The legendary Italian clothier Valentino Garavani—most generally identified by the only moniker ‘Valentino’—handed away in Rome yesterday, on January 19 2026, aged 93. The unhappy information was introduced by way of Instagram in a press release from the Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti Foundation that acknowledged he “peacefully passed away… at his residence in Rome, surrounded by the love of his family.”
Garavani based his eponymous luxurious style home in 1959, and shortly earned worldwide renown as a grasp of glamour, refined class and timeless femininity. One of essentially the most celebrated couturiers of the twentieth century (and past), he dressed the likes of Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, (*93*) Margaret and Sophia Loren, and famously designed Jacqueline Kennedy’s gown for her 1968 marriage ceremony to Aristotle Onassis.
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He additionally designed a few of the most memorable robes in Hollywood historical past, together with the ivory tulle gown worn by Gwyneth Paltrow for the 2002 Venice Film Festival, and Julia Roberts’ black and white 2001 Oscars robe, that is still one of the vital photographed of all time. Anne Hathaway additionally wore his designs on quite a few events, usually in his signature shade of ‘Valentino Red’.
In 2007, Garavani retired from style after practically 50 years on the helm of his home, passing the inventive management first to Alessandra Facchinetti, then Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli, his longtime collaborators. Following a slew of latest adjustments at high luxurious style homes, it was introduced in March 2024 that Alessandro Michele would depart his influential seven-year tenure at Gucci to change into Valentino’s newest inventive director.
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Since Valentino’s passing was introduced, social media has been flooded with tributes from celeb followers, style heavyweights and politicians alike—together with Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, who mentioned “today Italy loses a legend, but his legacy will continue to inspire generations”.
Harrods’ director of style shopping for, Simon Longland, additionally commented on the information with a press release about Valentino’s far-reaching imapct: “Valentino Garavani was one of the last true titans of fashion. Established more than sixty years ago, he built his Maison to embody glamour, elegance and an unmistakably ultra-feminine sensibility, redefining the way women dressed for both day and evening. His extraordinary archive remains a rich and enduring source of inspiration, and few designers can claim something so singular as a colour of their own—yet ‘Valentino Red’ stands as one of the most iconic signatures in the history of fashion.”
Valentino Garavani’s funeral will happen on Friday, January twenty third at Rome’s Basilica Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri.