2 minute readValentino Garavani, Italy’s leading fashion designer and founder of Valentino, has died at the age of 93.
His foundation shared the news on Instagram on January 19, 2026.
“Valentino Garavani, our founder, passed away today at his residence in Rome, surrounded by his loved ones,” the company wrote in a joint post on its official Instagram account. “The funeral service will take place on Wednesday, January 21st and Thursday, January 22nd from 11:00 pm to 6:00 pm in Piazza Mignanelli 23. The funeral will take place on Friday, January 23rd at 11:00 am in the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli dei Martiri, Piazza della Repubblica 8, Rome.”
Garavani was born in May 1932 in Voghera, Italy. She then studied fashion at the Santa Maria school in Milan and then at the École de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne in Paris. From there he apprenticed at Jacques Fatt and Balenciaga, before working for Jean Desse and Guy Laroche. He opened a fashion house in Rome and went into business with Giancarlo Giammetti, his romantic partner of 12 years.
The Valentino brand has been a favorite among the influential elite for decades and has a huge presence in Hollywood. He was especially known for his scarlet gowns called “Valentino Red”.
He worked with Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn, Joan Collins, Jane Fonda, Princess Diana, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Jacqueline Kennedy, who famously wore a Valentino dress to her 1968 wedding to Aristotle Onassis.
Throughout his illustrious career, Valentino received numerous awards, including the Knight of the Légion d’Honneur, the Order of the City of Paris, the Couture Council Award for the Art of Fashion from the Fashion Institute of Technology Museum, and the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Merit.
In an interview with RTL TV in 2007, Valentino said: “For me, a woman is like a beautiful, beautiful bouquet of flowers. She must always be sensational, always please, always perfect, always please her husband, her lover and everyone, because we are born to always show our best selves.”
In 2008, he was also the subject of his own documentary in connection with his last haute couture show, held at the Musee Rodin in Paris in January of the same year. When he announced his retirement, the New York Times published a statement saying, “I have decided this is the perfect moment to say goodbye to the world of fashion. As the British say, I prefer to leave the party while it’s still full.”
He continued, “I’ve been so fortunate to be able to do what I’ve loved all my life. There are few greater gifts than this.”
