Valentino, 90 years of fashion

«I was born a couturier I think... I could not have done anything else in my life». Valentino Garavani, the last emperor of fashion, who turns 90 today, has repeated this in many interviews. He had a revelation at 13 years old when he saw, with a 40-degree fever, his cousin ready for a ball wearing pink tulle. When he was 17, he convinced his parents to let him leave his native Voghera (which is now dedicating an exhibition to him until June 5) to go to Paris to study at the Chambre Syndacale. However, if Valentino Garavani has become «Valentino», he owes it in large part to Giancarlo Giammetti: friend, companion, partner always at his side. «He gave me freedom and security. Without him, I do not think the Maison would have been the same,» Valentino has often stated. They met at the Café de Paris in Via Veneto, on July 31, 1960. Valentino was 28, Giammetti was 22. They have been inseparable ever since. The person who can best tell the story of the creator is certainly him.

What do you remember about your first meeting?

Him talking to me about fashion... I was studying architecture and knew nothing about it. Then he asked me if I understood French. I answered that I did, but when he spoke to me, I went blank, because the French taught by the priests in Rome was quite different from the French taught in Paris. A little disappointed, he said: «So you do not speak it». And I said: «I thought I did». So, he told me that from then on, we would only speak to each other in French, so that I would learn it. We still do that today.

What have you planned for this year’s birthday?

Out of respect for the moment we are living with this terrible war going on, Valentino decided to celebrate it in a very quiet and serene way with just family and friends.

The Valentino fashion house was founded in 1960 in Rome. What do you remember about those early years?

Courage, energy, vision and the desire to succeed, but also to have fun. We started working in other locations, Via Condotti and Via Gregoriana. Then visiting Palazzo Mignanelli, we had a revelation, we took one floor, then two, then everything. It was 1968, the year of the famous white collection that made Valentino a famous and beloved couturier.

What has changed for the better and for the worse in the fashion business?

As in much of our lives, change has been gradual. Fashion reflects people's desires, their visions that must become our own. Our job is not to revolutionize our style but to adapt it to the historical moment. The worst thing about fashion is that some brands are constantly changing their style.

Rome wanted to dedicate a museum to Valentino under Walter Veltroni after the 2007 unforgettable exhibition. Is there a chance this is still happening?

Rather than a museum, I would like to see an Academy where fashion is combined with art, education, archives... I hope to get there soon.

From the Rome Opera House with Sofia Coppola to the NYC Ballet, Valentino has designed costumes for some of the most memorable shows of the decade. Could there be new forays?

Of course... It is a beautiful moment to be able to transfer a precise style by adapting it to a story of others.

What do you like and dislike about today's fashion?

I like it a lot, but I do not like the ostentation of fashion nights at such a difficult moment. We should respect the pain of others without offending them.

France, Italy, UK and US. Who has been paying more attention to fashion? Should a big fashion museum be in Rome, Milan, or both?

There is a lot to be done to create a true fashion museum. We do not want to just see clothes on mannequins, but we want to hear the secrets behind those names and clothes. I hope our Academy could be an example of that.

How do you judge the growth of your two pupils: Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli?

Wonderful: they have been able to create a beautiful story in their own way.

Which designers do you find interesting today? Do you like Balenciaga?

Interesting but with little future. You cannot design clothes to sell sneakers.

What about two great colleagues of Valentino: Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent? What memories do you have of them?

Valentino spent his years, from 18 to 22, close to them. All three worked in three fashion houses, all three were in the famous Café Flore clan. He met Karl more often over the years, Yves only rarely.

What about Giorgio Armani and Tom Ford, who were guests at your mega party in Rome?

Two great people! Giorgio is sure of what he is doing and reassures his clients with a precise, soft, perfect style. Tom is a great visionary but he created his own personal style as well, made of sex appeal, but in an elegant way.

Do you remember the day Valentino received the Legion of Honor? What did it represent for you?

We were all excited of course. I loved his speech.

Would you like to watch a TV series about Valentino, such as the one about Halston? Which actor would you like to portray Valentino? And who could play Giancarlo Giammetti?

No. There was a good movie. A movie that entertained, moved and taught about love and complicity. I would not want to ruin its beautiful memory with a made-up series. 

What is Valentino's secret?

Only one: I love beauty. It's not my fault! (All rights reserved)