / Getty Images, via BBC News, 2026

His signature red, now universally known as Valentino Red, became a symbol of passion, authority, and enduring glamour, inspiring pride and emotional connection among fashion lovers and industry professionals alike. Over the decades, Valentino dressed royalty, film icons, and women who sought grace without excess. From his debut collection in 1962 to his final creations, his vision remained remarkably consistent, rooted in craftsmanship, proportion, and deep respect for tradition. In a fast-moving industry, he proved that true longevity is built on precision and integrity.

Valentino Garavani’s contribution to the international success of Made in Italy went far beyond aesthetics; it was cultural, identity-driven, and profoundly cosmopolitan. Born in Voghera and Roman by adoption, he trained in Paris, where he absorbed the rigor, discipline, and artisanal excellence of French haute couture. This methodological approach would later earn him the Légion d’Honneur, the highest recognition awarded by the French Republic.

Rome, however, became the heart of his creative empire. It was here that he built his maison, and Piazza Mignanelli became the strategic center of the Valentino world. From this symbolic place, his style crossed geographical and cultural borders, becoming a universal language of elegance. His record remains legendary: eight actresses dressed in Valentino at the Academy Awards, a milestone that reflects his global influence and the absolute trust placed in his sense of decorum, proportion, and beauty.

Valentino’s story is, above all, a cosmopolitan one. His fashion united rigor and poetry, discipline and sensuality, tradition and international vision. As he himself proudly and ironically stated:

“I love beauty. It’s not my fault.”

Valentino leaves behind not just an archive of unforgettable collections, but a philosophy rooted in timelessness and emotional depth. Today, we honor a life devoted to beauty and excellence. His legacy will continue to walk the world’s runways, long after the final curtain call.

Italo MARSEGLIA

Fashion Lecturer

Raffles Jakarta

References

Alain Dejean. (1978). Ira de Fürstenberg, president of Valentino Parfums, alongside Valentino Garavani in his perfume laboratory [Photograph]. Getty Images. Retrieved January 20, 2026, from https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdx4rpxxvg7o

Reuters. (2026, January 20). Valentino, iconic Italian fashion designer, dies at 93. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/valentino-italian-fashion-dies-rcna254824