Died 2026-01-19.
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Valentino
Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani, known mononymously as Valentino, was an Italian fashion designer who founded Valentino S.p.A., a luxury fashion house, in 1960 and served as its creative director until 2007. A flamboyant designer noted for his retro pieces and celebrity collaborations, he is regarded as one of the preeminent figures in haute couture.
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business · Italian fashion designer (1932–2026) · fashion designer · businessperson · collector · also Valentino, Valentino (fashion designer), Valentino Garavani, Valentino Ludovico Clemente Garavani
Born 11 May 1932 · Died 19 January 2026 · Q379664
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2026· 1 entry
2023· 2 entries
That his "extraordinary designs, dedication to craftsmanship, ubiquitous branding and business acumen have left an indelible mark on the fashion world and cemented him as a legend of haute couture", while CEO Caroline Ru
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Valentino won the "Outstanding Achievement Award" at the Fashion Awards
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2017· 1 entry
Valentino was the recipient of a Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement, presented by Jeremy Irons
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2012· 2 entries
Awarded Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres (2012).
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Was named a Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters
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2009· 1 entry
After the sacking of Alessandra Facchinetti in a public feud with Valentino and Giammetti
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2008· 2 entries
Having stepped down as creative director the previous year
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Valentino was presented with the Medal of the City of Paris for his services to Parisian fashion
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2007· 2 entries
In a 2007 interview, Valentino said that he had been in love once with a woman, Italian actress Marilù Tolo, to whom he unsuccessfully proposed in the early 1960s.
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The Mayor of Rome—Walter Veltroni—announced that the site of the Valentino Museum would be a building near the Circus Maximus, which Valentino later snubbed in favour of a museum in Paris following the election of Gianni
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2006· 2 entries
Awarded Knight of the Legion of Honour (2006).
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Valentino appeared in a cameo role as himself in the hit film The Devil Wears Prada
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1998· 1 entry
Valentino and his partner Giammetti sold the company for approximately US$300 million to HdP, an Italian conglomerate controlled, in part, by Gianni Agnelli
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1996· 1 entry
Awarded Order of Merit for Labour (1996).
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1995· 1 entry
And commissioned its restoration to the eminent interior decorator Henri Samuel
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1990· 1 entry
And maintained a close relationship with Valentino and Giammetti thereafter
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1986· 3 entries
Awarded Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (1986).
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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
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Vogue reported that Valentino was the largest Italian fashion exporter, with international sales of US$385 million
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1985· 2 entries
Upgraded to Knight Grand Cross in 1986—the highest-ranking Italian honour—and a Knight of the Order of Merit for Labour in 1996
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Added his moniker to a line of designer jeans
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1973· 2 entries
Continuing with bright prints, including a Bakst influence
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And the two dated until Souza married Brazilian socialite Charlene Shorto in 1983
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1972· 1 entry
Started the year favoring trousers but ended it showing only skirts, including being one of the only designers to present day dresses in a period dominated by separates
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1971· 1 entry
Paired more brightly colored midis and knee-length skirts with that year's vogue for hot pants, also continuing to show trousers like culottes and knickers with the gently flared standard trouser of the time
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1966· 1 entry
Moved his shows from Florence to Rome, where the following year he produced an all-white collection that became famous for the "V" logo he designed
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1962· 1 entry
In Florence, then the Italian fashion capital
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1961· 1 entry
Elizabeth Taylor, who was in Rome for the filming of Cleopatra, chose Valentino's white haute couture column for the premiere of Spartacus
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1960· 3 entries
And served as its creative director until 2007
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Valentino left Paris and opened a fashion house in Rome on the fashionable Via Condotti, supported by his father and a business associate
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Achieving international recognition during the mid‑1960s
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1959· 1 entry
First as a pupil of Emilio Schuberth and then as a collaborator in Vincenzo Ferdinandi's atelier, prior to opening his own fashion house
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1932· 1 entry
Born 1932-05-11.
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