Valentino Garavani, founder of Maison Valentino and the last emperor of fashion, turns 90 on May 11th. An exhibition of his work will take place at the Teatro Sociale in Voghera, his birthplace, through June 5th, 2022. For the occasion, Maison Valentino has conceived a limited-edition sweatshirt with Mr. Valentino’s renowned quote on beauty (worn below by the Maison's artistic director Pierpaolo Piccioli).
Valentino Garavani was born in the northern Italian town of Voghera on May 11th 1932. The couturier and designer is known in the fashion world by his first name only, Valentino, because his work has managed to enter our collective imagination and thus, no surname is required of him. He is the great Valentino, there is even a colour named "Valentino red" and his designs are recognizable by their grace, great style and impeccable fit.
On May 11, Valentino turns 90. This milestone celebrates a unique personality who during his 50 years career, has defined a genre and personal idea of beauty, expressing these "mantras" in infinite forms and making them relevant for the present day by introducing an idea of the future. Valentino has built a system of symbols that are more alive and multiform than ever before, also thanks to the work of the Maison's current artistic director Pierpaolo Piccioli.
The Teatro Sociale of Voghera will present from the 11th of May, and running through the 5th of June, 2022, a site-specific installation that will be open to the public and will feature exclusive creations designed by Valentino. From the 1960s to the entire first decade of the 21st century these are iconic creations designed by Valentino himself.
Appropriately at centre stage are a selection of his iconic red dresses: the most powerful, recognizable, and recognized symbol all in the colour that took the name of its creator. A monochrome installation made of 36 dresses from the archive that create an anthology of styles that have each been able to embody the spirit of their time. Valentino’s woman is an actress, but also a spectator, easily at home in front of the camera as behind it, or even sitting in the audience. From all walks of life these days as the Maison has something for everyone -- from couture dresses to t-shirts, to accessories.
On the stage in Voghera, the mannequins are both actresses and spectators, without differences, all belonging to a global vision that represents a total idea of beauty and femininity in which each subject is on the same level. Alongside to the unique pieces are studies, drawings, sketches, newspaper clippings, photographs, and documents that depict the spirit of the time in which the clothes made their debut and recreate, through brief anecdotes, how the world has received and perceived them.
And of course, the special edition hoodie, which is available starting on May 11th. The Valentino "Happy Birthday Mr. V" limited edition hoodie boasts his renowned quote: “I Love Beauty, It’s Not My Fault”, a vivid and ironic summary of an approach to fashion and to life. All net profits from the sale of the hoodie will be donated to the Fondazione Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti.
To purchase the hoodie and to see more about its creation and the exhibition in Voghera, check out the Valentino site.
