Alessandro Michele Official As Creative Director at Valentino Couture
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Pierpaolo Piccioli's Humanist-Focus Chapter Ends at Maison Valentino
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Responding to a request for comment from WWD, Valentino confirmed on March 22, 2024 the departure of Pierpaolo Piccioli as creative director of Maison Valentino.
Kering’s Role is Unclear in the Mayhoola Decision
We don’t know what the role of Gucci-parent Kering has in this decision. Kering acquired 30% of Valentino in July, 2023, with an option to purchase the whole of Valentino's share capital no later than 2028.
Luxury Stocks Are Holding Steady with Kering Plunge of $6.8 Billion
As fashion’s titanic luxury brands ship rocks in a week that witnessed Kering stock lose $6.8 billion of value on Wednesday, following news of a 20% revenue decrease at Gucci, Kering is the hardest hit.
LVMH is holding steady and positive, along with other key brands like Brunello Cuccinelli and Ralph Lauren.
AOC believes that very different luxury brand marketing positions at these more ‘humanist-centered luxury brands’, coupled with deep bench strength in executive talent at LVMH — but also individual luxury brands like Cucinelli and Lauren — are positioning them to weather storms in the luxury sector.
Read MoreChristy Turlington and Crew in Valentino, by Herb Ritts for Vanity Fair US F/W 1995.96
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Italian luxury brand Valentino is making headlines today, with news that the maison’s creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli has come to the end of his Valentino tenure after 25 years.
Related: Pierpaolo Piccioli's Humanist-Focus Chapter Ends at Maison Valentino AOC Daily
The Italian humanist was not a member of the Maison Valentino family in 1995, when esteemed photographer Herb Ritts [IG] created this series of elegant but sensually provocative images anchored by Christy Turlington of the Valentino F/W 1995.96 collection for Vanity Fair US.
AOC wonders if fashion scholars have explored this transition of sexual mores, especially within the Italian brands, who historically and geographically lived closer to the Levant-based lands of the goddess worship that predated monotheism.
What is true is that the woman — Turlington here — is the center of this ritualistic fashion ritual, captured for Valentino in 1995 by Herb Ritts.
Read MoreKaia Gerber and Steven Meisel Make Good Trouble in Valentino Black Tie Campaign
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What a superb new Valentino Fall/Winter 2023 Black Tie campaign! It soars sky high in creativity and self-assurance with Kaia Gerber playing a role that defines the very concept of je ne sais quoi.
Kaia’s acting lessons are having huge impact on her self-expression in the last year.
Pierpaolo Piccioli’s vision of luxury for rebellious rule-breaking, smarty-pants fashion lovers with unbridled confidence and positive spirit is unmatched.
Gerber is boss as she struts around Huntington, Long Island’s Oheka Castle. Even the fact that the film is shot in New York and not Europe is a rebellious gesture that succeeds.
There’s so much going on in this film, and yet it does not feel overdone. We don’t lose our way because a confident clarity rules this audacious, beautiful, inspiring Fall 2023 Valentino Black Tie campaign.
Read MoreKering Acquires 30% of Valentino with Option for 100% of Shares by 2028
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Kering will acquire a 30 per cent share in Valentino from parent company Qatar’s Mayhoola for an all-cash sum of €1.7 billion, the conglomerate announced on Thursday. The agreement, a significant acquisition for Kering’s fashion business, includes the option for Kering to acquire 100 per cent of the share capital of Valentino within five years. It will immediately acquire Valentino board representation upon necessary approvals of the deal.
The transaction is part of a broader strategic partnership between Kering and Mayhoola, which could lead to Mayhoola becoming a shareholder in Kering. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2023, subject to approval.
Read MoreValentino DI.VA Florence Pugh Rocks Valentino Garavani Campaign 2023 and Met Gala
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Florence Pugh, the talented English actress known for her roles in ‘Midsommar’, ‘Little Women’, and ‘A Good Person’, is the new face of luxury Italian fashion brand Valentino. The 27-year-old actor stars in a new campaign lensed by Steven Meisel called "An Encyclopaedia Of Feelings.”
