By The TENS Magazine Editorial Staff
Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani, the legendary Italian fashion designer who founded the globally recognized luxury brand Valentino, has died at the age of 93. According to a statement released by his foundation, the revered couturier passed away at his home in Rome, surrounded by his family and loved ones. His death marks the end of an era for the global fashion industry, where he operated for nearly half a century as a defining force of haute couture and red-carpet styling.
The Fondazione Valentino Garavani e Giancarlo Giammetti confirmed the news on social media, describing the late designer as a constant guide and a true source of light, creativity, and vision. Following the announcement, the foundation detailed the memorial arrangements, stating that Garavani will lie in repose at the foundation’s headquarters in Rome. The official funeral service is scheduled to be held at the Basilica Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri, located in Piazza della Repubblica, where dignitaries, fashion industry leaders, and admirers are expected to pay their final respects.
Universally known simply by his first name, Valentino built an empire synonymous with elegance, opulence, and a highly specific shade of crimson that became famously known as “Valentino red” or Rosso Valentino. Throughout his expansive career, he became the premier designer for generations of royalty, first ladies, and Hollywood elite. His clientele included historical figures such as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who wore a lace Valentino dress for her 1968 wedding to Aristotle Onassis, as well as Diana, Princess of Wales, Empress Farah Pahlavi of Iran, and Queen Rania of Jordan.
On the Hollywood red carpet, Valentino was a dominant presence. He was responsible for some of the most memorable looks in Academy Awards history. Notably, actress Julia Roberts accepted her Best Actress Oscar in 2001 wearing a vintage black-and-white Valentino gown, a moment frequently cited as one of the most recognized in modern fashion history. Similarly, Cate Blanchett wore a butter-yellow silk gown by the designer when she won her Oscar in 2004. Other frequent collaborators and patrons included Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren, Anne Hathaway, and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Born on May 11, 1932, in the northern Italian town of Voghera, Garavani developed an early fascination with fashion and cinema. He relocated to Paris as a teenager to study at the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture, eventually securing apprenticeships with prominent designers Jean Dessès and Guy Laroche. In 1960, he returned to Italy to open his own fashion house on Via Condotti in Rome. Shortly thereafter, he met architecture student Giancarlo Giammetti at the Café de Paris on Via Veneto. Giammetti would become his lifelong business partner, providing the strategic acumen that helped transform the Valentino label into a massive international enterprise.
Over the decades, the Valentino brand expanded significantly, adding ready-to-wear collections, menswear, and accessories. In 1998, Garavani and Giammetti sold the company to an Italian holding company for an estimated $300 million, though Valentino remained the primary creative director for another decade. He officially retired in 2008, shortly after celebrating his 45th anniversary in the fashion industry with a lavish three-day event in Rome. His final years at the helm of the brand were chronicled in the acclaimed 2008 documentary film Valentino: The Last Emperor.
Following the news of his passing, tributes poured in from across the globe. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni honored the designer on social media, referring to him as an undisputed master of style and an eternal symbol of Italian high fashion. Within the fashion community, current Valentino creative director Alessandro Michele praised Garavani as a man who expanded the limits of the possible, noting his rare delicacy and limitless love for beauty. Former creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli and fellow Italian designers, including Donatella Versace, also expressed their condolences, cementing Valentino Garavani’s legacy as a foundational pillar of modern luxury and design.
