VIDEO The film about the private life of Valentino, which earned the famous designer the nickname “the last emperor”

The famous Italian fashion designer Valentino Garavani, known especially by his first name, died on January 19, 2026, at the age of 93, his foundation announced on Monday, according to Reuters.

Valentino “passed away peacefully, in his residence in Rome, surrounded by the love of those close to him,” the Fondazione Valentino Garavani e Giancarlo Giammetti said in a statement.

The funerals will take place on Friday at the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri in Rome's Piazza della Repubblica, according to the Italian news agency ANSA.

The emblematic color

Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani was born on May 11, 1932, in Voghera, Italy. He was attracted to fashion from an early age and, with the support of his family, he studied at the Fashion Design School in Milan starting at the age of 14, notes Agerpres.

He studied fashion at the École des Beaux-Arts and the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne in Paris before apprenticing with Jacques Fath and Balenciaga. He worked for Jean Desses and Guy Laroche before returning to Italy to open a fashion house in Rome, according to Italian news agency ANSA, EFE agency, People magazine and britannica.com.

In 1960, he settled in Rome during the “Dolce Vita” era. It was the beginning of a brilliant career, in which he collaborated with divas such as Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly, who frequently visited his workshop.

Also in 1960, he met Giancarlo Giammetti, who became his long-term business partner.

This duo surprised the world and made “Valentino Red” his signature color, which he claimed he fell in love with during an opera at Barcelona's Gran Teatre del Liceu.

The “Oscar” of fashion

In 1962, his first collection was a huge success in Florence, but the real impetus for the Valentino brand came in 1968, when the young designer, with his perpetual tan and flawless hair, stunned the world with the dress worn by Jacqueline Kennedy at her wedding to Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis.

His success became a certainty: in 1967 he won the Neiman Marcus Award, considered the “Oscar” of fashion, and personalities such as Empress Farah Diba, Queen Noor of Jordan, Nancy Reagan, Jane Fonda, Joan Collins, Sophia Loren and Ava Gardner wore his creations.

In 1969, he opened his first ready-to-wear store in Milan, and in 1970 he became the first Italian fashion designer to open a store in New York.

In the 1980s, he expanded his brand and became the first designer to launch a denim line, a decade in which he also received official recognition from his country, being named Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (1985) and then Knight of the Republic (1986). In 2006 he received the French Legion of Honor medal.

“The Last Emperor”

After a 45-year career since his first collection in Florence in 1962, Valentino announced his retirement in 2007.

His last haute couture show was held on January 23, 2008 in Paris and ended with a parade of models dressed in red, his signature color.

In 2009, he was dubbed “the last emperor” for the documentary film Valentino: The Last Emperor, directed by Matt Tyrnauer, which revealed his professional and personal life.

Dozens of stars have been dressed by Valentino: Jessica Lange and Julia Roberts chose his creations to wear to the Oscars.

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, Princess Madeleine of Sweden and Princess Marie-Chantal Miller of Greece entrusted her with their wedding dresses. His list of friends, clients and muses goes on with names like Nati Abascal, Rosario Nadal, Gwyneth Paltrow, Olivia Palermo. It was also a favorite of stars such as: Jennifer Aniston, Gwyneth Paltrow, Nicole Kidman and Anne Hathaway.

In 2023 he received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Gala Fashion Awards.