Valentino Garavani dies at 93: fashion’s last emperor leaves behind a legacy of Italian elegance
The death of Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani signals more than the passing of a 93-year-old designer—it signals the quiet close of fashion’s golden age. Dying peacefully in his Rome residence, surrounded by lifelong partner Giancarlo Giammetti and his extended family, Valentino leaves behind an irreplaceable void in luxury fashion. He was the last couturier who operated not as a corporate creative director, but as a sovereign monarch of his own aesthetic universe, living with grandeur that rivalled the royalty and icons he dressed.
What has been lost becomes clear only in retrospect, in the moments and signatures that bore his name. These are the milestones that shaped his reign.
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The Roman empire begins
After training under Parisian masters Jean Dessès and Guy Laroche, Valentino returned to Italy in 1959, choosing Rome over Milan as his headquarters. Opening his atelier on prestigious Via dei Condotti with his father’s capital, he nearly bankrupted the house within months through lavish fabric choices. Salvation arrived in July 1960, when he met Giancarlo Giammetti at Café de Paris—a partnership that would become fashion’s most successful union.
The last of the sovereigns
For 48 extraordinary years, from 1960 to 2008, Valentino ruled his house with absolute creative authority. Unlike today’s industry, where designers cycle through brands with alarming speed, he embodied the role of fashion monarch. The 2008 documentary Valentino: The Last Emperor captured this reality perfectly, showing a man who could declare his pugs more important than a collection without consequence, protected by Giammetti’s business acumen.
Inventing ‘Italian couture’ (the 1962 breakthrough)
Before Valentino’s revolutionary 1962 presentation at Florence’s Pitti Palace, Paris monopolised fashion’s throne. Showing last on the final day, he nevertheless captivated buyers who stayed to witness Italian couture step from Paris’s shadow. His subsequent Rome headquarters shifted the global gaze permanently, effectively inventing the “Made in Italy” luxury phenomenon and embodying the glamorous La Dolce Vita aesthetic that defined an era.
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From family business to corporate conglomerate
Founded with his father Mauro’s capital and stabilised by Giammetti’s management genius, Valentino’s house exemplifies luxury’s evolution. The 1998 sale to Holding di Partecipazioni Industriali (HdP) for approximately US$300 million began the transformation. The brand then went through subsequent acquisitions by private equity firm Permira, Qatari investment vehicle Mayhoola and finally Kering—proof that art and commerce could coexist.
A titan amongst ghosts (the Armani connection)
Valentino’s death follows his great contemporary Giorgio Armani’s passing in September 2025, extinguishing the generation that constructed Italian fashion’s post-war empire. These titans—sometimes rivals, always mutual respecters—transformed Italy from war-torn nation to style superpower. With both now gone, fashion has lost its last connection to the era when designers were cultural ambassadors, not corporate employees navigating quarterly earnings.
Alessandro Michele’s heavy crown
The formidable legacy now rests with Alessandro Michele, Valentino’s current creative director and former Gucci visionary. His moving Instagram tribute described Valentino as pushing the boundaries of possibility with his boundless love of beauty. Michele faces the delicate challenge of translating the founder’s Rosso romanticism and couture perfectionism for contemporary audiences whilst navigating commercial expectations—the very demands Valentino famously resisted throughout his sovereign reign.
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