Pugh showcases a range of emotions while posing with Valentino Garavani Rockstud23 bag, styled by Joe McKenna.
Piccioli chose Pugh as the new Valentino DI.VA (DI.fferent VA.lues) ambassador because of her authenticity, vulnerability, and fearless self-expression both on and off-camera. This collaboration is about sharing values and standing for the same things, rather than just focusing on aesthetics or numbers of social media followers.
AOC has written about the growing importance of a brand’s values for years now. In a recent discussion about Valentino, we spoke about the HENRYS with Heart: Luxury Brands Selling Democratic Values [[High-Earners-Not–Rich-Yet].
Read MoreMaison Valentino Vintage Partners With 7 Global Vintage Stores in Exchange Voucher Program
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Valentino Vintage, an initiative by the luxury fashion house Valentino [IG], has expanded its presence by partnering with vintage stores in seven cities around the world, including London, Milan, Paris, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Seoul, and New York. This innovative program allows customers to exchange their pre-loved Valentino garments for vouchers that can be used to purchase new items from the brand, extending the life cycle of luxury fashion.
Each participating vintage store was carefully selected based on its unique identity and cultural relevance within its respective city. For instance, London's Rellik, which opened in 1999, was chosen for its collection of vintage 1960s garments. The updated program now features a variety of Valentino's famous archival apparel in these partner stores.
Valentino’s Pierpaolo Piccioli, BFC 2022 Designer of the Year
The goal of ‘democratizing fashion’ in the luxury market is sincere at Valentino from all we know. AOC focused on Valentino’s brand values and how they fit in with the HENRYS: [High-Earners-Not–Rich-Yet] in a recent April 2023 post.
Read MoreValentino The Party Collection Holiday 2022.23 Campaign Turns Up the Volume
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Valentino The Party Collection returns for another holiday season, getting loud and proud with a shimmering collection that dazzles the senses.
Tones of purple, emerald green and yellow turn up the Maison Valentino style voltage with jewel-effect rhinestones, all-over sequins, and striking embroideries.
Award-winning director Enea Colombi [IG] is responsible for the video, with photography by Pietro Cocco [IG].
Read MoreValentino Couture Kisses Born in Rosso Lipstick Campaign by Felicity Ingram
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Valentino Couture comes alive in the new Rosso Valentino lipstick Born in Rosso campaign. Boscono joins femme forces with Charlie Groddeck, Jeanne Zheng, Jill Kortleve, Malika Louback and Benedetta Piccioli, the designer’s daughter.
Read MoreValentino Pre-Fall 2022 Navy Rich Collection Lensed by Michael Bailey Gates
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Models Chu Wong, Estrella Gomez, Frederic Bittner and Hyojin Jung pose in navy-rich fashion from Valentino’s Pre-Fall 2022 collection. Joe McKenna styles the quartet in images by Michael Bailey Gates.
Read MoreValentino Was Woke Before Naming Zendaya As New Brand Face
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Piccioli’s relationship with Black models is at the top of luxury fashion houses. In his spectacular January 2019 couture show, the creative director and designer featured a dominating majority Black models extravaganza, reflecting a historic commitment to Black model representation. Vanessa Friedman reported that of 65 models, 45 were Black.
“As a designer I have a voice,” Piccioli said in the moment. “Hopefully a loud one. I want to use it.”
Read MorePierpaolo Piccioli Was Woke Before Naming Zendaya As New Brand Face
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‘Euphoria’ star Zendaya has joined the Valentino stable of celebs and voices representing the brand. The star shared the news, saying that she is “honoured to have been chosen as the face of Valentino,” and “so excited to begin this amazing collaboration with Pierpaolo and the entire Valentino family.”.
