Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani (Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani) - the world famous fashion designer from Italy, founder of the fashion house "Valentino". The first Italian to conquer Paris, winner of many prizes and awards for outstanding achievements in the field of fashion. Member of the organization of the Paris Fashion Syndicate (Chambre Syndicate des cou-turies).
Biography
The future prominent couturier was born on May 11, 1932 in the northern Lombardy (Lombardia) in the small town of Voghera, in an ordinary, unremarkable Italian Catholic family. Mother Teresa de Biaggi was a housewife, and father Mauro Garavani sold light bulbs.
As a child, Valentino was a calm, focused child. His great passion was drawing; he depicted on paper everything that he saw around: nature, mountains, people.
The boy often went to help his aunt Rosa, who was engaged in sewing clothes with the local dressmaker Ernestina Salvadeo (Ernestina Salvadeo). In textbooks and notebooks, he often made pencil sketches of invented clothing models. While still a teenager, he voiced to his parents his desire to engage in modeling business. They were not enthusiastic about the choice of a son, suggesting that he would still go to study at the medical or law faculty, but they did not begin to hinder him.
Training
The father of the Garavani family did not have much money, but found a way to pay for his son’s education when he entered the Italian Fashion School (Scuola Italiana di Moda). Valentino was a diligent student and eagerly absorbed new knowledge, but he was attracted to Paris - the focus of world fashion. Therefore, the study of the French language and various fashion trends of leading couturiers became the main thing in this life stage for young Valentino. Parents continue to pay for their son's education when he enters the School at the High Fashion Syndicate (Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne).
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The capital of France impressed the impressionable youth with some unusual things and phenomena. For the next eight years, he managed to study and at the same time take dance lessons, here he became an avid theater-goer.
In addition to the educational institution, which Valentino entered immediately as he arrived in Rome, he managed to gain experience in the fashion empires of Jean Desses and Guy Laroche. Desse managed to discern a special talent in his student and began to help him. It was he who taught Garavani to dress women so that they would like to undress.
At this time, the novice couturier formed a distinctive feature of all his subsequent collections - the incredible femininity and seductiveness of the created models, emphasizing the natural female beauty. Parisian bohemian outfits are combined with the frank sexuality of Italian fashionistas.
First confession
In 1958, Garavani settled in the capital of Italy, where he returned with his close friend, model and lover Gerald Nanti (Gerald Nanti) and opens his first own studio on Via Condotti. A year later, under the influence of Jean Desset, he creates the first collection, which differs from the models already presented on the catwalks with tight silhouettes, elegant fabrics and delicate embroidery.
The outfits encouraged women to become more refined, to show sophistication, to show their desire to be protected by men. The collection was successful and won a prize in the tender of the International Wool Secretariat, which opened many doors for the young designer.
In 1962, another overwhelming success, this time in Florence (Firenze), at the Pitti Palace hotel with a new collection. Models came to the taste not only of fans of new products, but also to other fashion designers, as well as critics and journalists. Success was warmed up by numerous orders from future buyers. Soon, the fashion world clearly felt that a new star named Garavani was lit in its firmament.
Fashion house
An inspired fashion designer arrives home with a victory and decides to open his own Fashion House and a debut personal boutique. The first stellar customer of Garavani is the Anglo-American film actress Elizabeth Taylor. She became the owner of a snow-white dress with a large neckline and attended the premiere of the movie “Spartacus” in the capital of Italy.
With Taylor’s light hand, Garavani soon had such famous Hollywood clients as Grace Kelly, Jennifer Lopez, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jessica Lange, Audrey Hepburn , Brooke Shields (Brooke Shields), Courtney Love (Courtney Love) and others.
Garavani models were noticed not only by movie stars, members of the royal families became rich fans of the brand: Jordanian Princess Firyal (Leirjal Firyal Irshaid), British Princess Margaret Rose (Great Britain), Princess Rosario (Princess Rosario) from Bulgaria. The wife of the 40th president of the United States - Nancy Reagan (Nancy Davis Reagan) during the presidency of her husband wore outfits only from Garavani.
Peak of creativity
1967 in the biography of Garavani was marked by another triumph. The thirty-five-year-old maestro introduced the world to the amazing “White collection” in the spring-autumn of 1968 and dedicated it to the wife of the 35th US President, Jacqueline Kennedy. Subsequently, the couturier was never able to overshadow himself and create models better than these. It was at this show that the symbol of the successful Fashion House appeared for the first time - the “V” sign, world-famous today.
