“It was a privilege and an honour to share my journey, and my dreams, with you.”
After eight years, countless spectacular creations and an undeniable impact on the industry, Pierpaolo Piccioli and Valentino have announced the end of their partnership. Pierpaolo Piccioli has served as creative director of Valentino since 2016 and is credited with reinvigorating the Maison through his vision.
The Valentino AW22 collection, dubbed Valentino Pink PP, went viral and kickstarted the Barbiecore movement
In a statement, the creative director shared a heartfelt letter to Valentino’s fans and customers as well as his colleagues and those that he has worked with throughout his eight-year journey at the helm. “Everything existed and exists thanks to the people I met, with whom I worked, with whom I shared dreams and created beauty, with whom I built something that belongs to all, and that remains immutable and tangible,” he wrote. “Thanks to Mr. Valentino and Giancarlo Giammetti who have blessed me with their trust, thanks to every single person who made this possible in one way or another, it was a privilege and an honour to share my journey, and my dreams, with you.”
Valentino AW24 was a sombre, all-black collection. A sign of the news to come?
Piccioli first joined Valentino as an accessories designer in 1999 and had worked alongside Maria Grazia Chiuri before she left for the creative director role at Dior in 2008. In total, Piccioli has been at Valentino for 25 years. His recent autumn/winter 2025 collection during Paris Fashion Week was an all-black affair and speculation is now swirling that it was a nod to his imminent departure. Valentino has declared a new creative director will be announced soon.
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- Images courtesy of launchmetrics/spotlight