WWD delivered the message that Valentino creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli wants “to make the brand more in sync with the times and more inclusive, while maintaining its storied codes.”
From his perspective, Piccioli wants “to resignify the brand and how it is generally perceived. It’s like a different take on a familiar landscape.” Zendaya “embodies and represents what Valentino is and stands for today,” Piccioli explained to the press. “She is a powerful and fierce young woman that uses her talent and her work to express herself, her values and her generation as well.”
As an actor, the recent Emmy Awards youngest winner of Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Zendaya’s role in ‘Euphoria’, joined Viola Davis as only the second Black female actor to win an Emmy in the high-profile category.
Valentino Isn’t New to Supporting Black Creatives and Culture
Valentino haute couture, spring 2019.Credit...Valerio Mezzanotti for The New York Times
Valentino and Piccioli are walking a needlessly treacherous balance beam in AOC’s opinion.
Perhaps because we follow the fashion industry so closely, we know Valentino and Piccioli himself have existing credentials in their support of Black creatives and models. I would have positioned that existing pedigree as part of their new announcement about Zendaya.
Piccioli’s relationship with Black models is at the top of luxury fashion houses. In his spectacular January 2019 couture show, the creative director and designer featured a dominating majority Black models extravaganza, reflecting a historic commitment to Black model representation. Vanessa Friedman reported that of 65 models, 45 were Black.
“As a designer I have a voice,” Piccioli said in the moment. “Hopefully a loud one. I want to use it.”
Fine — we are accustomed to marketing manipulation — but when Roberta Flack’s ‘The First Time’ hit the runway, tears welled up in more than one set of fashionista eyes. The beauty of the January 2019 moment existed in the reality that Pierpaolo Piccioli’s gesture was not tokenistic.
Joining Naomi Campbell were Aaliyah Hydes, Adut Akech, Ajak Deng, Akiima, Alek Wek, Alyssa Traore, Annibelis Baez, Anyelina Rosa, Assa Baradji, Ayak Veronica Bior, Blesnya Minher, Duckie Thot, Eftagine Fevilien, Grace Bol, Hannah Shakespeare, Hiandra Martinez, Janaye Furman, Judy Kinuthia, Karly Loyce, Litza Velloz, Lineisy Fatou Liya Kebede, Jobe, Lisette Moriello, Mayowa Nicholas, Miqueal-Simone Williams, Montero, Naomi Chin Wing, Nichole Atiero, Rouguy Faye, Niko Riam, Nyara Aboja, Saba Koj, Sana Diouf, Selena Forrest, Shanelle Nyasiase, Sompra Antonio, Tami Williams, Ugbad Abai, and Veronica Cabral.
Valentino’s Moncler Collab with Liya Kebede
Image courtesy Moncler.
Pierpaolo Piccioli’s collaboration with Lemlem’s founder Liya Kebede on puffer gowns for Moncler also comes to mind. Kebede’s Ethiopian artisans created colorful borders on the gowns, like those found on the ‘habesha kemis’ traditional Ethiopian dress.
AOC’s only point is that there’s no need for Valentino to communicate a message that’s it’s a luxury brand jumping on the Black representation bandwagon.
Valentino was ‘woke’ on this issue before most other luxury brands. They don’t deserve an award for being among the first to take a leadership position around Black beauty and creativity. But Valentino could have celebrated their ongoing commitment to racial justice and Black representation by announcing Zendaya as a next step in this long-overdue journey.
It would be like Anne of Carversville announcing our commitment to Black models, when we’ve been fighting for them for a decade. Nobody deserves a bow on this issue, but Valentino is not new to this long-overdue party. It didn’t take a summer of widespread protest and discontent to prompt Valentino to action. Nor did it take embarrassing condemnation from Black leaders and racial justice activists pointing out the obvious racism in their product offerings — as experienced by Gucci and Prada. ~ Anne
Teresa Lui, Matilde Giannetti by Dario Catellani for REDValentino Fall 2020 Campaign
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