White colors became a sign of success for Garavani, he continues to conduct various experiments with them. The maestro's wedding dresses are surprisingly exquisite.
In 1968, one of these outfits was advertised by everyone in the world with information tools. Jacqueline Kennedy dressed a short model in lace during a marriage with billionaire Aristotle Onassis (Aristotelis Onassis).
But, despite the dizzying successes of snow-white models, Valentino still prefers red color, considering it the most unique of the entire color palette of colors.
Duet with Giammetti
In the early 1970s Garavani meets his future partner and close friend Giancarlo Giammetti, a student at the university’s architecture department. Soon Giancarlo leaves training to conduct business with a new friend. His business abilities, business skills and design talent allowed the Valentino Fashion House to conquer the whole world. In 1968, partners register a boutique in the capital of France, then throughout Europe and in Japan.
Since 1972, designers began to create collections and accessories for men, participate in the development of work suits, textiles, furniture.
In 1978, Soviet and American ballet dancer and actor Mikhail Baryshnikov became the face of the first fragrance from Valentino at the first show of La Dame de Pique in Les Champs Elysees.
Since 1975, fashion designers have become regular participants in the Paris Fashion Week twice a year. At each show, they always present more than fifty models, characterized by simplicity of cut, the absence of unnecessary seams, warehouses and undercuts.
In 1988, the head office of the Valentino Fashion House moved to Piazza di Spagna in the Italian capital, the palace of Mignanelli (Palazzo Mignanelli), built in the sixteenth century. In all rooms of the palazzo there are many large mirrors and about three thousand mannequins in old costumes. All Garavani boutiques look more like palaces. Here visitors drink coffee from silver cups and sit on antique furniture of the eighteenth century.
In 1990, in the capital of Italy, designed by architect Thomas Ziffer, the Valentino Fashion Academy was created to promote young talented clothing designers and present art exhibitions.
In the same year, partners Garavani and Giammetti, together with Elizabeth Taylor, organized the Life Association (L.I.F.E.), an HIV care company.
Business sale
In 1998, the “fashionable” empire “Valentino” was bought by Milan's “Holding di Partecipazioni Industriali (HPI)” for $ 283 million.
Garavani remains to occupy the post of chief designer. In 2002, it was acquired by the Marzotto Group concern, maintaining established trends and continuing to adhere to previous directions.
On October 4, 2007, under the endless applause, Garavani in Paris organized a show of the final Ready-to-wear collection, designed for women.
Personal life
Not many individuals can boast that they have access to the personal life of a fashion designer. From time to time, he invites some celebrities to his residences in Rome, New York and on the island of Capri, but he never collects large companies and rarely participates in public parties and meetings.
He does not like small talk, preferring reading literature, watching films and collecting antiques.
Among the items in his collection there are also brought from tsarist Russia: salt shakers from silver, furniture, works by Marc Chagall. The collected collection inspires the maestro to create new masterpieces. Thanks to her, the “Tatar” coat with sable fur, a jacket with gold threads (in honor of Evdokia Lopukhina) and an outfit made of chiffon with the image of St. Basil's Cathedral were born.
In 2008, Garavani left the business. He is no longer engaged in the creation and sewing of new models.
Family
Throughout his life, Valentino loves the one and only woman - fashion model and actress Marilu Tolo, but they never managed to create a marriage and give birth to children.
For twelve years Garavani's lover was Giammetti, but no one knew about their relationship, except for some close friends. Even their relatives were not aware of such close relations of partners.
Interesting Facts
- The Bulgarian princess Rosario is not only a fan of Fashion House Garavani, but also his designer. A miniature brunette is involved in the development of the V-Zone line for young people.
- In 1964, Garavani sewed for the widow of Kennedy as many as six mourning dresses, winning her favor forever.
- In 1982, Garavani published his autobiography Valentino.
- In 1983, Valentino designed the Lincoln Continental luxury passenger car.
- In 2005, Valentino starred in the comedy drama The Devil Wears Prada, directed by David Frankel, as himself.
- Garavani has six pugs that accompany him everywhere.
- The fashion designer is committed to a healthy lifestyle, he practices Pilates, eats vegetables, fish and meat.
- After the meter retired, he created the virtual museum "Valentino Garavani Virtual Museum"where you can see all his collections, sketches and sketches online.
