Fashion Legend Valentino Garavani Dies at 93 in Rome

The End of an Era

Italian fashion designer Valentino Garavani died Monday at his Roman residence, surrounded by his loved ones , bringing to a close one of the most influential careers in haute couture history. The designer, usually known only by his first name, was 93 and had retired in 2008 . His death marks the passing of what many consider the last of fashion's true emperors, a man who transformed how the world's most powerful women dressed for nearly five decades.

Universally known by his first name, Valentino was adored by generations of royals, first ladies and movie stars, from Jackie Kennedy Onassis to Julia Roberts and Queen Rania of Jordan . "I know what women want," he once remarked. "They want to be beautiful." This simple philosophy guided a career that would redefine elegance and create some of the most memorable red carpet moments in history.

His body will lie in state at PM23 in Piazza Mignanelli, Rome, on Wednesday and Thursday, with a funeral service scheduled for Friday at the Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri .

Building a Fashion Empire

Born Valentino Garavani and named after the silent movie star Rudolph Valentino, the designer acquired a taste for the expensive from a young age . Growing up in the small town of Voghera, Italy, he learned sewing from his Aunt Rosa in Lombardy before moving to Paris to study fashion and take on apprenticeships .

Valentino owed much of his success to his former lover and business partner, Giancarlo Giammetti, whom he met in a café on the famed Via Condotti in Rome in 1960, where Valentino had opened his first couture studio . Together, they formed two parts of a whole — Giammetti the business mind, and Valentino the creative force . They sold the Valentino company in 1998 for nearly $300 million, and it made $1.36 billion in revenue in 2021 .

The founder scaled the heights of haute couture, created a business empire and introduced a new color to the fashion world, "Valentino Red" . This signature red was inspired by a gown he saw at the opera in his youth, which made this shade a defining hallmark of the house .

Red Carpet Royalty

His fail-safe designs made Valentino the king of the red carpet, the go-to man for A-listers' awards ceremony needs . His sumptuous gowns graced countless Academy Awards, notably in 2001, when Julia Roberts wore a vintage black and white column to accept her best actress statue . Cate Blanchett also wore Valentino — a one-shouldered number in butter-yellow silk — when she won the Oscar for best supporting actress in 2004 .

Valentino was behind the long-sleeved lace dress Jacqueline Kennedy wore for her wedding to Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis in 1968, and Kennedy and Valentino were close friends for decades . He was also close to Diana, Princess of Wales, who often donned his sumptuous gowns .

Never one for edginess or statement dressing, Valentino made precious few fashion faux-pas throughout his nearly half-century-long career, which stretched from his early days in Rome in the 1960s through to his retirement in 2008 .

Legacy Lives On

Alessandro Michele, the current creative director of the Valentino fashion house, wrote on Instagram that he continues to feel Valentino's "gaze" as he works on the next collection, which will be presented March 12 in Rome . Valentino is owned by Qatar's Mayhoola, which controls a 70% stake, and the French luxury conglomerate Kering, which owns 30% with an option to take full control in 2028 or 2029 .

By the peak of his career, Valentino's popularity would rival that of the pope's in Rome . Even decades after stepping away from day-to-day operations, his influence on fashion remains immeasurable. The brand he built continues to dress the world's elite, ensuring that his vision of timeless eleg