Italian designer Valentino Garavani, founder of the Valentino fashion house, died on Monday at the age of 93 in Rome, as confirmed by his foundation and Giancarlo Giammetti, co-founder of the company and the designer’s former partner, in an Instagram post.
“Valentino Garavani passed away today at his residence in Rome, surrounded by his loved ones,” the foundation wrote on its profile, also announcing that the wake will be held at PM23, at Piazza Mignanelli number 23 in Rome, on Wednesday, January 21 and Thursday, January 22, from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM (local time).
The funeral will take place this Friday, January 23, at the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri, in Piazza della Repubblica 8, in Rome, at 11:00 AM.
The founder of Valentino, who was born in Voghera (Lombardy), traveled from his hometown to Paris to study fashion, where he began collaborating with major haute couture houses and worked alongside designers such as Jean Dessès, Guy Laroche, and Balenciaga.
Retired since 2008, during his career he dressed women such as Jackie Kennedy, Liz Taylor, Sophia Loren, Sharon Stone, Queen Rania of Jordan, Julia Roberts, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Anne Hathaway, among others.
