FASHION
Pierpaolo Piccioli Bids Farewell to Valentino After 25 Years
Augustin Bougro - Madame Figaro
25-March-2024
After twenty-five years of dedicated service, the artistic director bids farewell to the Italian fashion house.
Thank you very much! Artistic Director Pierpaolo Piccioli is leaving Valentino. He has led the Italian fashion house since 2008, alongside Maria Grazia Chiuri (currently the artistic director of women's collections at Dior, editor's note), and then on his own from 2016. His Fall-Winter 2024-2025 collection, presented in Paris on Sunday, March 3, was thus his last.
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"Not all stories have a beginning and an end; some live in a sort of eternal present that shines with an intense light, so strong that it leaves no shadow," Pierpaolo Piccioli stated in an Italian post, published on his Instagram account. He continued: "It has been 25 years since I started working at this company, 25 years of existence and living with the people who have woven the threads of this beautiful story that is both mine and ours. Everything has existed and exists thanks to the people I have met, worked with, shared dreams and created beauty with, with whom I have built something that belongs to everyone, and remains unchanged and tangible."
The 56-year-old designer also provided details about the legacy he leaves behind at the house. "This legacy of love, dreams, beauty, and humanity, I carry within me, today and forever. [...] It's beauty, it's life, hope, opportunity, and gratitude; it's my people, my heart, it's the love that gives you all the possibilities in the world, especially those you could not imagine by yourself." He concluded with thanks to Valentino Garavani, businessman Giancarlo Giammetti, and "every person who made this possible in one way or another, it was a privilege and an honor to share my journey and my dreams with you."
An "Indelible" Contribution
"I am grateful to Pierpaolo for his role as creative director and for his vision, dedication, and creativity that have brought the Valentino house to what it represents today," said Jacopo Venturini, CEO of Valentino. Similarly, Valentino's board chairman, Rachid Mohamed Rachid, did not fail to extend his greetings to the Italian creator: "We express our deep gratitude to Pierpaolo for writing an important chapter in the history of Valentino house. His contribution over the last 25 years will leave an indelible mark."
The artistic director's post finally states that a new creative organization will be announced soon. In the meantime, this departure marks the end of an era for one of the greatest fashion houses.