Valentino (fashion house)

Valentino S.p.A., also known as Maison Valentino, is an Italian luxury fashion house that was founded in 1960 by Valentino Garavani. It is part of the Valentino Fashion Group. The company's main office is in Milan, but its creative direction and the Valentino Foundation are based in Rome, at Palazzo Gabrielli-Mignanelli.

Since 2020, Jacob Venturini has been the CEO of Valentino, and since 2024, Alessandro Michele has served as the creative director. In 2024, the group reported revenue of €1.31 billion, showing its success and importance in the world of fashion.

History

Valentino was started in 1960 by Garavani in Rome, Italy, with help from his father and Giancarlo Giammetti. The company later moved its headquarters to Palazzo Gabrielli-Mignanelli.

Valentino became popular in 1967 with a unique “no colour” collection in white, beige, and ivory. The brand grew and expanded to cities like New York. Over the years, Valentino dressed many famous people for special events. In 2024, Alessandro Michele became the new creative director, bringing fresh ideas to the brand.

Other brands

Valentino has created many lovely perfumes for both women and men since 1978. Some popular ones include Valentino Classique, Very Valentino, and Valentina. In 2020, they introduced a new perfume called Voce Viva with famous singer Lady Gaga helping to show it off.

Besides perfumes, Valentino also makes stylish glasses. They worked with different companies over the years but now have a special agreement with Akoni Group to make their glasses.

Valentino also had a younger line called Red Valentino, which started in 2003. This line made about 10 percent of Valentino’s sales by 2015 but was stopped in 2022.

Governance

Valentino is a famous Italian fashion house started in 1960 by Valentino Garavani. Important leaders who help run the company have changed over the years.

The creative directors, who design the clothes, have also changed. Valentino Garavani was the first, followed by others like Alessandra Facchinetti, Maria Grazia Chiuri, Pierpaolo Piccioli, and since 2024, Alessandro Michele.

Financial data

Notable campaigns

Valentino has worked with many famous photographers for its advertisements, including Deborah Turbeville in 2011, Terry Richardson in 2016, Inez and Vinoodh in 2020, Michael Bailey-Gates in 2022, and Glen Luchford in 2025.

In 2016, for a collection inspired by African culture, photographer Steve McCurry took photos in Amboseli National Park in Kenya, featuring the local Maasai people. Some people online disagreed with how the campaign was presented.

Legal issues

In 2020, Valentino and Amazon took legal action against a company in New York for making and selling fake copies of Valentino's special shoes online.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, Valentino wanted to stop renting its main store on Fifth Avenue in New York earlier than planned. The store’s landlord later sued Valentino for a large amount of money related to unpaid rent and repairs. Valentino and the landlord reached an agreement by 2023 to end their legal dispute.