The founder of the “Valentino” fashion house, Italian fashion designer Valentino Garavani, has passed away at the age of 93.
Modern.az reports, citing foreign media, that Valentino Garavani passed away on January 19 at his residence in Rome, surrounded by his loved ones. His memorial service will be held on January 21 and 22 in Piazza Mignanelli. The funeral service will take place on Friday at the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri.
V. Garavani was born on May 11, 1932, in Voghera, a city in northern Italy. At the age of 17, he moved to Paris, where he studied at the École des Beaux-Arts and the Haute Couture Syndicate. In 1959, Valentino Garavani returned to Rome, and a year later, he founded a fashion house with his partner Giancarlo Giammetti.
His first exhibition, which led to international orders, took place in Florence in 1962. Among his first clients was Jacqueline Kennedy, wife of the assassinated US President John F. Kennedy. She had ordered six dresses to wear during her husband's memorial service.
In 1998, Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti sold the “Valentino” brand to the Italian conglomerate HDP for $300 million, and in 2002, it was acquired by Marzotto Apparel. V. Garavani had announced his retirement from fashion in 2007 after his final show in Paris.
