Questions about the Roman house Valentino Garavani founded in 1960, from Valentino red to Alessandro Michele, answered from Ayerhs’s show-by-show reviews of Valentino couture.
By Shreya S · Last reviewed 30 October 2026
On this page: The house and its founder · The designers · The collections · Codes and business · The Ayerhs view
The house and its founder
Who founded Valentino, and when?
Valentino Garavani founded the house in Rome in 1960 with his business partner Giancarlo Giammetti. Born in 1932, Garavani trained in Paris with Jean Dessès and Guy Laroche before returning to Italy, and became the couturier of choice for film stars, royalty and Jacqueline Kennedy. He died in Rome on 19 January 2026, aged 93.
Read on Ayerhs: Valentino Garavani – The complete guide · A–Z of Valentino Garavani
What is Valentino red?
A deep, slightly orange-leaning scarlet that became Garavani’s signature. He said he fell for the colour at the opera in Barcelona as a young man, and closed many collections with a red dress. Rosso Valentino remains the house’s most recognisable code.
When did Valentino Garavani retire?
He showed his final couture collection in Paris in January 2008, after nearly 50 years, ending it with a parade of models in Valentino red. The year of his farewell was filmed in the documentary Valentino: The Last Emperor.
Read on Ayerhs: Valentino Couture Spring 2008: A Fitting Farewell
The designers
Who has designed Valentino since Valentino Garavani?
| Designer | Years | Defining idea |
|---|---|---|
| Valentino Garavani | 1960–2008 | Glamour, red, Roman couture |
| Alessandra Facchinetti | 2008–2009 | A brief, youthful reset |
| Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli | 2008–2016 | Romantic, modest, lace and Rockstuds |
| Pierpaolo Piccioli | 2016–2024 | Colour, emotion and inclusive couture |
| Alessandro Michele | 2024– | Maximalism and memory |
What did Pierpaolo Piccioli do at Valentino?
Piccioli spent 25 years at the house, first co-designing with Maria Grazia Chiuri, then alone from 2016 to 2024. His couture became some of the most emotional on the Paris calendar: vast volumes, saturated colour and diverse casting. He created Valentino Pink PP for Fall 2022 and left in 2024; he now designs Balenciaga.
Read on Ayerhs: Valentino Haute Couture by Pierpaolo Piccioli · Meet Valentino Pink: Fall 2022 · Couture Fall 2023
What has Alessandro Michele done at Valentino?
Michele, who reinvented Gucci from 2015 to 2022, was appointed in 2024. He has brought his layered, vintage-mad maximalism to Valentino’s archive: bows, lace, polka dots and Garavani’s 1960s and 70s glamour, piled up and rearranged. His couture debut, Spring 2026, argued that more is more.
Read on Ayerhs: Fall 2025 · Spring 2026 · Couture Spring 2026 · Fall 2026
The collections
What did Valentino’s couture look like in his last decade?
Ayerhs has reviewed every Valentino couture show from Spring 2001 to Fall 2010. Highlights include Spring 2003, inspired by India; Fall 2006, with Russian references; Fall 2007, fierce and pink; and Spring 2008, his farewell. The 2009 and 2010 shows document the house finding its way after him.
Read on Ayerhs: Spring 2001 · Spring 2003 · Fall 2006 · Fall 2007 · Spring 2008 · Spring 2010
Codes and business
What are Valentino’s signature codes?
- Valentino red, the house colour.
- Bows, ruffles and lace, the vocabulary of Garavani’s couture.
- The V logo, used on hardware and the VLogo bags.
- Rockstud, the pyramid-studded shoes and bags of the Chiuri and Piccioli era.
- Pink PP, Piccioli’s shocking pink of Fall 2022.
Who owns Valentino?
Mayhoola, the Qatari investment fund that bought the house in 2012. Kering, the owner of Gucci, bought a 30% stake in 2023, with an option to acquire the rest later.
Read on Ayerhs: The Rise of Fashion Conglomerates
The Ayerhs view
Is Alessandro Michele right for Valentino?
Increasingly, yes. His couture made the case: Michele said more is more, and he was right. By Fall 2026 Garavani’s legacy and Michele’s maximalist world had started to feel like one house rather than two.