Valentino’s surprising decision

Valentino’s surprising decision has moved even the most seasoned observers of the fashion world. Well, following Friday’s departure of Pierpaolo Piccioli from his position as creative director of the brand, the Roman fashion house, took unusual steps. It was announced that this year’s Valentino men’s and haute couture fashion shows will not be presented. One other postponement is worth mentioning. Paris Men’s Fashion Week, which usually takes place in June, has been postponed from June 18 to 23. The haute couture shows, on the other hand, have been scheduled for June 24 to 27. Despite the fact that the rearranged dates have been rescheduled, due to exceptional circumstances, Valentino has decided not to show its collections, even on the rescheduled date. Why?

Clean sheet

Starting at the beginning. France’s fashion governing body has decided to move the fall haute couture shows in 2024 to avoid clashing with the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Games, which have been synonymous with athletic performance for years, will take place from July 26 to August 11. The Paralympics, on the other hand, will take place from August 28 to September 8. This is a decision that was made to minimize disruption in the world of fashion and sports.

Piccioli’s departure from his position as creative director at Valentino is still extremely recent. However, his last collection for fall 2024, entirely in black, was a kind of tribute to the brand. It was like his farewell ode to the fashion house. The fact is that Valentino’s surprising decision not to design further men’s and couture collections by the team, based on Piccioli’s initial ideas, has its significance. This indicates the possibility of the arrival of a new designer, which may soon begin work on a women’s line, and who may prefer to start from scratch with a clean field.

“Creativity will continue to be the heart and soul of our brand, being a key element that shapes future collections, both ready-to-wear and haute couture, for both men and women. We will continue to elevate our brand DNA, exploring its iconic motifs and unparalleled Italian heritage.” Those were the words in Valentino’s Monday statement.

Valentino’s surprising decision, or is it?

Information around the topic of Piccioli’s departure is still limited to a lot of conjecture. Valentino has indicated that they will soon appoint a successor to the brand, suggesting some acceleration of the process. Some sources also suggest that former Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele will be his successor and is currently in contract negotiations.

Michele unexpectedly left Gucci in November 2022, and his competition ban is set to expire this month. In turn Valentino urgently needs a designer to avoid a long-term gap in collections. So there is a likelihood that the first collection of the new creative director will be prepared for the women’s line for the spring 2025 season. This is the opposite of the situation years ago, when Michele had to edit a collection for Gucci after the sudden departure of his predecessor. This time, expectations are much higher. “He used to be able to afford to improvise, but now he is a well-known designer. The first collection for Valentino must be flawless, a real hit.” – comments one source. So it remains to wait for an official statement from the fashion house on who will lead the brand back to the top.