Valentino Garavani, The Last Emperor Of Couture, Dies At 93

Italian fashion has lost one of its most enduring icons. Valentino Garavani, the legendary couturier whose name became synonymous with elegance, drama, and uncompromising beauty, has died at the age of 93. His passing marks the end of an era not only for haute couture but for a generation of designers who defined fashion as spectacle, discipline, and art. For more than six decades, Valentino Garavani shaped how glamour looked, moved, and felt, dressing some of the most powerful and photographed women in modern history.

From Rome to Paris, New York to Hollywood, Valentino built a universe in which beauty was paramount and excess was unapologetic. His death closes the chapter on a life lived with operatic intensity—one filled with art-filled palazzos, legendary parties, red-carpet triumphs, and a singular devotion to craft. Few designers achieved his level of cultural reach while remaining so fiercely loyal to a personal aesthetic. As tributes pour in from across the fashion world, one thing is clear: he was a symbol of fashion’s imperial age.

Valentino Garavani Dies at 93, Leaving Fashion’s “Last Emperor”

Italian fashion legend Valentino Garavani, whose elegant evening gowns were favored for decades by some of the world’s most glamorous women, has died at 93, according to his foundation.https://t.co/MzMAKpkKC3 pic.twitter.com/h3bXzn1W02

— CNN (@CNN) January 19, 2026

Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani died peacefully at his residence in Rome, according to a statement released by his foundation. He was surrounded by family at the time of his passing. The news has reverberated across the global fashion industry, prompting an outpouring of tributes from designers, cultural leaders, and political figures who recognized Valentino Garavani as one of Italy’s greatest creative exports.

Often described as fashion’s “Last Emperor,” Valentino Garavani outlived many of his contemporaries, including Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld. Women’s Wear Daily famously crowned them with monikers: Yves the King, Karl the Kaiser, and Valentino the Chic, but it was the 2008 documentary “Valentino: The Last Emperor” that cemented his mythic status. Though he bristled at the title, his life of grandeur, discipline, and ceremony seemed to justify it.

A Life of Grandeur, Art, and Legendary Celebrations

Valentino Garavani lived as extravagantly as he designed. His homes included a palazzo on Rome’s Piazza Mignanelli, a villa on the Appian Way, a London mansion, a New York penthouse, a chalet in Gstaad, and the Château de Wideville outside Paris. His 152-foot yacht, the T.M. Blue One, was a familiar sight in the Mediterranean, emblematic of a lifestyle that matched his couture’s drama.

Equally legendary were his celebrations. From his 50th birthday at Studio 54, where he played ringmaster in a Fellini-esque circus, to multi-day anniversary extravaganzas staged against the ruins of Ancient Rome, Valentino Garavani understood fashion as theater. His 45th anniversary celebration in 2007, staged at the Colosseum and bathed in Valentino red, became an unforgettable symbol of pre-financial-crisis excess.

The Creative and Romantic Partnership With Giancarlo Giammetti

At the heart of Valentino Garavani’s success was his partnership with Giancarlo Giammetti, whom he met in Rome in 1960. Their relationship, romantic for 12 years and professional for more than 50, remains one of fashion’s great love stories. Giammetti managed the business with precision while Valentino Garavani focused on creation, together transforming a struggling atelier into a global luxury house.

Though they eventually parted as lovers, their bond endured. They became godparents together, holidayed as family with close friends, and stood as living proof that art and commerce could coexist when built on trust and devotion. Without Giammetti, Valentino Garavani might not have survived his early financial struggles; without Valentino, Giammetti would not have helped build one of fashion’s most recognizable names.

The Signature Style and the Power of Valentino Red

Fashion mourns the loss of Valentino Garavani.⁰The Roman couturier, master of timeless elegance and creator of the iconic Valentino red, has passed away at 93, surrounded by loved ones.
His legacy transcends trends. Grace was his signature.
Addio, Maestro.🕊️ #LisLove #Valentino pic.twitter.com/PWX72cUlK5

— Lis Lopes (@lislopees1) January 19, 2026

A master couturier, Valentino Garavani was revered for his impeccable cuts, luxurious fabrics, and peerless eveningwear. His double-faced coats and suits showcased technical brilliance, while his gowns embodied a vision of femininity that demanded attention. “A woman must cause heads to turn when she enters a room,” he famously said.

Central to that vision was his signature hue: Valentino red. Inspired by a teenage encounter with the opera “Carmen in Barcelona,” the color became his talisman. From his very first collection, Valentino Garavani ensured there was always at least one red dress—for luck, for impact, for legacy. Fashion editor Diana Vreeland once declared of his gowns, “They must lift the dead.”

From Voghera to Paris: The Making of a Couturier

Born on May 11, 1932, in Voghera, Italy, Valentino Garavani showed an obsession with beauty from childhood. Supported by indulgent parents, he left for Paris at 18, enrolling at the École des Beaux-Arts and later the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne. Apprenticeships with Jean Dessès and Guy Laroche refined his understanding of fabric and form, preparing him for independence.

In 1959, Valentino Garavani returned to Rome and opened his atelier on Via Condotti. Early clients included Elizabeth Taylor, but international fame followed his 1962 Florence show and, soon after, his association with Jacqueline Kennedy. Her decision to wear Valentino designs, including for her 1968 wedding to Aristotle Onassis, cemented his global reputation almost overnight.

A Global Brand and a Graceful Farewell

A huge loss for the fashion world💔
Rest in peace #ValentinoGaravani 🕊️ pic.twitter.com/X7lCvA96pd

— Anne Hathaway (@AnneeJHathaway) January 19, 2026

Over the decades, Valentino Garavani dressed royalty, actresses, supermodels, and modern celebrities, from Audrey Hepburn to Anne Hathaway, Naomi Campbell to Zendaya. His red-carpet presence became a benchmark of elegance. In 1998, he sold the company for around $300 million, navigating the complexities of corporate ownership before announcing his retirement in 2007.

His final couture show in 2008 was a triumph, closing with a procession of identical Valentino red gowns. In retirement, Valentino Garavani returned to drawing for pleasure, tending his gardens, and reflecting on a career celebrated through exhibitions and honors worldwide. Yet questions of legacy lingered. Was he the last of his kind?

Perhaps Valentino Garavani answered it best himself, with characteristic wit and self-awareness: “I love beauty. It’s not my fault.” In his passing, fashion loses not just a designer, but an idea of beauty lived without apology.

Featured image: Patrick Demarchelier

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