Italian fashion designer Valentino Garavani, mononyously known as Valentino, has died aged 93.
The late couturier died in his home in Rome on Monday, surrounded by family.
He will be lying in state in Piazza Mignanelli on Wednesday and Thursday from 11am to 6pm.
The funeral will then take place on Friday at the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels and Martyrs at 11 am, as per his and the Giancarlo Giammetti Foundation’s official social media account.
The fashion world icon is the founder of his eponymous luxury fashion house, which was established in 1960 alongside his business partner Giammetti.
During his industry-shaping 48-year career, he dressed some of the most famous women in the world, including Princess Diana, Audrey Hepburn, Oprah Winfrey, Elizabeth Hurley as well as Hollywood icons such as Meryl Streep and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Paltrow’s daughter, Apple, is Valentino’s godchild.
‘Fashion’s last emperor’ shot to global acclaim and only rose from there after Elizabeth Taylor showcased his work as a designer by wearing a Valentino gown to the 1960 premiere of Spartacus in his hometown of Rome.
By the present day, he has cemented his legacy with his trademark Valentino red, which has defined glitzy evening gowns for decades.
The visionary also dressed the political elite, including Jackie Kennedy Onassis. Discussing his time with her, he told Metro in 2012: ‘She was, in a certain way, quite shy, but she was a strong lady, with a fantastic education, very chic, very elegant.’
She later wore one of his gowns to her wedding to Aristotle Onassis.
He retired in January 2008 with his final haute couture show taking place in Paris at Musée Rodin.
The creative leadership was then taken over by Maria Grazia Chiuri & Pierpaolo Piccioli. Piccioli then helmed the ship solo until 2024 before Alessandro Michele took over as creative director.
Discussing his decision to step back when he did, he added: ‘I thought I had done enough. I did shows everywhere in the world. I dress so many women – movie stars, royalty, everybody – and I said: “It’s better to do it now.”‘
Born in 1932 in Voghera, Italy, he studied fashion at the École des Beaux-Arts and the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne in Paris. He later went on to serve apprenticeships with Jacques Fath and Balenciaga.
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